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Tropical Storm Alberto Approaches Florida

The State of Florida is facing the landfall of its first tropical storm of the 2006 hurricane season, with Tropical Storm Alberto strengthening in the Gulf of Mexico and warnings going out all along the west coast of the Sunshine State. While the maximum sustained winds for Tropical Storm Alberto were nearly at 50 miles an hour, there is little expectation that Alberto will turn into a hurricane. At least sixteen named storms are reported to be possible this hurricane season, according to the National Hurricane Center. Alberto formed nine days after the official start of the 2006 hurricane season.

2005?s hurricane season was the most destructive on record, but it must be remembered that many populated areas were not the size they were now even five or ten years ago ? and so, naturally destruction is likely to be more as areas now being hit by ever-stronger hurricanes are more built up than they ever have been in the past. This doesn?t take away from the necessity of saving lives, nor does it place humans primarily at fault.

Preparation is key during hurricane season, and so as Alberto leads the way and other storms follow, America and the world will see how this hurricane season differs from the last one. Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive and expensive storm to hit the United States, was literally a watershed event in that federal policy vis-?-vis evacuations and aid was shown to be woefully inadequate in the face of a crisis that just seemed to get worse and worse as levees broke and the city of New Orleans was covered in water.