The Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1. This year is predicted by the Weather Channel to be active and above average.  

Jackson EMC offers these tips for you and your family to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. 

Start Planning Now. If you haven’t already, make a written storm plan. This plan should include how you’ll keep up with essential information during a storm, like important documents and files. It is important to make a plan with your family so that everyone is involved and prepared.  

Make an emergency storm kit. Create an easily accessible emergency kit that includes items you might need in a storm. Be sure to include items like water, food and medications. For a complete list of items to include in your emergency storm kit, visit jacksonemc.com/storm-center/storm-preparation. 

Protect your home. Depending on  the storm’s severity, your home could be subject to high winds and heavy rainfall. Take precautions such as trimming trees around your house and moving loose items, like outdoor furniture, inside. You should also secure all doors, including garage doors, and plan for a safe location to store your car.   

Know your risk. During hurricane season, these storms can produce floods and tornadoes. Visit weather.gov for more resources on the potential storm threats for your specific area, as well as information on the different hurricane categories and what they mean.   

Stay updated. NOAA weather radios, weather apps, local TV stations and websites like weather.gov are all great resources for receiving weather alerts. Be sure to keep your devices fully charged before storms in your area and have extra batteries or portable chargers accessible to keep these devices on in case of power outages. In addition to following local weather stations, follow Jackson EMC on social media for timely updates. 

Use the MyJacksonEMC mobile app to report outages easily. Outages can also be reported online at outage.jacksonemc.com and via phone by calling 1-800-245-4044.  

For more information on how to prepare for severe weather, visit jacksonemc.com/storm. 

Jackson Electric Membership Corporation, the largest electric cooperative in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation, is headquartered 50 miles northeast of Atlanta in Jefferson, Ga. The cooperative serves more than 246,000 meters on 14,000 miles of energized wire. For more information, visit jacksonemc.com.