As houses were boarded and shops closed, Jessica Johnston kissed her husband goodbye and left their home behind for higher ground before Hurricane Gustav made landfall in Louisiana last year.But even with the University law school graduate’s recent experience, she said stocking up on this year’s hurricane supplies didn’t cross her mind during the hurricane supply tax free holiday last weekend.The number of forecasted storms is slightly below average for this season, which began Monday. But climatologists say it should still be a busy time in the Atlantic Ocean, worrying public officials about the community’s preparedness.The East Baton Rouge Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness is sending a message to the community to prepare for the worst, and incentives from the state include a hurricane supply tax-free weekend to encourage residents to stock up on necessary items.”We want to encourage the public that they have a personal responsibility to be ready,” said JonAnne Moreau director of the EBR Office of Emergency Preparedness.The seasonal forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting between nine and 14 named storms, four to seven hurricanes and one to three major hurricanes — category three or higher, Louisiana State climatologist Barry Keim said. This year is predicted to be a return to an average season after the last two years of highly active hurricane seasons, Keim said.University climatologist and WAFB chief meteorologist Jay Grymes said the lower predictions are not a reason to think this year will be a quiet season. Benchmark hurricanes in Louisiana including hurricanes Betsy and Andrew occurred in years with storm counts below average, he said.”Storm counts don’t tell us anything about our threats,” Grymes said. “Look at the last eight years … already the most active decade in the history of Louisiana.”THE CITY’S PREPAREDNESSMoreau said the preparation for a hurricane is extensive with the Emergency Preparedness Office working with more than 60 agencies throughout the year to be ready to respond to hurricanes. This year the office plans to back up their building’s power more efficiently with generators, Moreau said. Her office, which houses the 911 center, lost power after Gustav.The City-Parish Department of Public Works has already begun preliminary plans for hurricane season. The division responsible for cleaning up trees and debris after a hurricane has checked all equipment to ensure every machine is ready for a disaster, officials said.But most of the responsibility before a storm is up to homeowners, Public Works Superintendent Randy Harris said. Residents should check to ensure trees near power lines and roofs are stable, he said.Other residents are also concerned that the community is not stocking up properly for a storm. The annual state tax break on hurricane items including portable radios, flashlights, candles, tarps, gas tanks and generators issued by the Louisiana Department of Revenue was noted as unsuccessful in reaching the public by a few stores.At Ace Hardware on Millerville Road, the busiest sales occur on the weekend, but only two customers took advantage of the tax-free holiday, said manager Hank Huetas.”People don’t [prepare] until they have to,” Huetas said.Winn Dixie on Burbank Drive was no different, according to a worker who was at the store all weekend.The sales worker could not reveal his name because of company policies but said the store did not sell many of the hurricane supplies in stock.But one Walmart worker on College Drive said dozens of Baton Rouge residents used the sale and the most popular items sold were flashlights, fans and ice chests.A group of public officials from both Louisiana and Mississippi met May 26 to discuss plans to improve both states’ preparedness after learning from mistakes made before and after Hurricane Gustav made landfall, Louisiana State Police Sgt. Markus Smith said.Preparations to improve contraflow if Louisiana is in a hurricane’s path were planned in a meeting with the State Department of Public Safety, Smith said. THE UNIVERSITY’S PREPAREDNESSThe University’s Emergency Operations Center monitors the National Weather Service and receives any kind of alert if there is a change in weather during hurricane season, EOC Director D’Ann Morris said.The EOC coordinates support with external agencies and internal LSU departments for medical triage, staging and medical special needs sheltering, Morris said. The University also provides medical relief to the state with both the medical special needs shelter in the PMAC and the federal medical station in the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse.The EOC works closely with Residential Life and Facility Services in preparation for a hurricane, Morris said.”[We’ve used] the same plan for the last 15 years,” said Waller. “It worked very well during Gustav.” About 72 hours before the storm, the University will begin preparing each department and the staff, Director of ResLife Steve Waller said. The students will be informed and given instructions if they need to evacuate, he said.”You prepare for everything you can, [and] then you go with the flow,” Morris said.—-Contact Joy Lukachick at [email protected]