Massachusetts declares ‘Hurricane Preparedness Week’

Massachusetts Gov Maura Healey declared Hurricane Preparedness Week across the state over the coming days as the first storm of the season moves across the U S With tropical storms becoming more frequent and intense I encourage everyone living in or visiting Massachusetts to use Hurricane Preparedness Week to make the plans necessary to stay safe mentioned Healey Last year s hurricane season was devastating to parts of the southeast and Hurricane Helene demonstrated how hurricanes can have severe impacts far from coastal areas The initiative week will last from July to to emphasize the importance of planning and preparing for hurricanes and tropical systems the state revealed Hurricane season the bulk often impacts the New England region from August to September The Atlantic Hurricane Season lasts from June to Nov each year authorities noted and NOAA forecasters expect this season to see an above-normal range of - named storms Last season totaled The announcement comes just days after the first system of the season Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall in South Carolina The Massachusetts Urgency Management Agency will use the week to bring awareness to practical attempts and informational materials for individuals families business and municipalities on protecting life and property from the threat of the storms the state reported Lt Gov Kim Driscoll warned tropical storms can bring dangerous winds and flooding anywhere from Provincetown to Pittsfield For the initiative MEMA has published online hurricane safety tips and information distributed a multilingual hurricane preparedness toolkits and partnered to display preparedness messaging on digital billboards and buses state representatives mentioned MEMA stated they are also preparing and training for the season including on the online tool to coordinate evacuations locally Hurrevac MEMA Director Dawn Brantley disclosed now is the time to take simple affordable safety efforts Start with what you have create a basic urgency plan that includes everyone s requirements and build an exigency kit using low-cost items you can gather over time Brantley disclosed Being prepared doesn t have to be expensive but it can make all the difference State executives recommend resident prepare by knowing your evacuation zone making an urgency plan on how to communicate evacuate and take shelter building a kit for three to five days without power and staying informed with multiple methods for receiving urgency alerts Information can be received via local notification systems the state s hotline Urgency Alert System NOAA Weather Radio and more guidance listed on mass gov s crisis alert page More information on hurricane preparedness can be determined on MEMA s Hurricane Season Preparedness page A worker sits inside a crane near a large tree down on power lines in Saugus after the remnants of Hurricane Florence swept through in AP Photo Elise Amendola File