2024 was a rough year for North Carolina. Tropical Cyclone Eight brought flooding to the coast in September. Then Hurricane Helene destroyed many parts of western North Carolina later that month. It was the worst storm in the state’s history.

Hurricane season is quickly approaching. It starts on June 1st and ends on November 30th. The time to prepare is now.

What can you do to prepare in case a hurricane, a tropical storm, or any type of bad weather hits your area this year?

Build a kit. It might be a backpack that you can grab or a box that you keep in your pantry or your garage. What might you put in your kit? Some items are food that does not spoil, bottled water, a flashlight with batteries, a portable battery pack, a cord to charge your cell phone, a change of clothes, and a list of important phone numbers and your prescriptions. Think about what you would need to survive for three to seven days. Put what you would need in your kit.

What else can you do? Talk to your family, your friends and your natural supports. If you need to evacuate, who will help you go somewhere safe? Will your family take you somewhere safe? Or will you need a friend or a neighbor to give you a ride? Do you need to use a wheelchair-accessible vehicle? Do you need to bring a battery to charge your wheelchair? Do you need a refrigerator or a cooler for your medicine?

Asking these questions now and finding the answers now will help you in case a hurricane or a tropical storm hits the area where you live. Don’t find yourself unprepared in the middle of a flood or a long-lasting power outage.

See this list to sign up to receive weather alerts for your county on your phone: https://www.ncdps.gov/our-organization/emergency-management/county-emergency-management-agencies

Go to the ReadyNC website for more information to help you always be prepared for the next storm that hits: https://www.readync.gov/

Posted May 29, 2025