"Hurricane Forecast Predicts Slightly Milder Season"

"Forecasters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say they are expecting an average Atlantic hurricane season this year, with four to seven hurricanes.

But this year's forecast came with a lot of caveats and a call for the public to pay more attention to the risks posed by rising water, as well as wind and rain.

Government officials said they wanted to avoid a repeat of last year, when thousands of people near Galveston, Texas, refused to evacuate as Hurricane Ike approached. Dozens died from the storm surge, which pushed ocean water up over a 17-footl seawall and flooded thousands of homes."

Jon Hamilton reports for NPR's All Things Considered May 21, 2009.