Hurricane prep meeting is May 12

The Port of Morgan City’s Government Emergency and Operations Center will host the area’s 2016 Annual Hurricane Season Preparedness Meeting at 10 a.m. May 12. Hurricane season runs June 1-Nov. 30.
Organizations making presentations at the event include the Port of Morgan City, U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Morgan City, National Weather Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, St. Mary Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and St. Mary Parish Levee District.
Officials will discuss pro-jections for this hurricane season, work the levee district has done to improve levees and the port’s new operations center.
Forecasters are predicting average hurricane activity this season, an increase from the past few years of below average activity.
Duval Arthur, the parish emergency preparedness director, advises residents to start planning now for hurricane season and offers the following tips.
—Keep your car filled up with gas. Have a safe place to visit during the storm. Get some extra cash to bring with you, just in case. Let all your family members know where you are going. Bring important papers with you for your insurance, medication, birth and marriage license.
—Keep an emergency kit ready to go including candles, batteries, flashlights, radio, disposable plates, cups and utensils. It’s always good to have extra garbage bags to store items, keep dirty clothes separate and provide protection from rain. Also, have a roll of toilet paper, first aid kit, extra medicine and prescriptions for refills on hand.
—Keep food items, such as soups, crackers, tuna, chili-mac, Vienna sausage and a few gallons of drinking water.
—If you are staying home you may want to board your windows and store lawn furniture and garbage cans. Make sure you have extra water by filling the bathtub.
—If you have a generator, run it before you need it to make sure it’s functioning properly. Run it outside to avoid inhaling carbon monoxide fumes. Have extra fuel in an approved storage can stored someplace safe.
For more information on preparing for hurricane season, contact Arthur at 337-828-4100, ext. 135 or darthur@stmaryparishla.gov.