Florida experts urge early hurricane prep

Florida State University experts used a May 14 bulletin to press Florida residents to get ready before the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season begins, saying a quieter seasonal outlook should not lead to complacency. The guidance came a day after FSU hosted a virtual media briefing with faculty who study forecasting, evacuation, insurance and community resilience. Their message was consistent across disciplines: prepare early, review coverage and pay attention to hazards beyond the center line of a storm. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30, according to FSU and the National Hurricane Center. ### Why are FSU experts warning against complacency now? May 14 was the publication date of FSU’s public-facing hurricane advice, and the university said residents should prepare early even in a season expected to be less active. The bulletin said Floridians should stay alert and avoid focusing too narrowly on storm categories or forecast cones. (news.fsu.edu) Mark Bourassa, an FSU professor in the Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, said the storms that make landfall matter more to people than the seasonal storm count. “It’s the landfalling hurricanes that matter, not the number of hurricanes per season, in terms of human impacts, for the most part,” Bourassa said, according to the FSU bulletin. (news.fsu.edu) David Merrick, director of FSU’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program and the Center for Disaster Risk Policy, pointed to Hurricane Andrew’s 1992 landfall in South Florida as an example of how one storm can define a season. “It does not take 20 storms. It just takes the one,” Merrick said in the FSU account of the briefing. (news.fsu.edu) ### What did they say about the forecast cone and storm categories? FSU’s May 14 bulletin said residents should not treat the forecast cone as a safety boundary. The university said dangerous effects including tornadoes, flooding and wind damage can extend well away from a storm’s center, and it quoted Merrick saying those impacts can reach far inland and to either side of the cone. (news.fsu.edu) The National Hurricane Center is also changing how it presents track information this season. NOAA said on March 24 that the 2026 operational cone will show tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for inland areas, following an experimental phase that the agency said helped inland communities better understand wind risk. (news.fsu.edu) An experimental cone will be issued alongside the operational graphic during the 2026 season, the National Hurricane Center said. The agency said the experimental version will use ellipses instead of circles and will represent 90% of forecast track possibilities rather than the traditional 67% error framework. ### What are insurance specialists telling homeowners to do before storms arrive? (noaa.gov) April 30 guidance from the Insurance Information Institute urged homeowners, condo owners, renters and business owners to prepare before the season starts. The group said policyholders should review the declarations page of their insurance policies, confirm deductibles and understand how claims would be paid. (nhc.noaa.gov) Sean Kevelighan, chief executive of the Insurance Information Institute, said rising construction and labor costs make annual coverage reviews more important. He said consumers should ask whether they have enough coverage to rebuild or repair a home, replace contents and cover temporary living expenses if a property becomes uninhabitable. (iii.org) Flood insurance was singled out as a separate issue. The Insurance Information Institute said standard homeowners, condo and renters policies do not include flood coverage and said nearly 90% of U.S. natural disasters involve flooding. ### Who are the Florida researchers speaking publicly on hurricane risks? (iii.org) May 13 materials from FSU named four faculty members available to comment through the 2026 season. They include Bourassa on forecasting and observations, Chelsea Nam on cyclone formation and intensification, Emily Powell on seasonal drivers and community risks, and Pedro L. Fernández-Cabán on resilient infrastructure and disaster response. (iii.org) FSU said those experts discussed issues including rapid coastal growth, insurance pressures and the use of artificial intelligence in disaster response during the university’s media briefing. The May 14 bulletin presented those topics as part of a broader warning that population growth and changing exposure patterns can raise the stakes when storms approach Florida communities. (news.fsu.edu) ### Where will residents see the new federal tools this season? The National Hurricane Center’s mobile site was updated on May 15 and now highlights 2026 hurricane-season product changes, preparedness resources and a “Knowledge Kit” explaining the cone, tropical outlooks and other forecast tools. The site says the Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook resumes issuance on May 15 as needed, ahead of the June 1 season start. (news.fsu.edu) NOAA said the experimental cone will remain available through the 2026 season, and the National Weather Service is collecting public comments on that version through Nov. 30, 2026. The operational and experimental graphics will both be available on hurricanes.gov with each advisory or special advisory, according to the hurricane center. (nhc.noaa.gov 1) (nhc.noaa.gov 2)