Hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 1 and although we have had early season storms, tropical storms and hurricanes tend to appear in the last quarter of the season. Do you have your family’s emergency supplies gathered and an emergency plan in place? At the minimum make sure to fill your kit with enough of these essential items to last each person at least three days.

• Food that does not need electricity for storage or preparation
• Manual can opener for food
• At least three gallons of water per person
• Battery-powered/hand-crank radio with weather band and extra batteries
• Written family emergency plan

Visit the Virginia Department of Emergency Management website for more information on emergency preparedness including steps to take to prepare special segments of the population including older citizens, people with disabilities, and pets. Listo Virginia has emergency preparedness information in Spanish as well as other languages.

Several apps are available that make it easier than ever to be prepared for emergencies. The Ready Virginia app has an updated mobile application while the American Red Cross offers multiple mobile applications to help you be prepared for many types of emergencies. Your best defense for weather emergencies is to be prepared before the storm arrives.