Be Prepared for Hurricane Florence and Tropical Storm Olivia

As you may well have heard, Hurricane Florence is bearing down on the eastern seaboard, prompting mandatory evacuations. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Olivia is powering toward Hawaii (though as of this morning, it had weakened somewhat). Both storms warrant serious caution from anyone potentially affected. If you live in the Southeast, the Mid-Atlantic or Hawaii, please take these storms seriously. Here’s the update as written in the advisory email sent to me by the reliable U.K. travel advisory service, which includes resources for staying up to date:

“Hurricane Florence is forecast to bring life-threatening weather conditions to North Carolina and South Carolina, with potential effects in coastal Georgia and Virginia. The storm is expected to intensify in the coming days, with the potential to make landfall on the morning of Thursday, 13 September in coastal North Carolina as a major hurricane. Follow the advice of local authorities in North Carolina (readync.org/EN/Index.html), South Carolina (scemd.org), Georgia (gema.ga.gov/Pages/default.aspx) and Virginia (vaemergency.gov), including any evacuation orders, and monitor news and social media for more information.”

Regarding Olivia: “[Tropical Storm] Olivia is approaching the Hawaiian Islands…Tropical storm conditions are expected in the next [12-24] hours. A tropical storm warning is in place for Hawaii and Maui Counties. A tropical storm watch is in place for Oahu County. You should follow the advice of local authorities. For more information check with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (dod.hawaii.gov/hiema/get-ready) and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center (www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc).”

Here’s how to track Hurricane Florence with the New York Times, and here’s Hurricane Olivia’s projected path per the NOAA. Note that if you have flights booked to potentially affected areas, you should check in with your airline immediately. It’s possible that change fees will have been waived, as is the case with Hawaiian Airlines.

Stay safe!

____________________________________________________________