While tomorrow, June 1, marks the start of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, the first named storm is already on the map. Subtropical Storm Andrea materialized off the Georgia coast on May 9th. And yes, it is uncommon to have a named storm so early in the year.

Keep track of hurricanes at the National Hurricane Center

Are we in for a busy 2007 hurricane season?

Perhaps, predictions for the 2007 season suggest a very active hurricane season of 17 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 5 intense hurricanes, according to reports gathered by Wikipedia. It’s not suggested that 2007 will be as busy as 2005—most active Atlantic hurricane season in recorded history—but then it only takes one strong storm to do a great deal of damage.

The high number of storms does disrupt the lives of coastal south citizens though. These communities will staying on a heightened level of awareness through the end of year. Governments, organization, businesses and individuals will hopefully have taken the off season to get the necessary emergency plans, equipment and preparedness supplies into place to mitigate damage.

Citizen-level disaster preparendess

As government agencies point out, individual citizens absolutely need to maintain a level of disaster preparedness. The supplemental services provided by government agencies following a disaster are not sufficient enough to address everyone’s needs. And from the example witnessed in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of the city, are you willing to put yourself at the mercy of the government?

It’s not even a matter of mercy, it’s helplessness. Despite any level of government preparation, there is no faster response time than your own. Knowing what to do, where to go and when, and having your own emergency supplies on hand is disaster mitigation second to none.

Keep it simple and start with a few basics

  • Keep a self-contained emergency kit ready to “grab & go”
  • Know where the nearest disaster shelters are
  • Agree on a meeting place for your family members in case you get separated
  • Never let your car’s fuel tank drop below half
  • Never let your prescription medications run low

Believe it or not, if you just take the time to do the above steps, you will be well ahead of the vast majority. Whether you live in the hurricane zone, earthquake territory, tornado alley, below sea level—anywhere on God’s great earth—you should take the time to prepare yourself now.

For a more comprehensive Disaster Supplies Checklist and other emergency preparation information, please ready through Applied Vitals’ Knowledge Base.

by Applied Vitals, a preparedness company