September is North Carolina Preparedness Month.

While it’s been a benign hurricane season so far, National Weather Service Meteorologist Ryan Ellis has a reminder for the Triangle.

“It only takes one system to spin up,” he says. “I think the key is going to be where a system, later this season, forms. Those that are coming all the way across the Atlantic, there’s a lot of real estate to cover there and a lot of hostile environment to go through.

“The ones that tend to cause issues in seasons like this are the ones that may form right off the East Coast or maybe in the Gulf of Mexico.”

The remnants of Hurricane Erika have been causing flooding issues across South Carolina, and now Hurricane Fred is the sixth named storm of the season.

Orange County Emergency Management Coordinator Kirby Saunders says that being informed is key during storms and that flooding is our main threat.

“Having a way to be informed of changing conditions such as flooded roadways or water rising in creeks, rivers or streams,” he says, “that’s one of the key things we want to be prepared for.

“We recommend that everyone have a NOAA weather radio. We also have a free program in Orange County called OC Alerts that will inform subscribers of flash-flood warnings or flood warnings in their area.”

You can register for the free alerts from Orange County here.

Saunders says there are precautions you can take to be prepared for a storm to hit.

“We recommend a three-day supply of food and water,” he says. “Include things like a first-aid kit, non-perishable food items, supply of water – recommended one gallon per person per day.

“You may also want to include things such as essentials for pets, if you have pets, [and] any essential medications that you would need.”

Saunders says these preparedness kits can be helpful as we transfer to the winter months as well.

Ellis says during El Nino weather patterns, like we are currently in, activity is much higher in the Pacific Ocean and quiets down in the Atlantic. Regardless, the Atlantic Hurricane season runs through the end of November.

“It’s definitely too early to tell if we could see some remnants of storms,” he says, “but certainly over the next week or two the activity is pretty minimal.”

Governor Pat McCrory has proclaimed September as North Carolina Preparedness Month, encouraging all families across the Tar Heel state to be aware and prepare for all types of emergencies.

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