NWS emphasizes early planning during Hurricane Preparedness Week

May 5, 2025

Summer Trolli,

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s National Hurricane Preparedness week and the National Weather Service in Wilmington wants to remind you of a few key safety messages.

The start of hurricane season is less than a month away and that’s why now is the time to prepare.

As part of preparedness week, each day has a different safety message focus.

Tuesday’s topics include — prepare before hurricane season, know your zone and storm surge.

Steven Pfaff is the Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC) of the National Weather Service office in Wilmington.

He says the single most important thing you can do is develop a plan ahead of time.

“What are you going to do based on the threats that are approaching. If you live next to an area that is applicable to flood, then floods are going to be a big concern for you. If you live in an area that has a lot of big trees around and it doesn’t take as much wind to knock down trees when the ground is saturated, that can be a concern for you. You have to have a plan…you can’t be scrambling a day or two before the storm arrives,” Pfaff said.

Pfaff adds it is important to get credible information during hurricane season and adhere to any evacuations.

The full hurricane preparedness week schedule is as follows: