May 31, 2009 3:18 pm US/Eastern
Hurricane Season Begins Monday
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season begins in just a few hours and so far, nothing major is brewing.
CBS
The 2009 Atlantic hurricane season begins in just a few hours and so far, nothing major is brewing.
Meteorologist Tim Williams reports Maryland is preparing for the season ahead.
Hurricanes Isabel, Katrina and Rita all affected Maryland and the East Coast even in their weaker forms. Now as the 2009 hurricane season gets underway, disaster preps are being made across the country.
"This is the State Emergency Operations Center and what we're charged with is coordinating all the state resources to any type of large-scale emergency that would occur within the state of Maryland," said MEMA Executive Director Richard Muth.
At Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), crisis teams are no strangers to severe weather.
"Every family needs to be able to survive for three days on their own," said Governor Martin O'Malley.
Seen here during Tropical Storm Hanna last summer, state and county decisionmakers gather to monitor current data and the latest developments. This year, they'd like people to learn from recent history.
"When Isabel hit, it was really downgraded to a tropical storm, but caused much, much damage, so we want people to understand that it doesn't really matter what the category of a storm is, they really need to pay attention to it. And a tropical storm can be just as dangerous as a full-blown hurricane," Muth said.
MEMA has four levels of readiness and they stand at level one 24 hours a day, even without an ongoing emergency. The agency says it's not enough for them to be prepared, the public has to do their part as well.
BGE officials agree.
"You want to have non-perishable foods, a first aid kit, and there are a number of other items you can find out about on our
website and we encourage our customers to do that," said BGE Spokesperson Linda Foy.
Hurricane season ends November 30.
Visit
MEMA,
FEMA and
www.ready.gov for more information.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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