By Staff
Keep up hurricane preparations
One year ago this week, Hurricane Katrina unleashed her wrath on the gulf coast - and the aftermath completely overwhelmed the emergency services systems for Louisiana and Mississippi.
Even Alabama, which was lucky not to have seen nearly the damage that the other states experienced, still has areas that have not been cleaned up or repaired since the hurricane hit the coast.
This hurricane season, we are lucky not to have seen the kind of storms that overwhelmed us last year.
But that doesn't mean hurricane season is over. We're actually entering the peak time for hurricane season.
A storm named Ernesto is churning closer and closer to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
It's too early to tell how strong it will be and what path it will take, but there is always a chance that it could affect our area.
And it's another reminder that we need to be prepared for hurricane season.
Get your family's emergency kit in order - water, nonperishable food, battery-operated radios and flashlights, batteries, First Aid supplies.
Make sure your family has a plan for where to go in the event of a storm, especially if you live in a low-lying area or in a mobile home.
The best thing about a hurricane is that it gives all of us time to prepare - days, in most cases.
And after we saw what happened with Katrina and other storms, we have no excuse for not working hard to be prepared for the next one that hits.