Louisiana residents have suffered their share of hurricane tragedy.Some of us who grew up in Louisiana probably heard “Betsy” and “Camille” from grandparents more than we heard our own names.But we hadn’t seen the storms our grandparents or even parents had, and it was easy to hold up the “it won’t happen to me” mentality.Now we’ve been through Katrina and even Gustav, but some residents still seem to think “it won’t happen to them.”And that’s a quick ticket to a worst case scenario.The National Weather Service projects this hurricane season to be less active than the last couple years, but that’s no reason to shrug off preparing for the worst.This season is still projected to be “average” — and even if it wasn’t, why go into even a less active hurricane season unprepared?Dealing with yearly hurricanes is an unfortunate by-product of life in Louisiana. Hurricane season lasts half the year.We know they’re coming. Why not be ready?Obviously, not everyone is going into hurricane season unprepared.Some people have already trimmed potentially hazardous trees and taken advantage of the tax-free weekend for hurricane supplies.This preparation doesn’t mean they’re invincible, but it does mean they’ll be braving potential storms more safely and comfortably.And maybe some residents will stock up on radios, water, generators and flash lights and trim their trees and board their houses and will have little to no damage and no need for the supplies they’ve bought.But it doesn’t hurt to trim a tree, and the unused supplies can just wait for the next hurricane season or emergency — there will be one.These are the supplies we rely on when all else — particularly electricity — fails. They’ll be fine in a closet or garage for six months.The local government provided things like hurricane supply tax-free weekends and easy-to-find advice — and it’s done so for a reason.Because as much as some people may be prepared and eventually have nothing to worry about, think of the opposite — someone completely unprepared who receives the worst.That story ends a lot worse than a closet full of useful supplies and a trimmed tree.—-Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]