I have the very good fortune of living next door to Jim Byrne KCOY Weatherman, or should I say ex-KCOY weatherman who has spent a number of years delivering weather news to people. What many don’t understand is that Jim is a fully qualified meteorologist and speaking with him is just fascinating. Here in San Luis Opispo we have quite a tight knit community and I have become very good friends with Jim, and I really enjoy his company. During a recent day trip to Santa Maria I was discussing the wild fires with the ex-weatherman and that brought us to the subject of natural disasters. As Jim concedes there is never a surefire way to guarantee that you avoid a natural disaster, but there are steps which you can take to minimize your chances of getting caught.
Trusting the Pros
Whilst Jim happily admits that meteorologists can only predict what they see with the most up to date equipment, there are certainly times when the weather will change between them reading it and it actually arriving. Nonetheless when it comes to natural disasters it is extremely rare that meteorologists get their predictions wrong and if they ever are wrong it is that they have predicted something far more extreme than we actually see. With this in mind then it is vital that you make sure that you check the weather conditions ahead of a trip, an excursion, a climb, a hike or even a visit to a city or state which experiences high levels of extreme weather.
Being Cautious
You must pay attention to all of the news and information which you have at your fingertips when it comes to natural disasters and if you hear that there is a possibility of one taking place, it is always better not to risk your life. You only need to look at Florida as the perfect example of this, for many years there were extreme hurricanes predicted, the people evacuated and then the hurricane was greatly downgraded by the time that it arrived. The response by some to this was that they wouldn’t evacuate the next time that a hurricane was announced, the next hurricane which hit land was hurricane Michael which caused untold damage and many of those who failed to evacuate suffered injuries and even lost their lives. It is always better to be cautious than to put your life in danger.
Seasonal
There are some places which have seasons around their extreme weather and this is something which you also ought to be aware of. This of course relates to hurricanes and tornadoes rather than wild fires and earthquakes, and so if you are heading somewhere which is in their hurricane or tornado season, it is always important that you take safety measures.
Pay attention to the weather channels and make sure that you do all that you can to stay safe. And check out the blog on Rebellious Pixels to read more articles like this!
