Your Upcoming trip Could Put You in the Path of a Hurricane or Other Severe Weather

SPRINGFIELD –With many families poised for spring and summer travel, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) is helping get travelers ready for hurricane/severe weather season by enhanced preparedness efforts including hurricane preparedness.

“Our State Climatologist and National Weather Service Meteorologists have all forecasted an increasing number of intense natural disasters like hurricanes and severe weather,” said IEMA-OHS Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau. “So before your big family vacation, find the time to prepare for severe weather as it could save your life.”

With hurricane season spanning from June 1 – November 30, there are several practical ways that Illinoisans can better prepare and plan for hurricanes/severe weather while traveling. Depending on your travel destination(s), the following steps are helpful to consider:

• Update emergency plans and enhance your preparedness kit supplies
• Subscribe to your vacation destination’s emergency alerts
• Familiarize yourself with multiple evacuation zones for all travel locations
• Keep your cell phone charged for weather warnings & localized emergency alerts
• Know your hurricane risks including inland locations
• Share your location with family members so they know where you are
• Frequently check the weather, news, and traffic going to, and at your destination
• Check FEMA’s website for more hurricane preparedness tips

Everyone depends on our cell phones for sending and receiving information. But during an emergency, cell phones have the ability to receive location based timely tornado warnings and/or severe flash flood warnings from the National Weather Service.

Many of these recommendations are helpful for all disasters and plans can be modified in cases of flooding, tornadoes, fires, or other emergencies.