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• Potable water system loss or disruption; <br /> • Sewer system outage; <br /> • Public health and safety: increased rates of diarrhea <br /> (including cholera and dysentery), respiratory infections, <br /> hepatitis A and E, typhoid fever, leptospirosis, and <br /> diseases borne by insects; <br /> • Psychological hardship; <br /> • Economic disruption; <br /> • Disruption of community services; <br /> • Agricultural/fisheries damage; <br /> • Damage to critical environmental resources; <br /> • Damage to identified historical resources; <br /> • Fire; <br /> • Toxic releases; and <br /> • Stormwater drainage impairment. <br /> b. Tropical Storms/Hurricanes — Hazard Identification <br /> A tropical storm is a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained <br /> winds of at least 39 mph. Tropical storms are given official <br /> names once they reach these wind speeds. Beyond 74 mph, a <br /> tropical storm is called a hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone based <br /> on the storm location. A tropical cyclone has a defined cyclonic <br /> rotation and severe thunderstorms around a central low- <br /> pressure zone. A tropical cyclone is one step above a tropical <br /> depression, but a step below a hurricane in terms of intensity. <br /> A Tropical Storm Watch is issued by the National Hurricane <br /> Center (NHC) when tropical-storm conditions are possible <br /> within the specified area. A Tropical Storm Warning is issued <br /> by the NHC when tropical-storm conditions are expected within <br /> the specified area. <br /> Hurricanes are tropical cyclones with winds that exceed 74 <br /> mph and blow counter-clockwise about their centers in the <br /> Northern Hemisphere. They are essentially heat pumping <br /> mechanisms that transfer the sun's heat energy from the <br /> tropical to the temperate and polar regions. This helps to <br /> maintain the global heat budget and sustain life. Hurricanes <br /> are formed from thunderstorms that form over tropical oceans <br /> with surface temperatures warmer than 81'F (26.5°C). The <br /> ambient heat in the sea's surface and moisture in the rising air <br /> column set up a low pressure center and convective conditions <br /> that allow formation of self-sustaining circular wind patterns. <br /> Under the right conditions, these winds may continue to <br /> Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 12 <br />