HURRICANE READY: ABC Action News

STORM SEASON

ABC Action News Meteorologist Denis Phillips Talks Hurricane Season Prep, What to Expect and Rule #7

by Brie Gorecki

Summer is here and school is out, which means it’s time for some fun in the sun. Though most people are excited about summer vacation, one thing we Floridians don’t look forward to is hurricane season. Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, and whether you’ve lived in Florida your whole life or are new to the sunshine state, it can be nerve-wracking. ABC Action News meteorologist Denis Phillips has been forecasting the weather for over 30 years and has been through countless hurricanes and tropical storms. He recently talked to us about what to expect for this year, how you can prepare and ease your kids’ minds, and why his catchphrase, “Rule #7,” has become a household saying.

TBPM: What are the predictions for the 2022 storm season?

DP: The general feeling is that there’s going to be an above average year yet again. Most folks are going between maybe 18 and 23 named storms, in that ballpark. Average is 14 now. It’s interesting because even a few years ago, the average was only 10 or 11, but what happens is when you look at that average, all they do is just take the last 30 years and average those out and determine what a typical year is. So clearly in the last 30 years, we’ve been more active than in previous years. And because of that, the average has gone from 10 to 11 and now it’s up to 14 per year. So, it’s still expected to be above average.

But it’s important to remember that even if a lot of hurricanes develop, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to strike land. They could be out in the middle of the ocean.

TBPM: What would you say to someone who’s new to the area and this is their very first hurricane season?

DP: It’s all about preparation. You don’t want to be the person that, two days out, is heading to Home Depot or Lowe’s and trying to get plywood or supplies.

I think anybody who’s lived here for a long time knows that once we get a couple of days out, it’s almost impossible to get supplies. Hurricane season starts in early June, and that’s really when you should start putting together a plan: whether it’s a gallon of water per person, per day, whether it’s LED lights, or whether it’s an extra charger for your phone.

I mean all those things kind of come together, and if you have them in advance, they might come in handy if we lose power during a thunderstorm. But clearly, for a prolonged power outage, you want to have the supplies in advance, because again, trying to get it done last minute, it’s almost impossible around here.

I get it—lot of folks procrastinate and a lot of folks are going to wait, but again, it’s just one less thing on your mind, because when you see a storm coming in, the panic factor increases by tenfold and you’re trying to keep your head on straight. Knowing what you’ll need and what you won’t—it’s just a lot easier to have it done in advance. There’s plenty of hurricane kit checklists and whatnot out there so you can pretty much have a good idea of what you need for your family.

TBPM: Is there anything we should wait on doing until we know for sure a storm is heading our way?

DP: Honestly, the only thing that you might want to wait on is obviously trying to get hotel reservations prior to when a storm makes landfall.

Anybody who went through Irma who tried to get a hotel if they waited two or three days out had to drive to Atlanta because those are some of the closest hotels. I mean, it’s pretty much impossible if you wait that far out. The kits and the preps should pretty much be done by June 1.

TBPM: What do you personally do to prepare your family for hurricane season?

DP: We have a kit in advance. We also have a generator. I know some folks can afford generators, some can’t. The most important thing to remember EVER if you’re going to have a generator is: After a storm, if you’re out of power, you never ever want to use that generator in your garage or anywhere in your house. It’s got to be outside because unfortunately, every single time there’s a hurricane, we hear about people who lose their lives from carbon monoxide poisoning. It just happens, and it’s tragic. It doesn’t have to happen.

For my family personally, we get everything done in advance. We have our LED lights; we have our first aid kits; we have our water. We pretty much have it all ready because once there’s a storm coming near us, I certainly will be the person who will be at work for days on end and I won’t be able to be with my family. So, if they’re not evacuating, if they’re just staying put because the situation warrants, I want to make sure that they’re safe as well.

TBPM: What advice do you have for people who want to evacuate?

TBPM: LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR FAMOUS CATCHPHRASE, ‘RULE #7.’

DP: It really varies on the storm. It depends on if it’s coming in from the west or if it’s coming in from the east. Each one of them are very different and there’s not even a ballpark idea because it all depends on the intensity, the track and what the expectations are in terms of damage, power outages and whatnot. DP: It started back in 2012 when the RNC, the Republican National Convention, was in Tampa, and we had a hurricane coming this way—Isaac. I was confident that that storm was going to be a near miss, that we would have some strong winds and some minor issues, but it wasn’t going to be a huge deal. The old adage is that you hide from the wind, and you run from the water. So, living where traffic is really challenging to get around on any given day, throw in the fact that everybody is evacuating and trying to get out of this area, there will be gas stations that’ll be closed, there will be breakdowns, and there will be accidents. It’s borderline impossible sometimes to evacuate if you’re waiting any less than 36 hours. Everybody was freaking out for obvious reasons. We had a ton of people coming into the area, and they didn’t know what to do. I just jotted down these rules, like ‘Know the margin of error,’ ‘A hurricane can be well over 300 miles off track so don’t center your attention on the middle,’ and several other things. The last one was ‘Just don’t freak out unless I’m freaking out. We’re fine.’ I was talking about

A lot of times, emergency operation folks are saying, ‘You that one particular storm and somehow it just kind of know what? We’d rather you stay put in your house then be became a thing, and now I tell people when the storm is stuck out on the road.’ If you can hunker down and manage coming, it’s ‘rule #7.’ JUST DON’T FREAK OUT the winds because they’re not going to be at such a level that they’re expecting structural damage to your home, then you probably want to stay put. But if you’re in a flood zone or you’re in an area where surge is going to be an issue, that’s by far the biggest concern. I mean, you can’t get away from water. You can hide from the wind, but you cannot hide I also think it’s important to remember, because even if we are in the track of a storm—even a significant storm—the rules are still the same. Don’t freak out. Because there’s no way in the world you’re going to be able to make the kind of decisions you need to make for your family if you’re freaking out. from the water. It’s important that every single person out there knows their flood zone. It’s just one of those things that you’ve got to know, and those flood zones are changing. It’s important to remember that maybe somebody looked at a map 10 years ago and they’re like, ‘OK, we’re not in a flood zone,’ and then they look now, and they might be. It’s important that every year you look and see, not UNLESS I’M FREAKING OUT. WE’RE FINE. So that’s why we always say it’s always best to have your plan well beforehand, because when you do that, it isn’t a matter of thinking, ‘Do I need this? Do I need that?’ It’s a matter of going through the checklist and saying ‘I’ve got this’ and then making the best decision for your family. just for insurance reasons, but for your personal safety if I cannot tell you how many times I’ve watched national you’re in an area that is prone to flooding and there’s a sizable media sources and I hear the loud bump music and the hurricane coming in. ‘boom, boom, boom’ sounds and I’m having heart concerns I think a lot of folks dismiss tropical storms or even minimal hurricanes because they don’t think they’re going to do a lot of damage. Usually, they don’t. But if you remember Eta a couple years ago, it was a tropical storm late in the year and there after 15 seconds watching it because I get freaked out. I think I’ve learned that people don’t want to be scared. They don’t want to be given hype and fear. Because in my mind, how do you build trust when you’re trying to scare people? were people who had water in their houses that had never had So, my goal is to try to reassure people. I mean, you got water in their house before. So, it’s just one of those things to be a straight shooter. If something is coming this way, that you must decide for each individual storm, what the best and it’s a real threat, you’ve got to let them know. But at course of action is for you, and most of that depends on just the same time, I think you do need to remind people that how strong that storm really is. it isn’t always the worst-case scenario that happens, and it seems like a lot of the national sources always focus on the TBPM: What would be your best advice for parents worst case when most of the time, that’s not what happens. on how to talk to their kids about storms? It’s something in between. DP: The thing that I always tell people with kids is look, hurri- Honestly, I don’t think there’s anyone that knows a local canes are scary, but to me, tornadoes are even more scary. Be- region better than the local meteorologists. We might cause with tornadoes, you don’t have a lot of time to see them know the little subtleties in the area, like certain areas coming. We don’t get those kinds of tornadoes here in Florida. may flood more than someplace else, whereas the HurriWhen you’re talking about a hurricane, you see it coming days in advance. There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s all about having that plan, and I always tell kids, ‘Look, if your parents cane Center, it’s their job to give more of a broad-brush, larger scale forecast. I think the local meteorologists are really the ones who break it down to the neighborhood. are told to evacuate, they’re going to evacuate. They’re going to So, give them some hope, hold their hand, get them go to a place of safety and then after the storm hits, they come through the storm and I think you develop back. And if there’s anything that needs to be done to clean up, more of a long-term viewership that way they’ll do it.’ But at the end of the day, everybody’s safe and as opposed to just selling fear. there’s no excuse for anybody to get hurt when a hurricane’s Scan the QR code for more inforcoming, and I tell the kids ‘Trust your parents. Trust them mation and an extended version of that they’re going to do the right things. They’re going to leave our conversation with Phillips.if they’re told to, and everybody is going to be fine.’