While hurricane season officially began last Friday, it didn’t stop two named storms from appearing in the Atlantic ahead of schedule. Tropical storms Alberto and Beryl emerged before the formal June 1 start of the season, and according to State Climatologist Barry Keim, pre-season storms haven’t occurred since 1908. However, this activity doesn’t indicate a rough tropical year. “We’re off to a very rapid start, but that still doesn’t mean we’ll have a real active season,” Keim explained. “All the indicators suggest it’s going to be a near-normal season.” Last season saw 18 named storms – an above average number according to Keim. But few actually struck the U.S. coast, creating the perception of a lighter season, he said.   “We had very few landfalls in the United States,” Keim said. “We didn’t pay much attention to the season because we weren’t getting hammered by these things.” Seven hurricanes occurred during the 2011 Atlantic hurricane season, four of them at a strength of Category 3 or higher, according to the National Hurricane Center. Only hurricane Irene made landfall in the U.S. Keim said the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts nine to 15 named storms, while Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project predicts 10 to 12. Louisiana prepared for potential threats with Louisiana Hurricane Preparedness Week, which coincides with National Hurricane Preparedness Week. May 27 through June 2 served as time to prepare residents for potential storm threats through informative messages. The week offered a sales tax holiday from May 26 and 27 and waved taxes on storm supplies. As one of two National Weather Service qualified Storm Ready Communities in Louisiana, Baton Rouge witnessed opportunities for preparations. Despite the early emergence of storms, Will White, an emergency preparedness specialist for the Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said the city should be equipped and organized for any surprises. “We’re always planning at any point in time – whether we see named storms or not,” he said. “We’re going to be as ready as we can in working toward that.”  White explained that in order to keep Baton Rouge’s certification as a Storm Ready Community, the city must meet certain criteria, primarily public training. “We have that training at least once a year, and we also visit with the National Weather Service,” he said. “We go to their headquarters, they come to ours, and we keep an open dialogue with them.” For Hurricane Preparedness Week, MOHSEP met with its department heads, MOSHEP’s emergency operation center response agencies, the National Weather Service and local meteorologists to discuss predictions for the hurricane season and up-to-date preparations for potential storm threats.  “We advised all of our agencies to look at their contingency plans,” White explained. “Should they have a large number of people affected by the hurricane, they need to make sure they have the resources to pull together.” These preparations ensure if members of an agency can’t complete their tasks during an emergency, a backup plan is in place to fix these issues, White said.
He also explained a key part of preparation is guaranteeing the safety of MOHSEP workers’ families.
“When an emergency hits, we all have to come here, and we’re away from our families,” he said. “One of the things we do is prepare our families as best as we can by having things like an emergency supply kit and making sure we have a plan.” MOHSEP will continue preparing throughout the season with events, such as a summer eduction program to teach children about emergencies and Red Stick Ready Day on June 16. “All of the people we work with during an actual event will be at booths throughout the Mall [of Louisiana],” White said. “We reinforce planning – we want people to think about planning for their families and loved ones.” 
 
____ Contact Austen Krantz at [email protected]