Elevated hurricane activity persists

The director of U.S.-based National Hurricane Center says the above-average hurricane activity devastating North America could last another 20 years or even longer.Director Max Mayfield recently told the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention and Prediction that the current heightened activity is a result of "natural cycles of hurricane activity, driven by the Atlantic Ocean itself along with the atmosphere above it."He adds that while attention must remain on addressing the devastation resulting from Katrina, the country should also plan for the future. “Katrina will not be the last major hurricane to a vulnerable area, and New Orleans is not the only location vulnerable to a large disaster from hurricane. Houston/Galveston, Tampa Bay, Southwest Florida, the Florida Keys, Southeast Florida, New York City and Long Island and, believe it or not, New England, are especially vulnerable. And New Orleans remains vulnerable to future hurricanes,” he says.Mayfield says all signs point to continued higher-than-normal hurricane activity and he says NOAA currently projects that 18 to 21 tropical storms will form this season, which runs though the end of November. One storm Hurricane Rita recently reached a Category 5 level and will likely reach the coast of Texas. The storm is a threat to oil and natural gas facilities in the Texas region. Crude and natural gas production has already ceased in the Gulf of Mexico in addition to two Texas refineries.