“Floyd Follies: What We've Learned” is the lead article for Summer 2002. Create an inquiry lesson based on the article and following questions:

Have students read the article “Floyd Follies: What We’ve Learned” from the Summer 2002 issue of Coastal Heritage. Lead a class discussion about the Hurricane Floyd evacuation:

• Did anyone in the class evacuate during Hurricane Floyd? How long were you stuck in traffic? Where was your destination?
  
  
• According to the article, why was the Floyd evacuation such a disaster? What would have happened if Floyd had made landfall and there was still a traffic jam on I-26?
  
  
• According to the article, how was the Floyd evacuation effective (page 6)? What improvements have been made to evacuation plans since the Hurricane Floyd evacuation?

Language Arts Connection
Would you order a mandatory evacuation? Direct students to the Web site http://weathereye.kgan.com/lounge/plans/hurricane.html. Students become the mayor of a Florida city just as a hurricane is forming and must decide whether or not to order a forced evacuation based on facts about the hurricane and the town. Relate this barrier island to barrier islands in South Carolina. (Note: Certain parts of the Web site are password protected. Before having your students work on this activity, visit the Web site and register your class with WeatherEye. These pages may be printed out if your class does not have access to the Internet.

Assessment Opportunity
Have students inspect maps of Hurricane evacuation routes http://www.dot.state.sc.us/getting/evacuation.html. Have each student plan his/her family’s best evacuation route. Where is the nearest storm shelter? How would you protect your favorite belongings if you left them behind?

Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Elaine Freeman, Park Interpreter at Edisto Beach State Park, Rob Young, Coastal Carolina University, and Lundie Spence, North Carolina Sea Grant, for their assistance in compiling this list of resources.

  

For further information contact Elizabeth Joyner,
elizabeth.joyner@scseagrant.org or (843) 953-2078

Hurricanes for Middle School
Lesson Plans

http://school.discovery.com/schoolfeatures/featurestories/eyeofthestorm/index.html
This site contains classroom activities for both middle and high school students (activities do not require Internet access). It also contains links to Web sites containing background information.

http://btc.montana.edu/nten/trc/lesson12/lesson12_text.shtml
This activity requires Internet access. Students will be able to explain the difference between a tornado and a hurricane and explain how tornadoes and hurricanes are classified.

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/wwatch/hurricanes/extreme/ift4_8.htm
This is a virtual field trip (requires Internet access) that links students to various Web sites containing information about hurricanes.

http://www.teachearth.com
Search for lesson plans by grade level (5-8) and subject (hurricanes).

References
http://www.wildwildweather.com/hurrican.htm
This Web site contains a compilation of links to hurricane activities and content information.

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml
An online meteorology guide to hurricanes containing information on growth processes, development stages, movement, public awareness, public action, damage, names, global activity and el niño.

http://discovery.com/stories/science/hurricanes/see.html
Students can use this Web site to “create” a hurricane by manipulating ocean temperature, pressure gradient, shearing winds, and humidity (requires Internet access). The site also contains sections entitled “In Search of Ancient Super Storms” and “Deadly Hurricanes in Our Future.”

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/huricane/whursci.htm
This Web site contains links to USA Today articles about hurricanes. Also contains advanced level information.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
On this Web site, teachers and students can get storm information, learn about hurricanes, and explore hurricane history.

http://www.education.noaa.gov/tweather.html
A list of Web sites designed for the teacher to use in the classroom or as background reference material.

Resources
Hurricane Strike!
Get your FREE CD-ROM from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that simulates a hurricane forming in the Atlantic and moving toward a family home in Florida. The game is divided into 7 days of a storm. Students complete a task list for each day. Contact your county Emergency Management Agency to receive a copy. Hurricane Strike! is also available on-line at http://www.FEMA.gov/storm/trop.shtm.

Field Trips
6th grade hurricanes field trip available at Edisto Beach State Park. Contact Elaine Freeman, Park Interpreter, at (843) 869-9073