Maryland officials urge preparedness for busy Atlantic hurricane season – The Southern Maryland Chronicle

(The Heart Sq.) – With the Atlantic hurricane season one month in, climate specialists are urging Maryland residents to be ready.

The Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted in its seasonal forecast that six main hurricanes will type out of an estimated 14 to 21 named storms.

Ed McDonough, public info officer for the Maryland Division of Emergency Administration, stated 2022 can be the seventh consecutive 12 months by which the season has been above its historic common.

He preached the need of being ready, saying it solely takes one hit to trigger injury.

“Relying on the place you reside in Maryland, there are two issues to fret about, or two methods we wish folks to be ready,” he informed The Heart Sq..

For residents who dwell alongside the coastal or tidal areas, which embrace the Atlantic coast, Chesapeake Bay, and the decrease Potomac River south of Washington, D.C., the menace is tidal flooding or storm surge. Residents in these areas needs to be cautious of the phenomenon and know their evacuation zone, he stated.

MDEM has a program to assist known as “Know Your Zone,” which could be accessed by knowyourzonemd.com. This enables residents to kind of their tackle to study what zone they dwell in.

“In all of these areas, we now have Zones A, B, and C relying on how critical the flooding is,” he stated. “The explanation we do that’s in order that if native emergency officers wish to have an evacuation, they will merely inform residents in that county or municipality that dwell in Zone A or Zone A and B or Zone A, B and C that they should evacuate, so it simplifies the evacuation message.”

Along with storm surge evacuations, residents needs to be ready for tornadoes and flash flooding, McDonough stated.

“We noticed each of these final 12 months in Maryland from the remnants of Hurricane Ida,” he stated.

Hurricane Ida didn’t even make landfall close to Maryland however slightly on the Gulf Coast. It nonetheless managed to kill one younger man who was caught in his basement when the realm flooded, in response to McDonough.

McDonough stated it’s finest to arrange early. Often, there’s a 30-day ready interval for flood insurance coverage.

Ready till the final minute to fill up on groceries and provides isn’t suggested.

“All people’s doing the identical factor and the grocery retailer cabinets are naked – these are a number of the errors that individuals make,” he stated.

Some gadgets that needs to be included of their emergency kits embrace a three-day provide of meals and water, a primary support equipment, a battery-operated radio, a flashlight with further batteries, a flare, a map of the realm, rest room paper, and any crucial medicines, in response to MDEM’s web site.

McDonough additionally advises folks ought to have at the least two means by which to obtain emergency communications, together with evacuations.

Whereas hurricane season is the present focus, McDonough provides these precautions are relevant to different seasons and catastrophe conditions residents might encounter.