South Spent Millions on a Hurricane Season That Wasn't

What has accounted for the mild season, according to forecasters, is the unexpected onset of El Niño, which stifled storm development, as it has in previous years. Also, the steering currents over the Atlantic tended to keep Atlantic storms from making landfall, curving them northward and back out to sea.

The relatively calm season stands in marked contrast to the nervousness it inspired at the outset, when concerns about the dangers of Atlantic hurricanes seemed to have reached a historic climax.

The 2005 season had been the busiest recorded, and some scientists had begun to regard heightened hurricane activity as a sign that Earth's climate is out of whack, a symptom of global warming.

Then, at the start of the season, forecasters issued the alarmingly specific predictions that more danger lay ahead. The seasonal forecasts are based on ocean temperatures and atmospheric conditions.

"If you think the 2006 hurricane season cannot be any worse than last year," National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield said at a hurricane conference, "I'm here to tell you otherwise."

As a result, many who had once scoffed at hurricane warnings and parodied the batten-down-the-hatches urgency of television forecasters now allowed that this season, they were preparing to hunker down if necessary.

Foil-wrapped ready-to-eat meals flew off the shelves at sporting goods stores. So did gas stoves and solar showers and battery-operated fans.

Help Jet, a West Palm Beach company, offered $500 memberships to Floridians who wanted to guarantee a seat on a private flight out of harm's way in the event of an approaching hurricane. As last year's troublesome evacuations showed, leaving is difficult when everyone else is on the road, too.

"It was something we'd never seen before," said Julie Abreu, a buyer for Jet's Florida Outdoors, a Miami sporting goods store, where purchases of hurricane-related items doubled. "It was busy the whole year."

During a 12-day period in May, when the state of Florida allowed hurricane preparation items to be bought tax-free, an estimated $550 million worth were purchased, according to state figures. The total hurricane spending in the state was probably much higher, however, because those estimates did not include items such as plywood, which were not part of the tax-free program.

"In this period of increased tropical activity, it is vital for all Floridians to prepare," Gov. Jeb Bush (R) advised constituents. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) likewise initiated an eight-week hurricane awareness program.

Among those swept up in the meteorological tension was a neighborhood in Hollywood, Fla., where more than a dozen households banded together to negotiate a discount on large generators costing $15,000 to $20,000.

Some, like Victor DeBianchi, spent more than $50,000 getting ready. In addition to his home generator, he bought hurricane shutters and impact-resistant glass for his home.

"What better way to ensure that nothing would happen?" DeBianchi, a probate lawyer, asked wryly. "I really did think there would be something this year. But I'm glad I did it. It's peace of mind."