I participated in the National Hurricane Conference and heard, first hand, the dire predictions for 2010. It seems there is a perfect storm of conditions brewing that will make life difficult for residents and businesses, mostly located along Atlantic shores.

But its not only the Atlantic coast hurricane experts that have looked into their crystal balls. Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team has predicted that the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season will produce an above-average eight hurricanes, four of them major.

I met with William Gray, nationally acclaimed meteorologist at Colorado State,

who told me that the six-month season beginning on June 1 would likely see 15 named tropical storms. The average season might see 10 storms of which 6 might turn into hurricanes.

Risks are lower for the Gulf States, from the Florida Panhandle west to Brownsville, Texas, including the Gulf of Mexico oil patch: the probability of a major hurricane making landfall was seen at 44 percent.

"Normal Hurricane season indicators appear on target for an active season, however, La Nina (a cool water and weather atmospheric pattern vs. El Nino, a warm water tropical pattern) will aggravate the situation considerably." He told me. The 2009 season was the quietest since 1997 due in part to El Nino, which suppresses hurricane formations.

AccuWeather.com, is another forecasting source and is also suggesting that 2010 will be a potentially extreme season with five hurricanes, two or three of them major, expected to strike the U.S. coast, forming out of an expected 16 to 18 tropical storms.

When you Google "How to prepare for a hurricane" you get authoritative sources giving you lists of things to do. But, NO ONE provides the essential information you need to save your stuff! How important is your stuff? Consider loosing the following:

Ancestor's photos, important letters etc.

Pictures from your child rearing years

Certificate, diplomas etc

Legal papers, insurance policies, appraisals

Documentation that shows ownership

Creative or intellectual property

Family history/ genealogy

How difficult will it be emotionally, financially and logistically to loose these types of items? These items should definitely be on your list of things to prepare… and be given high priority.

Here are some sources for more information:

www.saveyourstuff.com

www.freehurricaneinfo.org

www.faclappraisals.com