By Robert Connors Managing Editor 

Cyclone Forming Over Caribbean Expected to Recurve Over State

Last updated 9/23/2022 at 12:33pm

National Hurricane Center forecasts call for a hurricane to approach Florida in coming days. Lake Wales is expected to feel undetermined impacts of the storm. Residents are advised to monitor the situation and begin preparations.

UPDATE: This storm is now forecast to be a Major (Category Three or stronger) hurricane as it approaches the Florida peninsula. The National hurricane Center at 11:00 am reported that "The latest NHC intensity forecast has been increased from the previous one and explicitly calls for rapid intensification as the cyclone crosses the northwestern Caribbean Sea. The system is forecast to approach the Cayman Islands and Cuba as a strengthening hurricane, with additional intensification likely once it emerges over the warm waters of the southeastern Gulf of Mexico. In fact, this forecast calls for the system to approach the Florida peninsula as a major hurricane by day 5, which is supported by the latest IVCN and HCCA aids."

Lake Wales area residents and Floridians in general are beginning preparations for the likely impact of a hurricane in less than a week.

Forecast models and the National hurricane Center are now predicting that a Tropical Depression, the weakest stage of a cyclone, currently located in the south central Caribbean, will intensify into a hurricane in a matter of days as it moves to near the western tip of Cuba, rounding out its typical recurve with a move over Florida.

According to the National hurricane Center in Miami, "most of the guidance shows environmental conditions becoming much more favorable as... the cyclone is over the warm 29-30 C waters of the northwestern Caribbean."

Hurricanes are fed and strengthened by warm waters. Water temperatures in the Atlantic basin are generally much warmer than historic norms.

The next name in the 2022 naming list is Hermine, and the depression would earn that name as soon as sustained winds reach tropical storm intensity as soon as late Friday.

While it remains too soon to determine which areas of the state may receive the greatest impacts, it is apparent that the threat is real and that preparations are in order. Forecasts currently call for the storm to approach Central Florida by late Wednesday.

LakeWalesNerws.net will closely monitor the approach of the cyclone and will continue to publish frequent updates with specific information for the local area. Please return to our news section to take advantage as advisories are released.

Hurricane Safety Checklists from the American Red Cross

The most important thing you can do as hurricane season approaches is to get yourself, your family and your home prepared.

By starting early, you'll avoid the rush at home supply stores, grocery stores and other venues typically crowded and often chaotic when hurricane watches and warnings are issued.

You should stock six basics for your home: water, food, first aid supplies, clothing and bedding, tools and emergency supplies, and special items. Keep the items you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to carry container. Possible containers include a large, covered trash container, a camping backpack, or a duffle bag.

Make your preparations easier by downloading the checklists included with each category and use them as you shop and store your supplies.

• Store water in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as paper milk cartons or glass bottles. A normally active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Hot environments and intense physical activity can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers, and ill people will need more.

• Store one gallon of water per person per day.

• Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for each person in your household for food preparation/sanitation).

• If your home is supplied by a private well, you should fill bathtubs or other containers with water for use in flushing toilets or washing dishes.

Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. If you must heat food, pack a can of Sterno. Select food items that are compact and lightweight. Include a selection of the following foods in your Disaster Supplies Kit:

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, and vegetables

• Staples (salt, sugar, pepper, spices, etc.)

First Aid and Non-Prescription Drugs

Assemble a first aid kit for your home and one for each car.

• (2) germicidal hand wipes or waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• (2) pair large medical grade non-latex gloves.

• CPR breathing barrier, such as a face shield.

• Aspirin or nonaspirin pain reliever

• Activated charcoal (use if advised by the American Association of Poison Control Centers)

• Mess kits, or paper cups, plates, and plastic utensils

• Battery-operated radio and extra batteries

• Non-electric can opener, utility knife

• Fire extinguisher: small canister ABC type

• Lighter or matches in a waterproof container

• Shut-off wrench, to turn off household gas and water

• Cloth face masks (two per person)

• Plastic garbage bags, ties (for personal sanitation uses)

• Plastic bucket with tight lid

Include at least one complete change of clothing and footwear per person.

• Sturdy shoes or work boots

Remember family members with special requirements, such as infants and elderly or disabled persons.

• Heart and high blood pressure medication

• Board games and other games that don't require batteries or electricity, books for adult readers and for children.

In the interest of protecting pets, the Humane Society of the United States offers these tips for inclusion in your family disaster plan:

• Do not leave your pets behind.

• Securely fasten a current identification tag to your pet's collar and carry a photograph of your pet. It's important to include the phone number of a friend or family member on the tag so anyone who may find your pet is able to reach someone who knows you.

• Transport pets in secure pet carriers and keep pets on leashes or harnesses.

• Call hotels in a safe/host location and ask if you can bring your pets. Ask the manager if a no-pet policy can be lifted during the disaster. Most emergency shelters do not admit pets.

• Call friends, family members, veterinarians or boarding kennels in a safe/host location to arrange foster care if you and your pets cannot stay together.

• Pack a week's supply of food, water and other provisions, such as medication or cat litter.

• Do not wait until the last minute to evacuate. Rescue officials may not allow you to take your pets if you need to be rescued.

• Keep a list of emergency phone numbers (veterinarian, local animal control, animal shelters, Red Cross, etc.).

[download the possessions and documents checklist]

• Keep these records in a waterproof, portable container:

• Will, insurance policies, contracts, deeds, stocks and bonds

• Passports, social security cards, immunization records

A storm approaching from the southwest has been a repeated event for Central Florida, As Donna (1960), Charley (2004) and Irma (2017) all made similar approaches and had severe impacts locally. Tampa Bay has not received a direct strike in more than a century, and due to extensive flood zones such an event is expected to be catastrophic.

• Credit card account numbers and companies

• Inventory of valuable household goods, important telephone numbers

• Family records (birth, marriage, death certificates)

• Store your kit in a convenient place known to all family members. Keep a smaller version of the supplies kit in the trunk of your car.

• Keep items in airtight plastic bags.

• Change your stored water supply every six months so it stays fresh.

• Replace your stored food every six months.

• Re-think your kit and family needs at least once a year. Replace batteries, update clothes, etc.

• Ask your physician or pharmacist about storing prescription medications.

Source/Reference: American Red Cross

Lake Wales, FL Ph: (863) 632-0878

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