Wilkes EMA gets ready for annual hurricane season
By KRYSTLE KVALHEIM intern reporter

As the 2007 hurricane season begins Wilkes County's Emergency Management Agency Director Alan Poss is in preparation for the weather to come. "We are in watch mode right now and we monitor tropical storm reports as they come through the National Weather Service. Generally, when a hurricane reaches landfall, it is a tropical storm or depression, so we must be aware of heavy rainfall." he stated. "Another concern that comes with hurricane season for us are tornados spawning off due to the hurricanes, but we have the capabilities to adequately warn people of bad weather."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center says there is a 75 percent chance of an above average hurricane season this year with 13 to 17 named storms, including seven to 10 hurricanes. Forecasters say three to fiveof the hurricanes could be major storms ranked as category three or higher. Every region of our country is vulnerable to severe storms and flooding or disasters of some type: high winds, power outages, tornados, or earthquakes. Every family can follow the same basic emergency preparedness strategy, whether in a hurricane-prone area or elsewhere and be Red Cross read;. get a kit, make a plan, be informed, and know the types of disasters that can occur in your community. "It doesn't matter how many storms are predicted," says GEMA Director Charley English. "It only takes one hurricane or tropical storm to have a catastrophic impact on a community and the public needs to be responsible and be prepared." Americans are more attuned than ever to the power of hurricanes and severe weather due to the widespread devastation of the 2005 hurricane season. The beginning of the season brings a single question: Are my loved ones and I prepared for an unexpected situation? For all of us, no matter where we live, the return of hurricane season on June 1 is a call to action reminding us to check our family emergency plans and restock our disaster supplies kits. Advanced warning systems today are better than ever before. They can offer our communities time to evacuate potentially affected areas when a storm is imminent. It's important to remember that just because you were safe last year doesn't mean you shouldn't evacuate when told to this year. The time to prepare is now.

Create your personal disaster and evacuation plan and make sure you build a disaster supplies kit. Knowing what to do in an emergency situation is your best protection.

The American Red Cross strongly recommends that individuals and families take preventive measures to ensure their personal safety during a hurricane watch or warning. Georgians should develop a family disaster plan beginning with an awareness of the threats posed by hurricanes, including storm surge near the coast, and high winds, flooding, thunderstorms, and tornadoes hundreds of miles inland.

Residents of the coast and floodprone areas should be ready to evacuate immediately when told to do so, know where they would evacuate to, and have plans to reunify if they become separated. Families with pets should make plans in advance for their animals in the event of an evacuation.

It is also essential to maintain a disaster supplies kit, including a three-to-seven-day supply of bottled water and non-perishable food for each family member, extra clothing and bedding, personal hygiene items, medicines, a flashlight, portable radio and batteries. Most importantly, have a battery-powered, tone-activated NOAA Weather Radio to monitor severe weather forecasts and warnings.

"Complacency is one of our greatest enemies," says English. "A lot of people assume that since we haven't had a direct hit by a major storm in over a hundred years or haven't had a massive evacuation since 1999, there is nothing to worry about. That kind of thinking could be deadly."

For more information on the hurricane season and on severe weather preparedness, visit GEMA's Web site at www.gema.state.ga.us. Other resources include the National Weather Service at www.nws.noaa. gov the National Hurricane Center at www.nhc.noaa.gov/ and the American Red Cross at www.redcross. org.

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