If firefighters could predict how a wildfire was going to spread, they would be better able to contain it. But despite great strides in the computer modeling used to forecast wildfires, they’re difficult to predict because of unexpected wind shifts or spontaneous acceleration. They remain a catastrophic force that takes lives and decimates communities.

The strength of a hurricane’s winds determines its intensity, and hurricanes can have different intensities and levels of damage. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale categorizes hurricane severity on a scale from 1 (weakest) to Category 5 (most intense). Regardless of whether an impending hurricane is Cat 1 or Cat 5, if you live in affected areas, you will need to prepare for hurricane season in order to weather the storm.