Just 10 months after Hurricane Harvey made landfall in southeast Texas last August, as of June 1, the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season is already underway. However, many Montgomery County residents are still working to recover from the 2017 season.

Colorado State University issued its annual forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and Landfall Strike Probability for 2018 in April, which anticipates a season with “slightly above-average activity,” including predictions for 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

While the predictions are not a certainty, many Montgomery County residents and officials are gearing up for future anticipated flooding as well as pushing for better preparedness and education.

“I think that those who were affected by Hurricane Harvey will definitely be more prepared this year,” said Cynthia Jamieson, public information officer for the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management. “I just hope that in the years to come we continue that momentum, because as we know, whenever there is a disaster, people get complacent and forget what they need to do for hurricane season. [The weather] can be predicted to a certain extent, but there are some things—as we saw with Hurricane Harvey—that we just cannot predict.”

Here are a few ways to be prepared this hurricane season:

Make an emergency supply kit
When putting together an emergency supply kit, residents of Montgomery County should keep in mind food and water needs as well as needs for babies and pets, in addition to communication and first aid supplies. For a list of recommended items to include in your family’s emergency supply kit, click here.

Take a Community Emergency Response Team course
MCOEM offers CERT courses throughout the year, which teach fire safety, minor first aid and triage, and search and rescue protocol. For more information about Montgomery County’s CERT program, click here. To register for an upcoming class, email Morgan Lumbley at [email protected].

Stay connected
Montgomery County residents are encouraged to monitor the MCOEM website, www.mctxoem.org, or its Facebook or Twitter account, @MCOEM, in the event of a disaster for emergency updates.

Residents can also download the Ready MCTX mobile app for free through the Google Play and Apple Store as another source for emergency updates.

Residents can also create a SMART911 profile and opt-in to receive emergency weather notifications from the MCOEM.