Hurricanes
About hurricanes
Tropical storms and occasional hurricanes every few years are a fact of life in the Florida/Caribbean region, usually occurring in the late summer (August/September). However, offices and houses are designed and built to be strong enough to withstand any storm damage. Every few years or decades there will be a particularly severe storm.
If a severe storm is forecast to arrive, usual practice is for offices to close until it has safely passed (usually a day or so).
In general, they are nothing to worry about provided basic, well-publicised precautions are taken (e.g. staying indoors that day, stocking up on food and water). It is also recommended that avoidable outdoor travel that day is kept to a minimum.
How they are named
For many years, hurricanes were named after the saint's day on which they fell. From 1953, hurricanes bore only female names - President Harry Truman's wife had one named after her and during WW2 American army and navy meteorologists named tropical cyclones after their wives and girlfriends.
Today hurricane names alternate between male and female and are chosen from lists selected by the World Meteorological Organisation. The Atlantic has six lists of alphabetically-ordered names with one list used each year.
Related link: SharkOil Bermuda weather website
Bermuda Jobs l Cayman Jobs l Caribbean Jobs l Insurance Jobs l Audit Jobs
