Hurricane Spring Training?

That's right! Spring training for baseball is in full swing, but it's not the only "training" going on right now. Just like the ballplayers are practicing and preparing for their regular season, so should residents be getting ready for hurricane season. During the next three months, before the start of hurricane season, there are several things that are already being done. There are also things you should be taking care of, too.

Although June 1st is the official beginning of the annual hurricane season, there are many things being done now. On the "public" or governmental side, local Emergency Operations Centers are busy preparing their plan for the upcoming season. The American Red Cross is also gearing up, ready to move at a moment's notice to aid in disaster relief. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will hopefully be up to the task, after several stumbles in the past few active hurricane seasons.

The 2008 National Hurricane Conference is being held in Orlando, Florida, March 31 - April 4. The purpose of this conference is as follows (from the NHC website): The primary goal of the National Hurricane Conference is to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save lives and property in the United States and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific. In addition, the conference serves as a national forum for federal, state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend new policies to improve Emergency Management.

Also on the calendar, the 2008 Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference is being held in Fort Lauderdale on May 12-16, 2008. This event will have several programs for state, regional, and local agencies in preparing, responding, and recovering from a tropical storm or hurricane strike.

During the months of March and April, all forms of media begin to focus their efforts towards the upcoming season. Newspapers begin working on their hurricane guides. Local television stations are busy updating graphics and preparing for their all-important "Hurricane Special" to be aired just before the season begins. Then in May, along with area radio stations, they start plugging the hurricane information they placed on their websites. Advertisers begin to jockey for positions in the best promotional spots. This is the start of a very productive season for everyone involved with the media monster.

Ok, you might think that you're off the hook until June. Not so fast. There are things outside your home, as well as indoors that need to be taken care of now. Instead of "spring training", you could call this "spring cleaning".

We'll get to that next time. Plan to get down and dirty with hurricane preparation. Go to: http://hubpages.com/hub/Hurricane-Spring-Cleaning

Remember, "Just Say No to Hurricanes"

Copyright © 2008, D. Scott Moore, All rights reserved.