If forecasts hold true, we can expect very little in the way of tropical storms or hurricanes for the rest of this year. That’s good news. Even better, so far this season no hurricanes have made landfall on the U.S. coast, and none are expected. Looking back, 2006 will be remembered as an average hurricane season for us. How average? The forecast team at Colorado State University says the full season average for the years 1950 through 2000 is 5.9 hurricanes. At the end of September 2006, there had been five. Even if one more hurricane develops in October (which is what the CSU team expects—see page 14), you still can’t get much more average than that.

But average does not mean inactive—in more ways than one. First, there were five hurricanes this year: Ernesto in August and Florence, Gordon, Helene and Isaac in September (an above-average month). Second, it’s been a busy year for the hurricane protection industry and the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA).

It began in January when Hurricane Protection magazine and several industry suppliers supported the Peace of Mind home, the NextGen demonstration home, at the International Builders’ show in Orlando, FL, showcasing several hurricane protection products. Spring brought the 4th Annual World of Hurricane Protection Trade Show & Educational Conference at the Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando. It was a record-setting event in both numbers of exhibitors and attendees.

Things didn’t slow down any from there. HP magazine, IHPA and WPTV5 sponsored the South Florida Hurricane Expo, a consumer event, in April. In May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) completed its Hurricane Awareness Tour taking its message for hurricane preparedness to more than 4,000 students in the Gulf Coast region. And this year’s Southeast Builders Conference (SEBC) featured Hurricane Alley. IHPA also supported the rededication of the Disaster Survival House in Deerfield Beach, FL, in June.

More recently, this magazine and IHPA sponsored the Hurricane Protection Zone at this year’s International Code Council (ICC) annual conference (debuting a new booth, too!). And currently, IHPA is involved in Fortify Florida Fairs held in conjunction with the My Safe Florida Home.

So regardless of how many hurricanes form in a year, or how many come ashore, the mission and message of hurricane protection professionals never slow down. Preparation and mitigation, by definition, must come before the storm hits. Yes, it has been an average year for the industry, and that means busy!

Howard Shingle