In preparation for the 2024 hurricane season’s kickoff next month, FEMA Deputy Administrator Erik A. Hooks joined National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Dr. Rick Spinrad, and National Weather Service (NWS) Director Ken Graham issued the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook last week, even as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) moved to update standing contingency contracts.
“FEMA is postured and ready for this year’s hurricane season and we are counting on individuals and communities to do their part to prepare,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell. “With severe weather becoming part of our new normal, people need to be proactive and take steps now to stay safe and boost their ability to recover after a disaster. Building resilience can be as simple as making an emergency plan, talking about it with family and neighbors, and staying informed.”
The preparations came in advance of what is expected to be a heavy storm season. Spinrad predicted as many as 25 named storms to come, including up to 13 hurricanes. Between four to seven of them could be major hurricanes, with winds exceeding 111 mph. Other organizations, private and public, made similar claims for the scale of storms in the days to come.
“Americans should be prepared for the impacts of hurricanes every year, and this outlook brings that need into even clearer focus,” Spinrad said. “NOAA has been working closely with FEMA to prepare for the storms we will face this season, enabling quick response and recovery in the aftermath of storms.”
NOAA credited La Nina and warmer than average ocean temperatures as major drivers of the tropical activity behind it all.
Earlier this year, FEMA also opened a new, larger distribution center in Greencastle, Pa., to guarantee critical supplies could be more quickly deployed throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. It joined six other facilities throughout the country and Caribbean.
“As more communities experience the devastation from powerful and destructive storms, now is the time for everyone to take steps to prepare for hurricane season,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said. “The Biden-Harris Administration and the Department of Homeland Security work every day to support our state, local, territorial and tribal partners as they prepare for, respond to, and recover from hurricanes. We are indebted to our FEMA personnel and to frontline responders across the country who sacrifice so much to keep our communities safe.”