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The National Guard will likely face above-normal levels of hurricane activity this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
High temperatures, reduced trade winds and the potential for a northern shift of tropical waves from the West African Monsoon could produce exceptionally strong storms, NOAA said May 22.
The federal agency NOAA predicts 13 to 19 total named storms in the Atlantic between June 1 and Nov. 30. At least six are forecast to become hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5 with winds of 74 mph or higher).
And as many as five storms will become major hurricanes with winds powerful enough to uproot trees, down powerlines and damage buildings.
Last year, the Guard responded to six hurricanes, Gen. Steven S. Nordhaus, the National Guard Bureau chief, told a Senate subcommittee hearing last month.
“The National Guard is the most capable and experienced disaster response force in the nation,” Nordhaus said.
When Hurricane Helene and its 140 mph winds hit the Southeast in late September, more than 6,300 Guardsmen from 18 states mobilized to help. They rescued 165 people and more than 60 animals, distributed food and water, and cleared more than 2,600 miles of roads.
States in the Gulf region and along the eastern seaboard are already preparing for this year’s hurricane season.
Working in tandem with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the Louisiana Guard held a statewide hurricane response exercise, Cajun Jumanji 2025, April 8-10 in Baton Rouge.
The exercise tested the Guard’s adaptability to a potential increase in chaos introduced by a strengthening hurricane, simulating a Category 1 hurricane morphing into a Category 3 or 4 upon landfall.
The Guard tested its command-and-control response system as well as evacuation and rescue methods.
The Louisiana Guard followed this up with its annual Hurricane Rehearsal of Concept Drill in Baton Rouge on May 21. Guardsmen from across the state planned and drilled to prepare to execute a swift and well-coordinated response in the event of a major storm making landfall.
“This rehearsal gives our command group the confidence that every unit has done the work,” said Maj. Matthew Digby, the Louisiana Guard’s chief of plans, in a release. “Equipment is staged, plans are in place and our Soldiers are ready to respond.”
Also ready are this year’s names for Atlantic storms. Andrea will be the first, followed by Barry, Chantal, Dexter and Erin.
The World Meteorological Organization, a U.N. agency, selected an alphabetical list up to the letter “w.”
— By Zita Fletcher
