Parts of SW Georgia known as "tornado alley"
ALBANY, GA. -- "It’s not a matter of If something occurs, " said Brenda Greene, Deputy Health Director of Southwest Georgia Public Health. "Things occur. We've experienced it in this district."
As proof, Hurricane Earl has strengthened into a category 4 storm and could make landfall on the U.S. coast by Thursday.
The Southeast has seen its share of wild fall weather, which is one reason September has been designated ‘Emergency Preparedness Month.’
"September 10th is generally the peak of the hurricane season," said Mike Morrison, Chief Meteorologist for FOX 31. "We also see a 2nd peak in our severe weather season with the thunderstorms and tornadoes and such so it can be a pretty active time of year."
"In our part of the country, we are known as tornado alley in some of our counties and our health district and we’ve had significant events in this district related to tornados and flooding," added Greene.
In addition to natural emergencies, the spread of dangerous influenza strains and the dangers of manmade hazards like pesticides are of particular concern during this time of the year.
James Kennedy: The first step to protecting yourself and your family is to make a family disaster kit. It should include items such as flashlights, batteries, canned food, water, and medications. The rule of thumb is to pack enough supplies to survive for two weeks.
And don’t wait for severe weather to strike - be prepared.
"Just make sure you have a plan ahead of time whether it’s for showers and thunderstorms where you have to seek shelter or in the case where we have flooding and you have to evacuate, that you have all the stuff that you need to take with you at a central location," said Morrison.
Finally, communicate your emergency plan to all members of the family and choose a central place to meet in case anyone gets separated.
For more on emergency preparedness, visit: www.ready.gov
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forWFXL