Hurricane season is coming to the Lowcountry. Are you prepared?
The Bluffton Police Department hosted a hurricane preparedness meeting Thursday evening, during which officials offered tips about what to do if another hurricane like Matthew appears this year.
And it’s entirely possible that Beaufort County will see another hurricane in 2017. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the upcoming hurricane season could usher in 11 to 17 tropical storms, with five to nine possibly turning into hurricanes. Of those, two to four could become major hurricanes.
The NOAA determined that the U.S. has a 45 percent chance of enduring an above-normal hurricane season and a 35 percent chance of a near-normal season. The hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Three speakers made presentations at Thursday’s meeting: Bluffton Police Lt. Joe Babkiewicz, who oversees the department’s Emergency Management and Training Division; Lt. Col. Neil Baxley, emergency management director for the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office; and Kim Jones, Bluffton’s Watershed Management Division manager.
Here are some tips from the meeting:
▪ Start planning early before a hurricane hits. Make sure you know what to take with you, such as important prescriptions, documents and priceless items.
▪ Create a communication plan with other family members.
▪ Know the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning. A hurricane watch indicates the possibility of a hurricane arriving within 48 hours. A hurricane warning means that a hurricane is imminent.
▪ Keep in mind a hurricane can bring hazards besides high winds, including harsh rainfall and thunderstorms, tornadoes and storm surges (a rising of sea levels).
▪ Consider buying both flood and hurricane insurance, which typically cover different severe-weather situations.
▪ Take photos of your home before you leave so it can be appraised later for insurance purposes.
▪ Evacuate when instructed to do so by authorities and know your evacuation route. You can find your evacuation route on the S.C. Department of Transportation website.
▪ After you’ve evacuated, make sure you pay attention to the right sources of information. Check The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette websites, as well as government sources. Your Facebook friends may have only limited information.
Another hurricane preparedness meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Bluffton Police Department, located at 101 Progressive St.
Kasia Kovacs: 843-706-8139, @kasiakovacs
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This story was originally published May 26, 2017 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Hurricane season is coming to the Lowcountry. Are you prepared?."