The time to prepare for a hurricane is before the season begins, when you have the time and are not under pressure. If you wait until a hurricane is on your doorstep, the odds are that you will be under duress and will make the wrong decisions. Take the time now to write down your hurricane plan. Know where you will ride out the storm and get your supplies now. You don’t want to be standing in long lines when a hurricane warning is issued. Those supplies that you need will probably be sold out by the time you reach the front of the line. Being prepared, before a hurricane threatens, makes you resilient to the hurricane impacts of wind and water. It will mean the difference between your being a hurricane victim and a hurricane survivor.

Taking all of the preparedness steps reviewed this week could make a stressful time a little less so. While it may seem elementary, writing down your plan will ensure you don’t make mistakes when faced with an emergency—eliminating second guessing. Document all of your possessions and valuables, taking pictures to support.  Gather your most important documents, like passports and medical records and stash them somewhere safe, that you can access quickly. Involve the entire family in planning and preparedness so that everyone is on the same page. FEMA provides a template that you and your family can fill out, HERE.

Finally, remember this: you will hear pre-season forecasts every year that may call for above or below average activity. There is some skill to this and even scientific application. However there currently is no ability to predict where those storms will develop or move. Much like a skipper may predict how many pitches the opposing pitcher may throw, there is no telling if they’ll hit the strike zone. That is why we need to be ready. It only takes one.

This concludes Hurricane Preparedness Week. You will be able to get links to all of this information, on wbrz.com. All season long, check in with the WBRZ Weather Team on News 2, wbrz.com/weather, the WBRZ WX app., the WBRZ Cable Weather Channel and for the latest bulletins in the Capital City, please keep up with us on social media.

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