We’re coming to the end of an eventful hurricane season. Fortunately, the Alabama coast has been spared this year, but the same can’t be said of our neighbors in the Caribbean, Florida and Texas.

The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season rivaled any on record. The season included more than 13 named storms, five of which were major hurricanes that were Category 3 or stronger. Of course, you know the worst of those: Harvey that flooded the Texas coast; Irma that destroyed Caribbean islands before slamming into Florida; then Maria, from which Puerto Rico is still recovering.

At least 70 people died as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Irma is responsible for at least 68 deaths. And the toll is still rising from Hurricane Maria.

And those three strong storms occurred in August and September. As of the writing of this blog, it’s too soon to tell the total cost of the 2017 season, though losses due to Harvey are estimated to be between $65 billion and $180 billion. Damage from Hurricane Irma estimates range from $50 billion to $100 billion.

In the aftermath of this season, our residents, electric companies and municipalities have joined relief efforts for those affected areas. We know how much that assistance is needed and appreciated, as we remain grateful for the support we received after storms like Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

Those of us on the coast understand the preparations, apprehension and recovery of dealing with a major storm. They’ll be dealing with that recovery for a long time, so please keep them in mind during the months to come.