By Brian Myszkowski
Posted Jun 9, 2020 at 6:29 PM
Governor Tom Wolf’s administration is encouraging Pennsylvanians to get ready for severe summer weather in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic by preparing ahead of time.
At a Tuesday press conference, PEMA Executive Deputy Director Jeff Thomas and Department of Health Deputy Secretary for Health Preparedness and Community Protection Ray Barishansky offered advice and resources for Pennsylvanians as scalding summer heat and the hurricane season set in.
Thomas noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2020 Atlantic hurricane seasonal outlook has called for a 60% chance of an above-average season, which runs from June 1 through the end of November.
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Pennsylvania normally sees about 12 named storms per year, Thomas said, and around three major hurricanes. The 2020 outlook calls for significantly more events.
“The prediction for this year is 13 to 19 storms, with as many as six of those categorized as major hurricanes,” Thomas said. “Regardless of how many storms form in the Atlantic, we all know too well that it only takes one to cause significant issues for us in Pennsylvania.”
While the commonwealth experiences few direct strikes from these storms, flooding, devastating winds, tornadoes and other issues can come up as well. As such, Pennsylvanians should begin preparing for a potentially rough season now, Thomas said, specifically noting that flood insurance is a great option.
“Regular homeowners’ insurance doesn’t cover damage from flooding,” Thomas said. “The data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency shows that just a single inch of water on the first floor of your home will cause about $25,000 of damage. That’s $25,000 of repairs that you would need to cover out of your own pocket, and that’s a financial hurdle many people simply can’t overcome.”
Thomas said that federal assistance for weather-related damage to property has become “more stringent than ever,” and even before that, it was not meant to “make you completely whole,” making flood insurance something of a necessity for homeowners and renters — even if you don’t happen to live in a flood plain.
“There’s a common misconception that flood insurance is available only to those who live in federally designated flood plains, but that is just not true,” Thomas said. “As a matter of fact, since 1993, more than 90% of the flood reports to the National Weather Service in Pennsylvania have happened outside of those identified flood zones.”
