Federal forecasters say hurricanes will strike the United States this season and Americans must be prepared. They predicted nine to 14 named tropical storms this year.

Gerry Bell, lead Atlantic hurricane forecaster for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said current projections call for a near normal year for hurricanes.

Bell said the named storms are expected to include four to seven hurricanes, of which one to three are likely to be major storms. Hurricane season officially starts June 1.

Last year there were 16 named storms, of which 8 grew into hurricanes and 5 were major. About 1,000 people lost their lives, mostly in flash flooding in the Caribbean.