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Hurricanes, also known as tropical cyclones, form over warm ocean waters. They can unleash powerful winds, heavy rainfall, and cause significant destruction. Understanding their formation is crucial in predicting their paths and preparing for their impact.

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Safety should be our top priority during a hurricane. Here are valuable tips to ensure you and your family remain safe if a hurricane is forecasted to hit your area.

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Hurricanes are among nature's most powerful and destructive phenomena. On average, 12 tropical storms, 6 of which become hurricanes form over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico during the hurricane season which runs from June 1 to November 30 each year. In the Central Pacific Ocean, an average of 3 tropical storms, 2 of which become hurricanes form or move over the area during the hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30 each year. Guam, the Northern Marianas and Micronesia experience typhoons all year round but the main season in July through November with a peak from mid-August to mid-September. Over a typical 2-year period, the U.S. coastline is struck by an average of 3 hurricanes, 1 of which is classified as a major hurricane (winds of 111 mph or greater). By knowing what actions to take before the hurricane season begins, when a hurricane approaches, and when the storm is in your area, as well as what to do after a hurricane leaves your area, you can increase your chance of survival. If you, or someone you know, have been a victim of a hurricane, please share your story, including the town and state you were in and the year the event took place.. Please note that NS will then have permission to use your story for educational campaigns. Sharing this information may help save someone's life in the future. Read stories from survivors and learn how to stay safe.

Hurricane Hazards

While hurricanes pose the greatest threat to life and property, tropical storms and depression also can be devastating. The primary hazards from tropical cyclones (which include tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes) are storm surge flooding, inland flooding from heavy rains, destructive winds, tornadoes, and high surf and rip currents.

Storm surge is the abnormal rise of water generated by a storm's winds. This hazard is historically the leading cause of hurricane related deaths in the United States. Storm surge and large battering waves can result in large loss of life and cause massive destruction along the coast.

Storm surge can travel several miles inland, especially along bays, rivers, and estuaries.

Flooding from heavy rains is the second leading cause of fatalities from landfalling tropical cyclones. Widespread torrential rains associated with these storms often cause flooding hundreds of miles inland. This flooding can persist for several days after a storm has dissipated.

Winds from a hurricane can destroy buildings and manufactured homes. Signs, roofing material, and other items left outside can become flying missiles during hurricanes.

Tornadoes can accompany landfalling tropical cyclones. These tornadoes typically occur in rain bands well away from the center of the storm.

Dangerous waves produced by a tropical cyclone's strong winds can pose a significant hazard to coastal residents and mariners. These waves can cause deadly rip currents, significant beach erosion, and damage to structures along the coastline, even when the storm is more than a 1,000 miles offshore.

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Hurricanes are among nature's most powerful and destructive phenomena. On average, 12 tropical storms, 6 of which become hurricanes form over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico during the hurricane season which runs from June 1 to November 30 each year.

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Tsunamis are large ocean waves caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. They can travel great distances at high speeds, posing a serious threat to coastal communities.

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Being prepared can save lives when a tsunami warning is issued. Discover how to safeguard your family and property with this comprehensive guide.

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Tsunamis (pronounced soo-ná-mees), also known as seismic sea waves (mistakenly called "tidal waves"), are a series of enormous waves created by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption or meteorite. A tsunami can move hundreds of miles per hour in the open ocean and smash into land with waves as high as 100 feet or more.

From the area where the tsunami originates, waves travel outward in all directions. Once the wave approaches the shore, it builds in height. The topography of the coastline and the ocean floor will influence the size of the wave. There may be more than one wave and the succeeding one may be larger than the one before. That is why a small tsunami at one beach can be a giant wave a few miles away.

All tsunamis are potentially dangerous, even though they may not damage every coastline they strike. A tsunami can strike anywhere along most of the U.S. coastline. The most destructive tsunamis have occurred along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

Earthquake-induced movement of the ocean floor most often generates tsunamis. If a major earthquake or landslide occurs close to shore, the first wave in a series could reach the beach in a few minutes, even before a warning is issued. Areas are at greater risk if they are less than 25 feet above sea level and within a mile of the shoreline. Drowning is the most common cause of death associated with a tsunami. Tsunami waves and the receding water are very destructive to structures in the run-up zone. Other hazards include flooding, contamination of drinking water and fires from gas lines or ruptured tanks.

Tsunami Preparedness Checklist

Make a disaster supply kit and have a family emergency plan.

Talk to everyone in your household about what to do if a tsunami occurs. Create and practice an evacuation plan for your family. Familiarity may save your life. Be able to follow your escape route at night and during inclement weather. You should be able to reach your safe location on foot within 15 minutes. Practicing your plan makes the appropriate response more of a reaction, requiring less thinking during an actual emergency.

If the school evacuation plan requires you to pick your children up from school or from another location. Be aware telephone lines during a tsunami watch or warning may be overloaded and routes to and from schools may be jammed.

Knowing your community's warning systems and disaster plans, including evacuation routes.

Know the height of your street above sea level and the distance of your street from the coast or other high-risk waters. Evacuation orders may be based on these numbers.

If you are a tourist, familiarize yourself with local tsunami evacuation protocols. You may be able to safely evacuate to the third floor and higher in reinforced concrete hotel structures.

If an earthquake occurs and you are in a coastal area, turn on your radio to learn if there is a tsunami warning.

During a Tsunami

Follow the evacuation order issued by authorities and evacuate immediately. Take your animals with you.

Move inland to higher ground immediately. Pick areas 100 feet (30 meters) above sea level or go as far as 2 miles (3 kilometers) inland, away from the coastline. If you cannot get this high or far, go as high or far as you can. Every foot inland or upward may make a difference.

Stay away from the beach. Never go down to the beach to watch a tsunami come in. If you can see the wave you are too close to escape it. CAUTION - If there is noticeable recession in water away from the shoreline this is nature's tsunami warning and it should be heeded. You should move away immediately.

Save yourself - not your possessions.

Remember to help your neighbors who may require special assistance - infants, elderly people and individuals with access or functional needs.

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Tsunamis (pronounced soo-ná-mees), also known as seismic sea waves (mistakenly called "tidal waves"), are a series of enormous waves created by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption or meteorite. A tsunami can move hundreds of miles per hour in the open ocean and smash into land with waves as high as 100 feet or more.

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Volcanoes can be fascinating to observe, but their eruptions pose significant risks to nearby populations. This footage illustrates the destructive power of volcanic eruptions.

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5 Stunning Volcano Eruptions Caught On Camera

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Living near a volcano requires vigilance and preparedness. Here are essential safety tips for residents in volcanic areas.

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You can do many things to protect yourself and your family from the dangers a volcanic eruption can cause. The best way to do protect yourself and your family is to follow the advice of local officials. Local authorities will provide you with information on how to prepare for a volcanic eruption, and if necessary, on how to evacuate (leave the area) or take shelter where you are.

If a lahar, pyroclastic flow, or lava flow is headed toward you

Leave the area immediately. If you are warned to evacuate because an eruption is imminent, evacuate.

If you can drive rather than walk, use your vehicle to evacuate. When driving keep doors and windows closed, drive across the path of danger if you can or away from the danger if you can not, and watch for unusual hazards in the road.

If you are indoors

Close all windows, doors, and fireplace or woodstove dampers.

Turn off all fans and heating and air conditioning systems.

Bring pets and livestock into closed shelters.

If you are outdoors

Seek shelter indoors.

If caught in a rockfall, roll into a ball to protect your head.

If near a stream or river, be aware of rising water and possible mudflows in low-lying areas. Move up-slope as quickly as possible.

Seek care for burns right away. Immediate care can be life saving.

If your eyes, nose, and throat become irritated from volcanic gases and fumes, move away from the area immediately. Your symptoms should go away when you are no longer in contact with the gases or fumes. If the symptoms continue, consult your doctor.

Protecting yourself during ashfall

Stay inside, if possible, with windows and doors closed.

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

Use goggles to protect your eyes.If ash is continually falling, you may not be able to shelter indoors for more than a few hours, because the weight of the ash could collapse the roof of your building and block air intakes into the building. Listen to authorities for advice on leaving the area when ashfall lasts more than a few hours.

Exposure to ash can harm your health, particularly the respiratory (breathing) tract. To protect yourself while you are outdoors or while you are cleaning up ash that has gotten indoors, a disposable particulate respirator (also known as an "air purifying respirator") may be considered. An N-95 respirator is the most common type of disposable particulate respirator and can be purchased at businesses such as hardware stores. It is important to follow directions for proper use of this respirator. For more information, see NIOSH-Approved Disposable Particulate Respirators (Filtering Facepieces) . If you don't have a particulate respirator, you can protect yourself by using a nuisance dust mask as a last resort, but you should stay outdoors for only short periods while dust is falling. Nuisance dust masks can provide comfort and relief from exposure to relatively non-hazardous contaminants such as pollen, but they do not offer as much protection as a particulate respirator. Cleanup or emergency workers may need a different type of breathing protection based on their work activity. Note that disposable particulate respirators do not filter toxic gases and vapors.

Keep your car or truck engine switched off. Avoid driving in heavy ashfall. Driving will stir up ash that can clog engines and stall vehicles. If you do have to drive, keep the car windows up and do not operate the air conditioning system. Operating the air conditioning system will bring in outside air and ash.

For more information on volcanoes and health, see the following sources:

American Red Cross

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency

U.S. Geological Survey

Washington State Department of Health

Page last reviewed:

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centers for disease control and prevention

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Protecting Yourself During a Volcanic Eruption | Volcanoes

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You can do many things to protect yourself and your family from the dangers a volcanic eruption can cause. Read these Key Facts About Protecting Yourself During a Volcanic Eruption from from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stay safe.

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Earthquakes happen without warning, caused by the shifting of tectonic plates beneath the earth's surface. This simulation helps us understand the dynamics of earthquakes.

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M7.5 Anamizu, Japan - EARTHQUAKE SIMULATION

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Preparation is key to surviving an earthquake. Find out how to protect yourself and your loved ones with these essential earthquake preparedness tips.

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Prepare Before

Stay Safe During

Stay Safe After

Additional Resources

If you are a disaster survivor, please visit FEMA.gov for up-to-date information on current disaster declarations. If you have questions about your disaster assistance application, you can call (800) 621-3362, visit disasterassistance.gov or use the FEMA mobile app.

An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the ground caused by the shifting of rocks deep underneath the earth's surface. Earthquakes can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. While they can happen anywhere without warning, areas at higher risk for earthquakes include Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington and the entire Mississippi River Valley.

Prepare Before an Earthquake

The best time to prepare for any disaster is before it happens.

Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On with family and coworkers.

Make an Emergency Plan: Create a family emergency communications plan that has an out-of-state contact. Plan where to meet if you get separated. Make a supply kit that includes enough food and water for several days, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher and a whistle.

Being prepared allows you to avoid unnecessary excursions and to address minor medical issues at home, alleviating the burden on urgent care centers and hospitals.

Remember that not everyone can afford to respond by stocking up on necessities. For those who can afford it, make essential purchases and slowly build up supplies.

Protect Your Home: Secure heavy items in your home like bookcases, refrigerators, water heaters, televisions and objects that hang on walls. Store heavy and breakable objects on low shelves.

Consider making improvements to your building to fix structural issues that could cause your building to collapse during an earthquake.

Consider obtaining an earthquake insurance policy. A standard homeowner's insurance policy does not cover earthquake damage.

Stay Safe During

If an earthquake happens, protect yourself right away:

If you are in a car, pull over and stop. Set your parking brake.

If you are in bed, turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow.

If you are outdoors, stay outdoors away from buildings.

If you are inside, stay and do not run outside and avoid doorways.

Protect Yourself During Earthquakes

1. Drop (or Lock)

Wherever you are, drop down to your hands and knees and hold onto something sturdy. If you're using a wheelchair or walker with a seat, make sure your wheels are locked and remain seated until the shaking stops.

2. Cover

Cover your head and neck with your arms. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter. If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows). Crawl only if you can reach better cover without going through an area with more debris. Stay on your knees or bent over to protect vital organs.

3. Hold On

If you are under a table or desk, hold on with one hand and be ready to move with it if it moves. If seated and unable to drop to the floor, bend forward, cover your head with your arms and hold on to your neck with both hands.

Using a Cane?

Using a Walker?

Using a Wheelchair?

Stay Safe After

There can be serious hazards after an earthquake, such as damage to the building, leaking gas and water lines, or downed power lines.

Expect aftershocks to follow the main shock of an earthquake. Be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel an aftershock.

If you are in a damaged building, go outside and quickly move away from the building. Do not enter damaged buildings.

If you are trapped, send a text or bang on a pipe or wall. Cover your mouth with your shirt for protection and instead of shouting, use a whistle.

If you are in an area that may experience tsunamis, go inland or to higher ground immediately after the shaking stops. Avoid contact with floodwaters as they can contain chemicals, sewage, and debris.

Check yourself to see if you are hurt and help others if you have training. Learn how to be the help until help arrives.
If you are sick or injured and need medical attention, contact your healthcare provider for instructions. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 9-1-1.

Once you are safe, pay attention to local news reports for emergency information and instructions via battery-operated radio, TV, social media or from cell phone text alerts.

Register on the American Red Cross "Safe and Well" website so people will know you are okay.

Use text messages to communicate, which may be more reliable than phone calls.

Be careful when cleaning up. Wear protective clothing, including a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, work gloves and sturdy thick-soled shoes. Do not try to remove heavy debris by yourself. Use an appropriate mask if cleaning mold or other debris. People with asthma and other lung conditions and/or immune suppression should not enter buildings with indoor water leaks or mold growth that can be seen or smelled. Children should not take part in disaster cleanup work.

Additional Resources

Videos

Social Media and Graphics

Tip Sheets

More Information

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Learn how to stay safe before, during, and after an earthquake. Prepare Before Stay Safe During Stay Safe After Additional Resources

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Flood in the Desert | Full Documentary | AMERICAN EXPERIENCE | PBS

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Landslides, triggered by heavy rains or earthquakes, can cause considerable damage. This video documents recent landslide events and their aftermath.

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