Leonardtown, MD – Today marks the start of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane season. The St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services & Technology has teamed up with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) to promote citizen awareness and preparedness. The season lasts until November. Most hurricane-like weather is seen mid-August and late October. St. Mary’s County is most at risk for strong winds, heavy rain, inland flooding, and other severe weather.
In addition, residents can take the following actions now in order to prepare for hurricane season:
Clear out rain gutters so water doesn’t back up and end up in your house.
Around the dinner table, talk to your family about where you would meet in the event of an emergency.
If you have pets, identify some pet-friendly hotels in case you have to evacuate.
Program “In Case of Emergency” contacts into your phone.
Teach friends and family members to text on their cell-phones, text messages can often get through when phone calls can’t.
Make copies of important documents for your emergency kit. (medications, medical information, proof of address, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies, etc.) Consider putting them on a secure flash drive, as well.
Get an extra set of house and car keys made for your emergency kit.
Download the free MARYLAND Prepares mobile app, which includes weather and emergency alerts at mema.maryland.gov/Pages/mdprepares.aspx.
Teach everyone how to turn off the utilities in your house (electricity, gas, water, etc.) so they can do it in case of an evacuation.
Pick up canned goods when your store has a sale, they will last a long time and ensure you will have something to eat if you can’t go out to the store.
More information can be found on the web at prepare.stmarysmd.com and mema.maryland.gov.
Related Hurricane Story
4/18/16: Judging by names, this hurricane season could be devastating