Hurricane season upon us; be prepared

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • Thunderbolt Editor
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Hurricane preparedness procedures for MacDill personnel this hurricane season remain the same as for 2011, says Vince Anderson, emergency management technician with the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron.

The starting point for everyone, particularly those new to a region impacted by hurricanes, is to get informed, advises Anderson. The the 6th CE recommends visiting http://www.floridadisaster.org/DEMpublic.asp as a starting point until the annual Hillsborough County Hurricane Guide is delivered to the base.

"Get informed, assemble a disaster kit, create and review a family emergency plan, review the unit accountability and evacuation program," said Anderson. "We have not yet received the county Hurricane Guide; once they're in, they will be distributed through the units."

Hurricane season officially began June 1, but Gov. Rick Scott proclaimed May 27 through June 2, Hurricane Preparedness Week in Florida.
The lead-up to hurricane season is a good time to visit the following web sites, which provide evacuation maps, preparedness tips and other resources useful in the event a storm makes landfall in the Tampa Bay area.

Hillsborough: http://hillsboroughcounty.org/emergency/
Pinellas: http://www.pinellascounty.org/emergency/hurricane_videos.html
Manatee: http://www.mymanatee.org/home/government/departments/public-safety/emergency-management.html
Pasco: http://www.pascocountyfl.net/Index.aspx?NID=365
Hernando: http://www.hernandosheriff.org/em/
Sarasota: http://www.scgov.net/emergencyservices/emergencymanagement/emergencymanagement.asp Ready.gov: http://www.ready.gov/be-informed