UPDATED: 11:00 a.m., May 7, 2008
IS YOUR GENERATOR READY FOR HURRICANE SEASON? FIND OUT TONIGHT ON HURRICANETRACK NEWS/TALK

Hurricane season begins in just a few weeks. If you own a generator or are thinking about purchasing one then tonight's edition of HurricaneTrack News/Talk is a don't-miss. Our small engine expert, James Lewis, will be our guest during the program and he will offer his insight and advice concerning generators and other small, gasoline powered engines- including chainsaws. If you have ever wondered why your generator wouldn't start or are concerned about how long gas can sit before it goes bad, then by all means tune in tomorrow night. We begin at 9pm ET and will take phone calls and answer listener emails during the program. We'll also discuss the recent Myanmar cyclone and why it was such a tragic event.

UPDATED: 4:00pm, May 5, 2008
MYANMAR, ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF THE BAY OF BENGAL, DEVASTATED BY POWERFUL CYCLONE

Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all the same thing: tropical cyclones. The difference is their basin or which ocean they form in. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, they are typically called cyclones with winds that rotate clockwise. In the Bay of Bengal, they are termed cyclones and a powerful one struck Myanmar over the weekend. You have no doubt heard about this on the news and it appears that the worst is yet to come in terms of human suffering. Myanmar is located in the northeast corner of the infamous Bay of Bengal, just to the east of Bangledesh- a region where we more often hear of tragic cyclones striking. This particular cyclone was probably similar to a category four hurricane in the Atlantic. It was well organized and has left a trail of death and destruction in its path. As the days and weeks pass, we'll learn more about the toll that it has taken on the region- hopefully relief efforts can get underway immediately without political interferences. This event is a stark reminder that no matter the name, tropical cyclones are deadly, even in 2008.

UPDATED: 11:50 am, May 1, 2008
HURRICANE SEASON JUST AROUND THE CORNER- LET'S MAKE SURE WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THE PAST

Hard to believe, but it's May 1 already. That means the Atlantic hurricane season is just a month away now. With so much hype the last two seasons and very little impact to U.S. interests, it may seem to many that preparing for the worst is getting old. I think so long as we can learn from past experiences such as the recent 2004 and 2005 seasons, that we can move in a progressive direction instead of backwards. Indeed, more people live in hurricane prone areas now than ever. Many of those people have no idea what to expect, especially if a major hurricane were to strike their community. There are many resources out there to help you become familiar with hurricanes and how to deal with them. Later this month, National Hurricane Preparedness Week will take place as an effort to really raise awareness of this annual problem. My best advice right now is that if you are not sure what this whole hurricane thing is all about, start reading. There are numerous books out there. I recommend the one from Bryan Norcross, linked below in recommended reading. If you want a hurricane manual, that is it! There are also books on hurricane history but do not let past history dictate what you might do in a future hurricane. Learning from past mistakes is different than thinking you know what a future hurricane will do based on how one "acted" in the past (think Camille v. Katrina). As far as web resources go, the National Hurricane Center has a great awareness and preparedness section- visit them at nhc.noaa.gov. You may also be interested in OneStorm.org, a site geared towards developing a hurricane plan from scratch. What's nice is none of these sites are trying to sell you anything. The product is your safety and well being. Being in touch with the weather is important. Hurricanes give us plenty of warning (usually) and thus not being prepared is hard to fathom, yet it happens season after season. We're about to do it all over again and there's no way to know with any certainty what is to come. Now is the time to get educated, develop a plan and be ready by staying informed. We'll help as much as we can and should one of the visitors from the tropics come calling, we'll roll out some of the best online hurricane coverage available anywhere.

UPDATED: 4:10 pm EDT, April 23, 2008
TONIGHT ON HURRICANETRACK NEWS/TALK: BRYAN NORCROSS

NOTE: We are moving this week's program to Wednesday night in order to accomodate Mr. Norcross' travel schedule. The program will remain in the 9pm ET hour but will be Wednesday night instead of Thursday night.

We are going to talk with someone who knows more about hurricane preparedness than perhaps anyone else in the business. The name Bryan Norcross became synonymous with hurricane Andrew- and getting through that extraordinary night back in 1992. His work to prepare people and help to guide them through Andrew remains part of hurricane history. On Wednesday night, we will have the opportunity to hear from Bryan on a variety of issues and subjects relating to preparedness in general as well as problems within the government that need to be addressed. Bryan's book, Hurricane Almanac is an excellent read on the history of hurricanes, the science involved with predicting their movement and strength and of course, preparedness. I have linked to it below in our "recommended reading" section. It is a phenomenal resource for anyone living in hurricane prone regions. We look forward to speaking with Bryan and gaining more understanding about America's ability to respond to disasters such as Andrew and Katrina. Since we are closing in on the 2008 hurricane season, I think this will be quite an important program and it will contain information that can help people to better understand what they're up against and how to form a plan. As always, if you have any questions before hand, feel free to email them to us for use during the program. The link can be found here.

UPDATED: 2:45 pm EDT, April 17, 2008
TONIGHT ON HURRICANETRACK NEWS/TALK: COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR, DAN SUMMERS

We have an excellent program planned for tonight as we talk with our good friend Dan Summers. He is the emergency management director, among other things, for Collier county, Florida. Dan has been through numerous hurricanes including those that raked the North Carolina coast in the late 90s. His experience paid off when he moved to Florida a few years ago. We will discuss his experiences, what the role of emergency management is and how he views the current state of affairs not only in Florida, but all along the U.S. coast as we near another hurricane season. Your emails and phone calls are welcomed! The program begins at 9pm ET right here on the homepage. If you can't make it to listen live, no worries, we'll have it archived for later playback via the link below.

UPDATED: 2:00 pm EDT, April 12, 2008
HURRICANE SEASONAL FORECASTS SHOULD NOT CHANGE YOUR PLANS FOR THE HURRICANE SEASON

As you have no doubt heard, Colorado State University's Dr. Bill Gray and Dr. Phil Klotzbach issued an update to their 2008 hurricane season forecast. What does this mean for you if you live along or near the U.S. coastline (or any other coastal areas of the Atlantic Basin)? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Their forecast is merely an attempt, however valiant, to piece together the tropical climate puzzle. It's tough work- and they acknowledge that. But no matter what the number of named storms, hurricanes and major hurricanes are, your plan should be the same: be ready for anything. I bring this up to continue to pound home the point that everyone who lives in hurricane prone areas should simply practice being prepared. Trust me, people who live in Minnesota or Tornado Alley have year-to-year preparedness and mitigation measures that they take to thwart the threat of extreme cold temperatures or tornadoes. We are going to talk more about this "culture of preparedness" in our upcoming programs of HurricaneTrack News/Talk. This coming Thursday night, we will have Dan Summers from Collier County Florida and on the 24th, Bryan Norcross who is probably the foremost expert on hurricane preparedness in the nation. So if you hear more and more about how busy the upcoming hurricane season could be, just ask yourself this: "Am I ready for the effects of a category one hurricane? How about a three or four?" No matter how busy the season is, your home town has at least some chance of being visited by a rather unpleasant weather event. This would be true even if the predicted numbers were 1,1 and 1. Ask anyone who dealt with Andrew in 1992 about "busy hurricane seasons". For portions of south Florida, August 24, 1992 was the busiest hurricane season ever. Think about it.

UPDATED: 1:00 pm EDT, April 8, 2008
THURSDAY NIGHT ON HURRICANETRACK NEWS/TALK: ONESTORM.ORG'S CHRIS BENNETT

This week on our HurricaneTrack News/Talk program, we will hear from the founder of OneStorm.org, Chris Bennett. He has worked with some of the biggest names in the business to help families and businesses better prepare for hurricanes and other disasters. We'll discuss the idea of developing a culture of preparedness and not one of simple reaction to a problem. As we get closer to the hurricane season, our programs will focus on preparedness and address the issues that we face in today's economy. So tune in if you can LIVE this Thursday night at 9pm. The show will automatically play and all you have to do is listen. If you have a question or comment ahead of time for us, click the show's graphic below for more information on how to send us an email.
UPDATED: 9:00 am EDT, April 4, 2008
WITH LESS THAN 60 DAYS TO GO UNTIL HURRICANE SEASON, IT'S TIME TO TALK PREPAREDNESS

Over the next few weeks we will ramp up our preparedness information here and on our weekly program, HurricaneTrack News/Talk. We will hear from experts in the emergency management field, hurricane preparedness and much more. With the economy in such shambles and gas prices at record levels, the amount of money available to combat the hurricane problem will be less than ever before. Through careful thought, planning and common sense, no matter what the hurricane season brings, you can be prepared. So, begininning next week, we will run through some basic ideas of how to be ready for this or any hurricane season and what needs to be taken care of now and what can wait. We are not going to focus on any forecast numbers, those are, to us, irrelevant. Since no one can accurately predict where hurricanes might hit this summer, why bother? Just assume they are all coming to your community and prepare accordingly. They say it only takes one. True. But we have seen it time and time again where multiple hurricane strikes affect a region in a single season. We need to assume the worst and perhaps get lucky once again and not have to deal with much at all. That's the best case scenario. We've already seen the worst and yet I believe that some have forgotten. June 1 is approaching and we will do our best to present information that will help you to prepare for your situation. The rest will take care of itself- it always does.

UPDATED: 6:35 am EDT, March 31, 2008
HURRICANETRACK NEWS/TALK MOVES TO A NEW NIGHT

Beginning this week, we are moving our Internet radio program, HurricaneTrack News/Talk, to Thursday night. The time remains the same- we'll start at 9pm ET and go for about an hour. This week, we'll have Tim Millar of the Cyclone Research Group on with us. Tim will give us an update from the National Hurricane Conference which begins today in Orlando, FL. He will send us several photos and video clips of various activities and we will display those in the Windows Media console during the show. In addition to the conference update, we'll talk with Tim about his hurricane Katrina experience and how it led him to want to do more in the way of research.

We are also working on creating Podcasts of the weekly programs. I have received a few emails about this and am very pleased that people are wanting to catch the show, even if at a later date. We do archive all of the programs via the link below and will soon have them readily available to download to your iPod. Again, we are moving the program to Thursdays beginning this week at the usual 9pm start time.

UPDATED: 11:20 pm EDT, March 27, 2008
NEXT WEEK ON HURRICANETRACK NEWS/TALK: A REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CONFERENCE

We have produced a total of four programs now as part of our new HurricaneTrack News/Talk weekly Internet radio show. We're getting used to the idea now and are gradually getting better and better. The program is allowing us to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season and something new we will be doing to further utilize the reach of this site. More on that in June. We are, however, making a time change. It seems that in order to get all three hosts on at the same time on a regular basis (that's myself, Jesse and Mike), we will need to move the program to Thursday nights. This will start with next week's show. We'll still begin at 9pm ET but will change to Thursday nights from here on out. As for the show next week, we'll get an update on the goings on at the 2008 National Hurricane Conference from our friend Tim Millar who will be exhibiting there. The conference is being held in Orlando this year and commences on Monday. Tim will give us his perspective on how the hurricane industry is doing after two straight years of very little impact on U.S. interests. He will also send us several photographs that we can share during the program. In addition to the conference update, we'll talk with Tim about his Cyclone Research Group and their plans for the 2008 hurricane season. So, tune in next Thursday night if you can and listen/watch as we roll on with HurricaneTrack News/Talk. You may access past editions by visiting the link below.

UPDATED: 11:10 am EDT, March 24, 2008
THIS WEEK ON OUR INTERNET RADIO PROGRAM- AUTHOR JAY BARNES

We are excited to have author Jay Barnes on our HurricaneTrack News/Talk program this Wednesday night. We will discuss his two books about North Carolina and Florida and their incredible hurricane history. Jay is currently the director of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll shores and co-authored Faces from the Flood, a book recalling the historic flooding from hurricane Floyd. There are not too many people who know as much about the impacts of hurricanes than Jay does. We look forward to having Jay as our guest on Wednesday night. The program begins at 9pm ET and will run for about an hour. I will be co-hosting along with colleagues Jesse Bass and Mike Watkins. We will have phone lines open for you to call in and talk with Jay and of course, you may also send an email. For more information about the program, including links to our growing archive, just click the graphic below.

UPDATED: 8:00 am EDT, March 20, 2008
ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK? WELL, IT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE

For many years, the National Hurricane Center has issued their standard Tropical Weather Outlook (TWO) four times a day: at 5:30am, 11:30am, 5:30pm and 10:30pm. That is all about to change. Beginning the start of the east Pacific hurricane season, the NHC will change the times of the TWO and will have additional enhancements graphically to better explain potential development threats. While the meat of the outlook will remain the same and continue to give us a simple yet effective glance at what is or is not going on in the tropics, it is the time change that we will all have to get used to. The new TWO will be at 2:00am, 8:00am, 2:00pm and 8:00pm (all times listed are ET and during Daylight Savings Time). This is also when a lot of computer models are run and coincides with several other products in the meterological world. The change should benefit the news media too; allowing them time to process the information and prepare an informative newscast for television and radio. You can check out the NHC's web site for more info on this change here: NHC Tropical Weather Outlook changes for 2008

UPDATED: 10:50 pm, March 5, 2008
HURRICANETRACK NEWS/TALK SHOW #1 IS IN THE CAN

Tonight, we premiered our first "radio" talk show. Using the wonders of the Internet, Jesse Bass and I pulled off our very first show with special guest Jim Reed. This is something new for us and so far, it seems that everything went as well as could be expected. There were some audio problems that were resolved within minutes and then it was smooth sailing there after. I have posted a link to the show in its archive state for you to listen to if you missed it live. We'll do the show each Wednesday night at 9pm for about an hour or so. Our plan is to talk about hurricane news and info and then talk to a guest as well as answer your emails and even take a phone call or two. It was a lot of fun and we sincerely appreciate Jim taking time out to talk to our audience tonight. You can learn more about his book and his incredible career via the link below under recommended reading.

UPDATED: 9:05 am, March 3, 2008
AS SEASONS BEGIN TO CHANGE, YOU CAN GET A LOOK AT OUR CAPABILITY

Today and Tuesday will feature what will probably be a significant severe weather outbreak across a good deal of the Deep South. Even though we are a hurricane website, we do have interests in these areas and feel that you need to be aware of the dangerous weather potential. On that note, be sure to stay on top of the latest from your local NWS office- simply visit Weather.gov and put in your ZIP Code for that critical local information.

I bring this up too because as the seasons change towards Spring, more violent weather will certainly come our way. While we want to make sure people are aware of this, it also gives us an opportunity to test out some of our equipment that we normally use in hurricanes. Just such an event is likely for later today and through tonight. According to the Storm Prediction Center, there is a considerable threat of severe weather in areas such as Louisiana and Mississippi. We have a weather station and live web cam set up in Pascagoula thanks to our past relationship with Lowe's and the cooperation of the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency. Many of you already visit our page with the live data displayed on it- but for those who are unaware, I encourage you to check it out. We installed a state-of-the-art RM Young anemometer to measure wind speeds and a Davis weather station to record other weather parameters. In addition, the folks at the Jackson County EOC have added a high-end camera that sweeps 360 degrees every few minutes- giving us a look at the city- not just one angle. All of this combines to present an incredible wealth of live weather data and a near-live picture. Of more importance is the data logging system that we wrote for this project. While the display interface on the web page will give us instant readings, our log of data gives us a look at the trends over time. That is one thing that I am very proud to offer, completely free of charge here, to our visitors. Live weather data is great but the true science can be advanced with time-series logging of that data. You will find it on our weather data pages. So, during Monday's severe weather outbreak, I invite you to monitor our Pascagoula, MS station as it will give you a true real-time test as to the capabilities that it will have during the hurricane season. The direct link to that page is listed below. And, if you live in the region or have friends and family that do, please make sure they are keenly aware of the severe weather potential for today, tonight and then again on Tuesday. We may be all about hurricanes- but with the level of danger that I see with this weather system, it is too important to leave unannounced. I'll have another update here on Wednesday morning.

UPDATED: 10:30 pm EST, February 24, 2008
GETTING READY FOR THE HURRICANE SEASON

With less than 100 days to go until the hurricane season begins, there is much work to be done here and certainly across the coastal regions of the United States. We are working every day on a variety of new products and services to launch this hurricane season. One such product is our new Internet show HurricaneTrack News/Talk, a radio-style talk show that will debut on Wednesday, March 5. We kicked around some ideas for a start time and have settled on 9pm ET. This will give everyone time to eat dinner, catch up with family and then tune in for the hour-long hurricane news and information show. I will be joined by Jesse Bass, Mike Watkins and call-in guests each week to discuss all things tropics. We did a test last week and it went very well. We'll have one more this week just to make sure we are all set for the official launch on March 5. A few days before the first show, I'll post the email address for the show and I encourage people to send in questions or topics that they want to hear about. In addition, we have a line open for you to call in as well and talk to us "on the air". And, as I mentioned, we will have guests each week with our first being Jim Reed. His most recent book Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey is excellent and will be part of our discussion that night. Jim is also a veteran of many hurricanes and will share his thoughts on that subject as well. We are looking forward to an exciting night as we do something a little different for 2008.

I would also like to mention our new Premium Services section where you can subscribe annually to a suite of new products that we are developing just for our subscribers. This includes our successful live streaming video feature. To learn more about our Premium Services, just click the link below. So far, the response has been great considering the time of year it is and the state of the economy. A big THANKS goes out to all of our new subscribers. We obviously hope to add many more throughout the year and feel confident that you will find great value in our new products.

I will post more here around the first of March as we prepare to fire up our first "radio show" on the 5th. Until then, now is a good time to review your home and business insurance. With hurricane season a little over three months off, NOW is the time to make sure everything is in order financially. Use this time to meet with your insurance company even if by phone. The more you know about how that process works now, the better prepared you will be should you ever need to file a claim after any major event- hurricanes or not.

UPDATED: 10:00 am EST, February 11, 2008
SOMETHING NEW COMING IN MARCH

On Wednesday, March 5 at 8pm ET, we will launch our very first "radio show". It will run for one hour each and every Wednesday night from there after. The show, called HurricaneTrack News/Talk, will cover a variety of hurricane related topics. I will share hosting duties with Jesse Bass and Mike Watkins. We will offer the show free of charge right here on the homepage and all you have to do is listen. But- there is more to it than that! You will be able to call in, send email questions and be a part of the show. In addition to having audience participation, we will have guests on the show from time to time. In fact, our very first guest will be Jim Reed- the author of Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey (see link below in 'recommended reading'). Jim has a great personality and even greater stories to share with us. You will be able to phone in and talk to Jim with us. We tested things out over the weekend and were very pleased with the results. It is amazing what you can do with the Internet these days and this new show will be a testament to that. I'll post more about it as we get closer to the "air date" in March. Don't worry, if you cannot listen live, we will archive the show in WMV format for you to listen to anytime. I will also post a link to the show's email address soon for you to send in your questions. We'll answer them live during the show.

UPDATED: 11:15 am EST, February 1, 2008
TODAY MARKS THE START OF OUR NEW MEMBER SERVICES

Today, we officially launch our new subscription-based member services. We have decided to call it, well, Premium Services. It is exactly what the name implies and will be a major step towards enhancing HurricaneTrack.com and building our future. We already have our new member forum/message board up and running and are working on other features that will roll out in time for the 2008 hurricane season. These features include:
  • Live streaming video of our hurricane missions (and other severe weather when possible)
  • New and improved tracking maps with GIS-type layers to add depth to the tracking of tropical cyclones
  • Exclusive 30 frame satellite and radar loops with GIS-style layers, including live GPS positions of our field crew
  • Members' message board/forum
  • Email alert system to notify members when we are streaming live video and other breaking news events
We are very excited about offering these services for those who wish to subscribe to them. As I mentioned in a previous post, the remainder of the site will function as it has for almost 10 years now- at no charge. We will still post updates, video clips, live weather data and web cam images- just like we have since we began in the late 1990s. The new Premium Services area will be something very special for those who wish to sign up. The cost is $24.95 PER YEAR from now through May 31. On June 1, it will increase to $29.95. Each subscriber will have unlimited access to our services for 12 months from the time they sign up. This will cover the hurricane season as well as other severe weather such as spring-time tornado outbreaks and summer thunderstorms. With the powerful live video capability that we have, why limit our coverage to just hurricanes? As often as possible, we will stream live severe weather events and bring you coverage that you just cannot get from any TV source- all with no commercials. So beginning today, feel free to sign up and get on board. Any questions? Send me an email.

NOTE TO EXISTING SUBSCRIBERS: be sure to log in and sign up at our new message board/forum area. That is up and running now and will be a great aspect of our new Premium Services. Sign up is easy, once you log in to the member area, click on the forums link and follow the sign in procedures. Thanks for your support! We look forward to the season ahead and having you with us. UPDATED: 7:05 am EST, January 14, 2008
NEW MEMBER SERVICES COMING TO HURRICANETRACK.COM

In 2005 we launched our first subscription based service in the form of live streaming video of our hurricane missions. We built the service around this innovative capability and it did very well. Now we are expanding our member services to include much more than just live video during our missions. Subscribers to our member services will gain several one-of-a-kind features. We feel strongly that serving our loyal supporters through not only quality live feeds, but also via a suite of exclusive products, developed soley for HurricaneTrack.com, will add value to our package. Over the coming years, we will look more and more to subscribing members to support our work. It only makes sense as we have evolved from being primarily supported by business and industry to being supported more and more by those who visit the site on a regular basis. Before I get in to the particulars of what we will offer this season, let me make one thing very clear: all of our regular updates, preparedness info and live weather data will remain free of charge for the public to access. Only the premium content such as our live video feeds and the additional products that we are developing now will be reserved for paying members. Why take away what has made us what we are? We will not do that. We are only adding to an already proven method of raising the money that it takes to do this work year in and year out. If you do not want it, no problem, the same HurricaneTrack.com that has been around for almost a decade will still be here- free of charge. That being said, here is what we have in development for those who want to take it to the next level...
  • Exclusive live streaming video from our vehicle cams as well as our remote camera systems (aka Storm Case cams)
  • Access to live video of other severe weather events outside of the hurricane season
  • New and improved hurricane tracking maps that will revolutionize how you track hurricanes. This will be one of our most popular additions!
  • New 30 frame satellite and radar animations with geo-located layers such as HIRT vehicle positions and conditions as well as other important information sources- all at the touch of a button.
  • Members' only message board/forum moderated by our staff with exclusive analysis from our own Mike Watkins. I regard Mike as one of the more knowledgeable people in hurricane forecasting and model analysis. You can read his comments exclusively on our message board. Members will be able to post questions, comments and their own video/photos of hurricanes and other severe weather.
  • Rapid email alert system to live video feed breaking news events. As soon as we know we are going live for hurricane coverage or other severe weather, our members will receive an email alert to log in and see the action as it happens!
What will this cost? We are asking $29.95 for an entire year (12 full months) of unlimited access to this service. This is not a monthly rate or anything like that. We are talking an entire year and full access, not just during hurricane season. We are not accepting new members just yet since we are still working on getting things ready. However, starting February 1, we will open it up and you can sign up. In fact, we will run a special, if you sign up between February 1 and May 31, the price will be $24.95 and you will remain locked in at that rate permanently (our subscriptions auto-renew each year). On June 1, the full rate will apply. Either way, this is a great deal and an awesome service. If you wish to hear from existing members about what they think of our service so far, email me and I will put you in touch with several who came to us waaay back in 2005 when we first began- and they are still with us today. This service is not for everyone and is not entertainment. It is an exclusive membership to a suite of products that you will not find anywhere else. For those who are really in to tracking and learning more about hurricanes, this is tailored for you! Our hope is that, over the years, we can build a loyal member base and grow it annually. This will allow us to gradually become funded by the people and indeed work for the people- our members. From there, anything is possible and we will continue our tradition of providing the best hurricane news and information that we can- along with reliable and accurate field data when those hurricanes impact land.

Be sure to check back in a couple of weeks- we will roll out the new service in pieces and will have it ready to go before June 1. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to send me an email. I'll post more here on February 1.
UPDATED: 12:01 am EST, January 1, 2008 Next Update: January 14
THE END OF SOMETHING SPECIAL, THE BEGINNING OF NEW AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome to the new and somewhat different HurricaneTrack.com! Happy New Year, too! Now, settle in- we have a lot to discuss.

As you probably have noticed, the homepage has a new look to it. I like to change things around a bit every couple of years and it was time for those changes once again. As we begin 2008, we have some new features to share with you that will help to keep the site on the cutting-edge of hurricane news, reporting and education. First, we have some business to tend to.

Since 2001, Lowe's Home Improvement stores has been our major financial sponsor. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, that run has come to an end. Lowe's has decided not to sponsor our work for 2008. It was not an easy decision for them to make and let me tell you, we are both very proud of our accomplishments over the past six years. I have nothing but fond memories of working with Lowe's and their support has allowed us to impact the lives of many people in a positive manner. From the hurricane readiness tours to the annual tracking maps and our Mississippi weather stations project, Lowe's was there for us year in and year out. Things change and it is now time to move forward without their financial support; but this leads to new opportunties for the future.

At about the same time that Lowe's signed on with us in 2001, Sprint took notice as well. And, ever since, we have had quite the privilege of being supported both financially and through the use of the latest Sprint equipment. We are honored to announce that we will be working with Sprint throughout 2008 and look forward to showcasing their technology as we use it to accomplish what was impossible just a few years ago. Sprint powers our remote field operations as well as our Storm Case cam units that we use to stream live video during hurricanes. We will be working on even more innovative ways to put their network to use in a manner that will ultimately serve the public.

Working for the people
One of the biggest joys that I get out of doing this work is to know that people appreciate it. It's not just me, either. As our regular visitors know, I work with several other people in our education projects and field work. There's Jesse Bass, Eddie Smith, Mike Watkins, Todd Ferebee, James Lewis and Jonathan Myers. We all collaborate and work through phone calls, emails and online discussions as to how to best present information or perform our field work better. I am just the editor and front man, so to speak. Someone has to be the lead and by default, it is me. However, my support crew is awesome and we have worked for several years together to educate and inform. We receive emails from all over the world telling us how much our efforts are appreciated. I save these emails and realize that they mean that people are paying attention. Once in a while we get an email from someone who thinks we are only here to scare people about hurricanes. Those emails are extremely rare but are expected as being in the public eye as we are, people need to vent from time to time- we understand. We take our work seriously and thoroughly enjoy the impact that our work has had on millions of people since the late 1990s. In 2008, that will continue.

Subscribers: the key to our future
In 2005, I launched our very first subscription-based pay-service. It was to cover expenses related to streaming live video of our hurricane field missions. We had no choice since live media content is expensive to produce and the popularity of this site meant that we had to have some control over it- or else it would crash. Since that remarkable year, we have worked to perfect our methods of delivering live video from our vehicles as well as from remote cameras that we place out in even the most extreme conditions. As we prepare for the 2008 season, we will be offering a much more robust package of features for our subscribers than just live video. We feel that with the annual support of paying subscribers, support that will grow over the years, we can eventually become 100% self-sufficient and fund our own work. We are not there yet but you can help. In the weeks ahead, I will announce our new and improved subscription service that will include several major enhancements that you will not find on any other web site. If we are going to ask people to pay for our services, we intend to deliver. I can assure you, what we will have to offer is going to exceed your expectations! I believe that if we can develop a strong and loyal subscriber base that grows each year, we can continue our work indefinitely. For those of you who are current subscribers, thank you! Many have been with us since day one in 2005 and we will fill you in first and foremost about our coming improvements. I do want to say that we will never change our basic public service of providing up to date information, commentary and educational material. Only our newly developed premium content will be within the subscriber portion of the site. I think that you will be very impressed with what we will have to offer as it will go far beyond our ability to stream live video. Stay tuned!

Closing thoughts on this New Year's Day
The last 10 years have been remarkable for me and those who I have worked with. Who knew that this little hobby site for me to post my thoughts about impending hurricane threats would become what it is today? Now I realize that we're no "Google" by any stretch but in the niche world of hurricane related websites, we have come a long way and have had phenomenal support over the years. Our goal will always be to provide easy to understand hurricane related information without hyping it up anymore than it has to be. Hurricanes are bad news enough, we don't need to add to the anxiety by putting our spin on them (no pun intended). We will report the facts and provide links to the best most accurate information that we can. Being informed is critical in winning the battle against hurricanes. There are many sources of news and info out there, HurricaneTrack.com is a part of that pool and we hope to stand out above the rest for our own unique reasons. While we have all enjoyed having two seasons with very little impact to the United States, we know all too well that the hurricanes will come again. As I mention many times throughout the year, the forecast numbers mean nothing for your town. The odds are always remote that a hurricane will impact you. But when it does happen, especially when a severe hurricane comes your way, you had better know what to do. We will provide our expertise in this area and encourage you to learn from as many sources as possible. You know which ones are reliable and which ones are not. We are always open to suggestions and sincerely appreciate hearing from people. Some of our best emails state only "thank you". You're welcome. Have a great 2008 and check back with us from time to time. We have a lot to look forward to and a lot of work to do- June 1, 2008 will be here before we know it!