Are You Ready for Hurricane Season?

After 11 years with no storms landing on our shores, it’s easy for people to believe that the Emerald Coast is safe from hurricane season. There’s even a name for it – hurricane amnesia.

 

Ask any long-time local about Hurricane Dennis (2005), Hurricane Ivan (2004), or Hurricane Opal (1995) and they can probably tell you every detail of trees down, streets flooded, and homes torn apart by wind and rain.

 

And those were just the bigger storms to impact the Emerald Coast.

 

Our corner of Florida may be the most beautiful, but it’s also one of the areas most prone to hurricanes. The question you have to ask yourself is this: are you ready for hurricane season?

 

Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 15 – 21

 

Hurricane season officially begins June 1, but you can start getting ready now. Technically, there’s already been one storm this year – Hurricane Alex in January. Being prepared is a year-round thing. To get ready and stay prepared, text HURRICANE to 43362 (4FEMA) to receive bi-monthly hurricane tips to your cell phone directly from FEMA.

 

#HurricaneStrong

 

Want to share your own preparations or get more tips while you’re on Twitter? Follow #hurricanestrong or use it in your tweets to show how you’re getting ready for this year’s season. You’ll see tips from other parts of Florida and across the Gulf Coast region. The Coast Guard, FEMA, and National Hurricane Center also share good information on a regular basis.

 

Get Your Supplies Together Now

 

Anyone who’s lived through the aftermath of a storm can tell you how miserable it is. Stock up now on batteries, flashlights, water, a self-powered radio, a first aid kit, and even portable generators and tie down kits. For the past few years, we’ve had a tax holiday to purchase hurricane supplies. No official date has been announced, but one site listed May 28 through June 5. Keep your eye on the news or social media to find out for sure.

 

The time to buy gas cans or bottles of water isn’t when the storm is a few days out or when Jim Cantore does his weather report from Destin. Supplies become limited when that happens. It best to stock up now and know you’re ready if a storm heads our way.

 

Don’t let the past several years make you think it can’t happen here. We’re the one part of Florida where a hurricane is almost guaranteed to affect us, even a little bit, if it gets into the Gulf of Mexico. Getting ready now and learning as much as you can about how to stay safe and what to do can save lives.