TRANSCRIPT
From the Cumberland Gap to the Atlantic Ocean, this is
Virginia Water Radio for the week of Memorial Day.
This week, we
feature sounds for storm preparedness.
To start, have a listen for about 35 seconds and see if you can guess
which natural disaster prompted this recording.
MUSIC.
If you guessed
Hurricane Irene, you’re right! Rain from that storm in August 2011 is the
background of this recording by Jake Wildwood.
The Atlantic tropical storm season officially
runs from June 1 through November 30.
But nature doesn’t always follow the official season—2012’s first two
named storms, Alberto and Beryl, arrived in May. On average, 12 named storms and six hurricanes occurred each year between 1980 and 2010 in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, or
Caribbean Sea, according to the National Hurricane Center.
What can you do to prepare for tropical
storm events? Here’s some advice from
the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
VDEM Public Service Announcement (30
seconds).
The Federal
Emergency Management Agency offers some additional tips to prepare for
tropical storms. First, have an evacuation plan. As a storm approaches, listen for National
Weather Service updates. If you shelter
in your house, stay in an interior, windowless room on the lowest level. Once a storm has passed, seek out disaster
relief instructions, continue to watch for flooding, and be alert for downed
power lines, gas leaks, and other hazards.
Finally, if
you need to stock up on emergency supplies, Virginia’s annual Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday
takes place during the last week of May.
A variety of storm-preparation items are exempt from the Commonwealth’s
sales tax during this period.
Thanks to
Heather Vereb for helping develop this week’s episode, and to Jake Wildwood for
permission to use this week’s music.
For other
water sounds and music, and for more Virginia water information, visit our Web
site at virginiawaterradio.org, or call us at (540) 231-5463.
From the Virginia Water Resources Research Center in Blacksburg, I’m
Alan Raflo, thanking you for listening, and wishing you health, wisdom, and
good water.
SHOW NOTES
 |
| Hurricane Sandy, 12:15 p.m. EDT, 10/29/12; Photo from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Web site, http://www.goes.noaa.gov/browsh.html, accessed 10/29/12, 1:20 p.m. |
Acknowledgments: “Goodnight Irene” is an American folk song of unknown origins. Jake Wildwood performed this version, accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QLz2tntDQg in May 2012 and used with permission. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management public service announcement used in this episode can be found at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/stayinformed/hurricanes (as of 5/23/13).
This episode of Virginia Water Radio was used previously for Episode 112
(week of 5/28/12), which has been archived.
Sources: Information for this episode, and many
other tips on hurricane preparedness, can be accessed from the following
sources: the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes) and the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/stay-informed/hurricane/preparingforhurricanes). Details
regarding the hurricane
preparedness sales tax holiday can be found at http://www.vaemergency.gov/readyvirginia/stay-informed/hurricanes/sales-tax-holiday. The annual Atlantic hurricane outlook, issued
each May, is available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction
Center, online at http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outlooks/hurricane.shtml. Reports on tropical storms as they occur are
available from the National Hurricane Center at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/.
Recent Virginia Water
News and Other Information
For news, events, and resources relevant to
Virginia's water resources, grouped into categories, please visit the Virginia Water Central News Grouper,
available online at http://vawatercentralnewsgrouper.wordpress.com/
