Here Comes Hurricane Season!
What are you going to do if a hurricane comes your way? Pairing technology and smart planning can help keep you prepared for whatever Mother Nature dishes out this hurricane season, which officially begins June 1. Peak season in Chesapeake Country is generally mid August to late October.
First, get your technology set up. Prepare Me Annapolis, the city’s free mobile app, which offers information on approaching weather, traffic, closings and important notifications from the city. Find it in Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
Prefer to receive voicemail, texts or emails? In Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, register to use the community notification system called CodeRED: http://bit.ly/CodeRed_AACo.
Calvert County operates a similar emergency notification system. Landlines are already included in the alerts; to add mobile phones, text and email alerts, register online: www.co.cal.md.us/index.aspx?NID=330.
Then, create an evacuation plan and prepare an emergency kit. Stock your kit with flashlights, radios, batteries, medicine, non-perishable food items and an ample supply of water — enough for each member of a household for at least 72 hours.
Annapolitans who may need assistance during a disaster or evacuation should contact the city’s Office of Emergency Management at 410-216-9167 to be registered on the special assistance roster, which brings welfare checks during and after emergencies.
“Regardless of predictions for a slower or more aggressive hurricane season, it only takes one storm to devastate a community,” says Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Simmons, emergency management director.