CORPUS CHRISTI - The question is not if, but merely when: So be prepared for a hurricane.
That was the message Thursday from former Weather Channel hurricane expert and current National Weather Service meteorologist, Steve Lyons.
Weather officials are calling for a 70 percent chance of a major hurricane hitting the U.S. coast this year, with at least nine hurricanes and 16 named storms in the Atlantic hurricane season, Lyons said.
But a tumultuous season doesn't necessarily translate to a disaster on the Gulf Coast.
"Let's hope they all miss you," Lyons told the crowd of about 30 at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History.
Fortunately, Corpus Christi is better situated than most coastal cities, should the major hurricane strike, he said.
There are more escape routes locally than in many coastal cities and barrier islands block some of the waves and storm surge.
"You do have some advantages down here," Lyons said.
But there are disadvantages as well, the most serious being the amount of low-lying areas where flooding is prone, he said. And flooding is one of the most deadly aspects of a hurricane, Lyons said.
Most deaths occur when people try to drive through flooded roads.
That's why people should evacuate well in advance.
"Don't get scared, be prepared," he said.
That includes knowing where to stay should you evacuate. If you don't evacuate, you need to know what structures are available to ride out the storm, he said.
The worst are flimsy structures, like mobile homes, Lyons said.
The best are tall and concrete, like high-rise buildings, that while are likely to lose some windows from wind, are almost impossible to knock down by even the strongest hurricane, he said.
Lyons also said the Saffir-Simpson hurricane category isn't the only gauge of how deadly a hurricane can be.
Several factors also should be taken into account including which side of the hurricane you are on. The right side is more destructive. How fast it moves because slower hurricanes dump more rain in one spot, and how big it is, with bigger hurricanes having longer sustained winds.
The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1, while the Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15.