Hurricane Preparedness Week Underway in Louisiana

In less than a month's time, it will officially be Hurricane Season 2020. For some reason that sounds a lot more ominous than just "Hurricane Season". I guess the "2020" part hasn't been so good for the first four months of the year but hey, "hard rain don't last", right? Well, that's what we are hoping.

Another thing we are hoping is that this year's forecasts of an above-average season with several major hurricanes won't come to fruition. However, the forecasters have gotten pretty good at these long-range outlooks so, I wouldn't be surprised if we found ourselves monitoring active weather systems in the Gulf of Mexico for at least a few weeks this summer.

So, what should you be using this week to do?

Well, since a lot of us are still sticking pretty close to home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now is the time to assess your property and preparedness. I think you'll find these questions are a good start to getting ready for something we hope will never happen.

Do you have limbs that could crash down on your house? Is the drainage around your home adequate an unclogged from a winter's worth of neglect? Do you have all of your important papers, including pictures and videos of your home and possessions, safely stored in a water-resistant box? Do you know what your evacuation route would be should you need to leave your home? Do you have a list of important phone numbers and emails for family members, insurance companies, and others?

All of these questions are answered better now when the threat of a storm isn't even on the horizon. Many of us who have lived along the Gulf Coast for years have a hurricane plan already set in our minds. We need to take that plan from between our ears and share it with our family members. You see, the one thing we really need during a storm is clear lines of communication so communicating your thoughts now really is a better plan.

The National Hurricane Center has a list of other suggestions and ideas you'll want to consider long before the first clouds start swirling off the Cape Verde Islands. Even if you are an old pro at tropical weather, it never hurts to review and refresh your plan. I bet you don't have a face mask in your kit, do you? See, you didn't see that one coming, and should we still be battling coronavirus during a storm you'll be glad that I mentioned that to you.