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intensify until they reach hurricane strength. This heat and <br />moisture from the warm ocean water is the energy source of a <br />hurricane. Hurricanes weaken rapidly when deprived of their <br />energy source by traveling over land or entering cooler waters. <br />When a hurricane threatens the coast, advisories are issued <br />by the NHC. The storm's current location and intensity are <br />described along with its projected path. Advisories are issued <br />at 6 -hour intervals: 5:00 A.M., 11:00 A.M., 5:00 P.M., and <br />11:00 P.M., Eastern Time. <br />In addition to advisories, the NHC may issue a hurricane watch <br />or warning. A Hurricane Watch is issued 48 hours in advance <br />of the anticipated arrival of tropical -storm- force winds. A <br />Hurricane Warning is issued 36 hours in advance of the <br />anticipated onset of tropical -storm -force winds. <br />Advisories and hurricane watches and warnings will frequently <br />refer to the category of a storm. Hurricanes are classified <br />using the Saffir-Simpson scale as follows: <br />• Category 1 — <br />Winds 74 to 95 mph; <br />• Category 2 — <br />Winds 96 to 110 mph; <br />• Category 3 — <br />Winds 111 to 129 mph; <br />• Category 4 — <br />Winds 130 to 156 mph; and <br />• Category 5 — <br />Winds 157 mph or higher. <br />Hurricane damage occurs through two means — high winds <br />and storm surge. Generally it is the wind that produces most <br />of the property damage associated with hurricanes, while the <br />greatest threat to life is from flooding and storm surge. <br />Although hurricane winds can exert tremendous pressure <br />against a structure, a large percentage of hurricane damage is <br />caused not from the wind itself, but from flying debris. Tree <br />limbs, signs and sign posts, roof tiles, metal siding, and other <br />loose objects can become airborne missiles that penetrate the <br />outer shells of buildings, destroying their structural integrity and <br />allowing hurricane winds to act against interior walls not <br />designed to withstand such forces. Once a structure's integrity <br />is breached, the driving rains associated with hurricanes can <br />enter the structure and completely destroy its contents. <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 13 <br />