Tropical Storm Arthur Wasn't a Hurricane. That's Exactly the Point.
Tropical Storm Arthur Wasn't a Hurricane. That's Exactly the Point.
The FRA Flood Panel successfully holding back flood water for a parking garage and preventing upwards of $35,000 in damages and clean up expenses. Flood water often carries leaves, branches, dirt, and other debris with it, which can be damaging to vehicles and electrical equipment stored inside a garage space.
LAKE WORTH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It wasn't a hurricane. It never reached Category 1. It barely held together long enough to keep its name.
"The most dangerous hurricane season forecast is a quiet one," said a spokesperson for Flood Risk America. "When people hear 'below normal,' they hear 'safe.' They delay inspections, put off barrier installation. And then Arthur happens."
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And it still left homes floating down roads in Louisiana.
Tropical Storm Arthur, the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, triggered a statewide emergency in Louisiana, with more than a foot of rain falling in some areas within a single 24-hour period. Cottonport received nearly 29 inches of rainfall. At least 200 homes flooded in Avoyelles Parish alone. Water rescues stretched from Mississippi campgrounds to the streets of Jefferson Parish. New Orleans' drainage pumps lost power mid-storm - the exact failure scenario the city has spent hundreds of millions trying to prevent.
Arthur weakened and moved on. The damage did not.
The Quiet Season Is the Problem
NOAA is forecasting a 55% chance of a below-normal 2026 hurricane season, with El Niño expected to suppress Atlantic development. Colorado State University has since reduced its forecast to just 11 named storms and 2 major hurricanes. Gulf Coast property owners are reading those numbers and exhaling.
Flood Risk America is urging them not to.
"The most dangerous hurricane season forecast is a quiet one," said a spokesperson for Flood Risk America. "When people hear 'below normal,' they hear 'safe.' They delay inspections. They put off barrier installation. And then Arthur happens."
Meteorologists have been clear: you don't need a hurricane to produce life-threatening flash flooding. Tropical storms - even tropical depressions - can do exactly that, as long as they move slowly. Arthur moved slowly. NOAA's own forecast language acknowledged it plainly: "It only takes one storm to make for a very bad season."
The 2026 season has barely begun. August, September, and October still lie ahead. A slow forecast does not mean a safe coast - it means a coast that has lowered its guard.
About Flood Risk America
Flood Risk America is a national B2B commercial flood protection company headquartered in Lake Worth, Florida, serving institutional, healthcare, hospitality, and industrial clients across the country with active and passive flood barrier systems, flood doors, aqua-fabric barriers, and 24/7 deployment support through sister company Flood Response Assistance. For more information, visit www.floodriskamerica.com
Contacts
Media Contact:
Stephen Gill
Phone: (561) 578-4220
Email: info@floodriskamerica.com
