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Receive hurricane information Sept. 5 For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit the Wellness Wednesday booth from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 5 in the Children’s Hospital lobby. Meteorologist Rob Fowler  will be handing out hurricane readiness guides and will be available to answer questions. It is always an adventure living along the coast of South Carolina, especially from June 1 through Nov. 30. Hurricane season is a time to watch the tropics and prepare. The last big hurricane to hit the coast was Hurricane Hugo in 1989. It has been almost 18 years since Charleston was changed forever but the city has been lucky these past few years.   Hurricane Floyd of 1999 gave Charleston a scare, in fact it gave millions of coastal residents a scare as it moved past Florida and the Carolinas.   Evacuation because of Hurricane Floyd was the largest peacetime evacuation. It caused major traffic delays, and eventually contributed to a change from the governor. Charleston has also dodged bullets in 2004 and 2005. Charleston did see hurricanes Charley and Gaston during that time, but only as weak hurricanes and not major storms.   In an average year, residents can expect 10 named storms (when winds reach 39 miles per hour), six hurricanes (when winds reach 74 miles per hour), and two major hurricanes (when winds reach at least 111 miles per hour).   This year, the most updated forecast tells residents to expect 15 named storms, eight hurricanes, and five major hurricanes. So far, hurricanes Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dean and Erin have already come and gone.   August and September are the months with the most storms, with the peak of the season taking place Sept. 10.   “My advice is very simple. Be prepared,” said Rob Fowler, chief meteorologist for WCBD TV, Channel 2. “You may not need extra supplies this year, but you will eventually need them. Remember, it’s not a matter of if, but when. We will see another major hurricane make landfall here again in the future. Our forecasting abilities have come a long way, but we still don’t have the ability to go out that far in the future. That is why it is a good practice to plan for the worst, and hope for the best.” Editor's note: The preceding column was brought to you on behalf of Health 1st. Striving to bring various topics and representing numerous employee wellness organizations and committees on campus, this weekly column seeks to provide MUSC, MUHA and UMA employees with current and helpful information concerning all aspects of health.     Friday, Aug. 31, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.