Speaking Volumes | Are you ready for hurricane season? The library can help

Even as the nation contends with a pandemic, we must also be prepared to face hurricane season, which some forecasters believe will be a busy one this year.

Hurricane season in Florida begins in June and lasts all the way through November. One of the most damaging hurricanes in Florida history was Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 which struck the southeast coast of Florida in August of 1992. Recent hurricanes to also cause a great deal of damage include Irma, Michael, Dorian, and Maria. Florida and other states, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and areas of the Caribbean are still recovering from some of these storms.

Read about recovery efforts in books like “We Fed an Island” by Jose Andres, about the work to provide food relief in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and “After the Storm” by The Washington Post, which evaluates how New Orleans and the Gulf were still recovering 10 years after Hurricane Katrina. These books are available as eBooks.

What are some things you can do to get ready for a storm?

First, sign up for CodeRED emergency weather alerts, which come from government and emergency officials. You will get alerts for your local area, and it also includes evacuation notices, boil water advisories, and hazardous traffic or road conditions. You can opt to receive notifications by phone call, text message, or email.

Also, make certain that you and your family have a plan. Do you know your evacuation level, where the closest shelter to you is, and whether it allows pets? Do you have a hurricane kit in your home and in your car? Have you gathered critical financial, personal, household, and medical information in an easy to access place? You may need to take these with you if you evacuate. If you have special needs and may need help with evacuation, register with the Manatee County Special Needs Registry and you will receive assistance with transportation and sheltering if evacuation orders are issued. For more planning ideas, visit ready.gov/plan.

Putting together a hurricane kit is a very important part of your preparedness. Items to include should be water, flashlight and batteries, canned food, pet food, medications, hygiene items, baby items, and first aid kit; for a full list of hurricane kit supplies, search online for Manatee County Disaster Planning Guide. Pack a “go bag” with these items that you can keep in the car, in case you are not able to make it home before the storm hits.

And, of course, make sure you have a good book! E-books and e-audiobooks can be downloaded digitally and saved to an app, so they can be enjoyed offline in case your Internet goes out.

Speaking Volumes is written by members of the staff at the Manatee County Public Library System. Ericka Dow is the information services supervisor at the Central Library.