2009 Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins

MIAMI (CBS4) ―

It's June 1st and that means it's the official start of the 2009 Atlantic Hurricane season.

Emergency managers in Florida are taking part in a simulation of the Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 on this first day of the hurricane season. Emergency managers are dealing with a 150-mile per hour storm pushing a ten-foot wall of water toward downtown and barrier islands from Miami Beach to Hollywood. But it's not real, it's only on paper.

It's a way to prepare emergency managers for a catastrophic hurricane like the unnamed 1926 storm that hit South Florida before refueling in the Gulf of Mexico and hitting Pensacola.

The mock storm is called ''Hurricane Suiter'' for the late Lacy Suiter, a FEMA executive who died in 2006. The storm would have its heaviest impact on Miami-Dade and Broward Counties which has grown tremendously since 1926.

The five day hurricane simulation drill, which actually started last Thursday, ends on Tuesday.

The busiest part of hurricane season is typically in August and September and ends on November 30th.

In May, federal forecasters predicted between 9-14 named storms, 4-7 hurricanes and 1-3 major hurricanes, which is considered a near-normal season.