The 2009 hurricane season is officially underway. I returned yesterday from a brief beach trip to the Florida Panhandle just in time, as tropical storm Claudette picked up speed close behind. The National Hurricane Center stated that no named storms (meaning those with winds reaching a minimum of 39 miles an hour) had appeared in the Atlantic Basin as of Friday- the seventh-longest recorded wait in this area for the first tropical storm of the season. By Saturday, however, Tropical Storms Ana and Bill had been named off the Florida coast, and Claudette developed by early Sunday morning.
Experts predict a quieter than usual storm season this year, which is particularly fortunate for the nation’s Flood Insurance Program, currently in a deficit of over $19 billion. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which controls the National Flood Insurance Program, released a statement that hurricanes have cost greater than $45.9 billion in disaster assistance since 2005, comprising approximately 85% of FEMA’s total expenditure on disaster relief efforts.
It is fascinating to think about the technological advancements that have evolved and the power which they grant meteorologists and weather experts to accurately track climate patterns and predict storms. Our ancestors had no advance warning of looming natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, and therefore could only prepare for treacherous weather threats as soon as they came into view.
Today, tools to monitor weather conditions are affordable enough to warrant personal use in the home and office! Your brand can even customize handy weather instruments with your logo and marketing message so that clients and employees can utilize them on a daily basis. I, for one, enjoy being able to dress accordingly for the day’s forecast without having to set foot outside my front door! Gifts like weather stations will benefit your desired end users tremendously, allowing them to know what conditions lie outside the confines of their home or office. Choose from a variety of unique custom imprinted Weather Instruments that are sure to impress and amuse your target audience.
If you happen to be in the danger zone for any of the tropical storms or hurricanes I mentioned above, stay safe and make sure to follow the storms’ progress to be prepared for any unexpected changes in course or upgrades in severity! Even if you are not in a region susceptible to these weather phenomena, weather tools can be incorporated into your marketing mix to form the foundation for an innovative and memorable promotional campaign.
Dana
Marketing Coordinator