June 1st is the start of hurricane season. From now through the end of November, we all will need to monitor the weather reports more closely in case a storm arises quickly. News reports indicate that we might be in for a more active season than usual. But in only takes one storm to destroy a city -- i.e., Katrina and New Orleans, LA.
To keep abreast of the County's Emergency Plans should a storm approach our area, visit http://www.bcgov.net/Emerg_mgt/houtlook.php. Todd Ferguson, Director of Beaufort County Emergency Management Division, sent a reminder message to all Beaufort County employees this morning that is just as applicable to all Beaufort County residents:
Today begins the first day of what is predicted to be a very active Hurricane Season. With that being said, we all need to prepare for that one storm that may impact our area. I strongly encourage each and everyone to have your own individual Hurricane plan for your family, these plans should include the preparation needed to protect your property, an evacuation plan, and last but not least a recovery plan for when you return. I would also encourage you to look at your insurance policies. As always our first plan of attack is not to have a Hurricane, however, if we do we all must have a plan in place to facilitate a successful recovery.
The best defense is a good offense: Make decisions in advance about what you can do to protect your property. Decide where you'll go to wait out the storm. Prepare what you'll need to take care of yourself, family members, and pets for several days or more. Determine what documents you'll need to prove your ownership of property and/or insurance coverage upon you return in case of damages to your property.
For more emergency preparedness tips from a variety of sources, read the Connections entries tagged emergency preparedness and check out some of those links to preparation sites.
It's not like the Beaufort area has been completely free of hurricanes. While it is true that it's been awhile since we had a direct hit, hurricanes are sort of like the stock market. Past performance isn't always an indicator of future performance. We've been very lucky through the years.
To learn more about hurricanes and hurricanes that have directly impacted our area in the past, read the "Hurricanes" article in the local history and nature pages by Dennis Adams. If you want to dig a little deeper, come visit the BDC for our hurricane and tropical storm related vertical files. The image at the start of this entry is from one of our BDC scrapbooks. The flooding was caused by Hurricane Gracie in 1959.
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