
Chapter 03 - How do I prepare for a hurricane?
All you need to know before a hurricane
Have you ever boarded an airplane and suddenly it shakes so much that you can't let go of the armrest? This is how it starts Atmospheric Turbulencethe new Canal Meteo podcast hosted by meteorologist and geographer Albert MartinezThe program, which invites us to discover the best kept secrets of meteorology, with a special focus on hurricanes.
Important points
In this third episode we explore the science behind hurricanes with:
- Eduardo Rodriguezoceanographer, explains how ocean heat fuels cyclones and why the timing of the season responds to marine energy cycles.
- Kamila Dazaproducer and editor of the program, takes us by the hand through historical moments such as the creation of the Saffir-Simpson scale or the founding history of Miami, an iconic city vulnerable to hurricanes.
- My mother... in this chapter we call my mother to explain the best Spanish omelette.
In this episode:
- 01:20 Hurricane emergency kit
- 02:20 do i have to evacuate?
- 03:30 Gallon of water
- 05:30 I live in a flood zone
- 08:00 Hurricane shelters
- 10:00 Flood insurance
- 12:00 First cities founded in the U.S.A.
- 15:30 Deaths associated with a hurricane
- 17:00 Tornadoes during a hurricane
- 19:40 Storm surge
- 22:00 Historic hurricanes: Harvey and Katrina
- 24:40 St. Augustine and the Fountain of Eternal Youth
- 28:00 My mother's tortilla de patatas
Storm surge: the leading cause of death
Although the wind is more impressive, storm surge is the number one cause of fatalities by hurricane. They explain why:
- Depends on the type of coastline (more risk on flat and shallow coasts).
- The size of the hurricane, its trajectory, speed of advance and seabed have an influence.
- Cases such as Galveston (1900), Katrina (2005) or the Santa Cruz hurricane in Cuba (1932) show how lethal it can be.

Tornadoes inside hurricanes
A little known aspect is that hurricanes can generate tornadoesespecially in their outer bands. They tell of their experiences during Andrew, Harvey y Miltonwhere entire homes were swept away by tornadoes associated with the cyclones.
St. Augustine, Pensacola, New Orleans and Galveston
The historical section of the episode, with Kamila Dazatakes us to discover the origins of key cities in the southeastern United States:
- St. AugustineThe oldest continuously inhabited city in the U.S., founded in 1565.
- PensacolaFirst European settlement (1559), destroyed by a hurricane.
- New OrleansStrategic for the fluvial trade, with a strong Spanish heritage.
- Galvestonpirate port and large city of the 19th century devastated in 1900 by a cyclonic tide.

Useful information for evacuating
Listeners are reminded of the importance of consulting official websites:
- Florida: floridadisaster.org
- Texas: texasready.gov
- Louisiana: getagameplan.org
Evacuating early, knowing the routes, avoiding traffic jams and having extra gas can make a difference.
🎧 First audio episode now available at buzzsprout.
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