You can count Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple among those who would support a change in how the National Hurricane Center rates the strength of hurricanes. Currently, the hurricane center rates hurricanes from Category One to Category Five based solely on wind speed. A consortium of experts from the University of South Florida is proposing a different system that would also consider rainfall and storm surge, which Temple says are often more dangerous than wind speed.
“We have more deaths as a result of storm surge and flooding than we do from the actual wind speeds,” Temple said.
Temple says the proposed new rating system would better assist governments in deciding when to issue evacuation orders.
“It’s a better valuation. Does a lower storm have a higher storm surge associated with it? So that’s what we want to talk about, so that people have that awareness that ‘Maybe I do need to evacuate?’” Temple explained.
Temple says the proposed new hurricane rating system would give very different ratings for notable storms in the past that had been given relatively lower ratings on the Saffir-Simpson Scale based on wind speed alone.
“Maybe Isaac, back in 2012, wouldn’t have been a one. Maybe it might have been a three or four or something different, based on what they’re proposing to take into account these other variables,” Temple speculated.
The proposed new scale would include an overall Category Six designation for the most severe storms – those with Category Five designations in two or more factors.
