ORLANDO, Fla. — Hurricane season may still be more than a month away, but experts say now is the time to get your family prepared.
First Alert Chief Meteorologist Steve Weagle is attending the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, which is being held April 11-14 at the Rosen Centre Hotel.
RELATED: Hurricane Guide
The conference website said more than 1,500 attendees from around the country are in attendance, covering all major aspects of hurricane preparedness, response and recovery.
With supply chain problems and inflation, residents are advised to prepare sooner rather than later.
During the pandemic, thousands of people moved to South Florida.
For some people, it may be their first hurricane season.
WPTV spoke to the Palm Beach County Emergency Management Director Mary Blakeney about what residents need to know as storm season approaches.
She breaks preparation down into the following four steps:
- Make a plan
- Build a hurricane kit
- Be informed
- Get involved with your neighbors
At the expo center, attendees will find everything they need to do to prepare for and recover from a storm.
Forts Services based in Coconut Creek can build temporary structures that can be used for multiple purposes.
Their products were used to help victims of Hurricane Ida, which hit New Orleans last year.
Forts Services' products also assisted victims and rescue workers after the Surfside condo collapse last year.
A team of three people can set up one of their structures in about 15 minutes.
Forecasters at Colorado State University announced last week they are predicting 19 storms this hurricane season, two fewer than last year.
Of those storms, nine are expected to become hurricanes, and four of them will likely be major.
