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It's always calm before the storm

  • Published
  • By SrA Kathrine McDowell
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration anticipates a near-normal 2009 hurricane season for the Atlantic coast. With a 70-percent chance of nine to 14 named storms, NOAA forecasters predict four to seven of those storms being hurricanes, of which up to three can become major systems (Category 3, 4, or 5). 

Even though there have been no named tropical systems yet this year, November 30, the end of the hurricane season, is still a ways off. 

Weather can be predicted but never stopped. Shaw Air Force Base got the brunt of the warning 20 years ago after it was alerted of a hurricane approaching Charleston, S.C. on September 20, 1989. From that moment the base disaster preparedness plan was implemented. All aircraft were evacuated the next day.
 
Hugo, a Category 4 storm, arrived at Shaw about 2 a.m. on Sept. 22, 1989, after spending eight days as a hurricane in the Caribbean, bringing with it tornadoes and gusts over 105 m.p.h. At the time, Hugo's passing was the 12th most intense storm of the 20th Century.
 
Although none of the 49 deaths attributed to the storm happened here, there was extensive damage to the housing, facilities, vehicles, and equipment of the 363rd Fighter Wing (Shaw's fighter wing of 1989).
 
Housing residents abandoned their homes to find safety with neighbors. Others sought safety at the base's recreation center that was set up not only to house local residents but also people from Myrtle Beach AFB and Charleston AFB. 

Buildings all over the installation were damaged: roofs torn off, walls collapsed and interior water damage. Other bases, like Hulburt Field in Florida, sent Airmen and equipment to help rebuild and collect the nearly 5,000 trees that were downed or damaged. For several months, firewood was cheap and abundant here! 

As repairs came to a close, Shaw had suffered at an estimated $47 million in damages. 

Hugo still serves as a reminder to all that preparedness for this natural disaster each season is important. Simply put, it can happen to you because it has happened before. According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, if a hurricane with a similar track and intensity of Hugo were to hit again, it could cause over $8 billion in damages state wide and could destroy over 21,000 homes. 

Prepare now. An early calm is not a prediction for a quiet hurricane season. Creating and updating a family plan and a disaster supply kit should always be on the list of thing to do early in the summer. Also think about retrofitting your home for future natural disasters. Visit the National Hurricane Canter's site on the subject: www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/retrofit/secure_home.shtml. 

For more information, see the 2009 South Carolina Hurricane Guide at www.scemd.org/News/publications/2009%20Hurricane%20Guide/Index_New_HG_09.html 

Also visit www.shaw.af.mil and download the hurricane brochure.