National Preparedness Month highlights need to prepare as hurricane season peaks

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — With Edouard making landfall and hurricane season peaking, emergency preparedness remains a key focus for communities in the path of severe weather.

September is National Preparedness Month, a reminder to take simple steps before a hurricane or other natural disaster strikes.

Allstate’s National Catastrophe Team recommends a five-step action plan to help families prepare. That includes creating an emergency plan and assembling a disaster kit with first-aid supplies, food, water and medications.

Andrea Bessling, a claims field director with Allstate’s National Catastrophe Team, said another important step can be done using something many people carry every day: their phone.

“Take an inventory of your property. This can be done simply; we just use our iPhone, turn that video on, and walk around our property. Upload that to the cloud, and if you ever need to have a claim, it’s going to make that process much simpler,” said Bessling.

In the Cape Fear region, the Harrelson Center is home to the New Hanover Disaster Coalition Command Center, a new emergency operations facility designed to improve coordination and response following hurricanes and other major disasters.

As hurricane season continues, officials encourage residents to prepare now rather than wait until a storm threatens the area.