We must prepare for tomorrow's weather perils

An important slice of the American climate story comes in the form of figures published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“There were 28 weather and climate disasters in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 22 in 2020, tallying a price tag of at least $92.9 billion,” a recent NOAA report said. This marked a historic high for what the federal agency calls “billion-dollar disasters” due to flooding, tornadoes, wildfires and hailstorms. It’s the reason home insurance premiums are climbing.

A few days ago, NOAA reaffirmed its prediction for a very active hurricane season with 17 to 24 named storms — there already have been four — with as many as 13 becoming hurricanes.

Long Islanders, are you ready?

Weather challenges come in all shapes and sizes. On Long Island, last week’s heavy rains validated those predictions. The most recent system called Debby dumped record amounts of rain in parts of the south before moving our way. Fortunately, we missed the worst of the storm. We won’t always be so lucky.

Warmer air will keep making storms more powerful, powerful storms more frequent, and preparation more urgent. On July 2, in the Caribbean, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Category 5 storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Basin.

The thought of a hurricane evokes downed power lines, falling tree limbs, and other high-wind destruction. But now the volume of rain and resulting floods are giving wind damage a run for the money. Warmer air can hold more water vapor; warmer oceans put more water into that air through evaporation.

Last week, at Point Lookout, Town of Hempstead Superintendent Don Clavin issued televised and livestreamed public warnings of the kind we’ve seen from elected executives for decades. It is an ever-more-frequent necessity.

A TO-DO LIST

Tie down boats, before the storm. Clean your rain gutters. Position garbage cans safely. Park the car in a sensible place, with gas in the tank. Public employees will attend to storm drains. Charge cellphones. Locate the go-bag outfitted to meet your needs. Expect dangerous road conditions and power outages. Share information. Know your evacuation zones. Secure the lawn furniture. And so on.

Checklists are important, but they’re not everything.

“The greatest feeling I’d have would be if you were prepared and nothing big happened,” Clavin said. “I don’t want to make you nervous. I just want you to be prepared.”

That was a proper perspective for Clavin and other civic leaders to share. Mindset is especially important for what is to come. As weather gets crazier, we will need to stay saner in our daily activities.

As preparation for any big storm, the American Psychological Association suggests: “Gather information that will help you accurately determine your risk so that you can take reasonable actions.”

“Maintain a hopeful outlook,” the association adds. “Draw upon skills that have helped you successfully manage past challenges to help you through the current storm.”

One day, you may even hear a disembodied voice giving practical advice from above as sound trucks once did on the ground.

That’s nothing to fear. In New York City, emergency management officials have begun using drones to warn residents of impending threatening weather. A loudspeaker attached to a drone flying overhead warns people who live in basement and ground-floor apartments: “Be prepared to leave your location . . . If flooding occurs, do not hesitate.”

PREPARATION IS KEY

Hopefully, state and local agencies will refine their plans with each real-life trial. The state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services said in a statement in June: “We are re-doubling our efforts based on the frequency and strength of projected storms.”

Seasoned government leaders like Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine remind us of the longer view. Romaine warned Friday of the need for the regional coordination that always eludes Long Island. That goes for disposing of vegetative debris from fallen trees, dealing with road closures, and absorbing runoff from overwhelmed drainage systems — over and over again, piecemeal.

All infrastructure is vulnerable. Storms on our shores create uniquely tricky clusters of challenges for all levels of officialdom. Expect more of this.

Storm after storm, season after season, all across the country, we learn of victims who in hindsight should have taken warnings and advisories seriously. Clear communication from authorities, with appropriate advice and well-publicized evacuation routes, is important. Listening to that advice is essential. So is heeding the words of those who have experienced the burst dams, inundated homes, submerged roads, and damaged bridges wrought by even relatively minor storms like Debby.

“I’m 78-plus years old and have never seen anything like this before in Bulloch County,” Roy Thompson told The Associated Press. Thompson is chairman of the Bulloch County Commission in Georgia. “It’s amazing what has happened, and amazing what is going to continue to happen until all these waters get out of here.”

It should be clear by now that even without bearing the brunt of tropical weather, as southern coastal states do, Long Island stands to catch more natural trouble than it once did. Bracing for these events becomes a concern like never before.

There are many cautions for all of us to heed, within reason — a diversity of worries that must be rationally and calmly addressed. These are the cards we are dealt, and we must play them as best we can. All of us.