Tropical Storm Katrina Heads for Florida

MIAMI, Fla. – The National Hurricane Center named the season's 11th tropical storm Wednesday as Katrina pushed toward Florida. The storm, now near the Bahamas, is reported to have 40 mph winds.

Katrina’s upgrade from a tropical depression to a tropical storm was made around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. At that time, the storm was located about 70 miles southeast of Nassuau, Bahamas, and about 250 miles from the southeast Florida coast, moving at about 8 mph. The National Hurricane Center also reported that a tropical storm watch was in effect for the southeastern Florida coast and parts of the Florida Keys. The tropical storm watch was in effect from the Seven Mile Bridge in the Keys northward to Vero Beach, including the cities of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

Forecasters said tropical storm conditions, including sustained winds of at least 39 mph, were possible in those areas within the next 36 hours.

Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared Orlando, Fla. “stormready.” Officials from NOAA's National Weather Service praised the city for completing a set of rigorous warning criteria necessary to earn the distinction of being StormReady.

“StormReady encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations and public awareness,” said Bart Hagemeyer, meteorologist-in-charge, NWS Weather Forecast Office in Melbourne, Fla. “StormReady arms communities with improved communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property – before and during the event.”

The nationwide community preparedness program uses a grassroots approach to help communities develop plans to handle local severe weather and flooding threats. The program is voluntary and provides communities with clear-cut advice from a partnership between local NWS offices and state and local emergency managers. StormReady started in 1999 with seven communities in the Tulsa, Okla., area. There are now more than 930 StormReady communities in 47 states.

Hagemeyer presented a recognition letter and special StormReady signs to city officials at the Orlando City Council meeting on Aug. 15. The StormReady recognition will be in effect for three years when the city will go through a recertification process.

“Every year, around 500 Americans lose their lives to severe weather and floods,” said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. David Johnson, director of the National Weather Service. “More than 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 2,500 floods and 1,000 tornadoes impact the United States annually, and hurricanes are a threat to the Gulf and East Coasts. Potentially deadly weather can affect every person in the country. That’s why the National Weather Service developed the StormReady program.”

To be recognized as StormReady, a community must:

• Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center;
• Have more than one way to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings and to alert the public;
• Create a system that monitors local weather conditions;
• Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars;
• Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.

“The United States is the most severe weather-prone region of the world." said Dennis Decker, warning coordination meteorologist at the Melbourne forecast office. "The mission of the National Weather Service is to reduce the loss of life and property from these storms, and StormReady will help us create better prepared communities throughout the country.”