Warm weather travel could put you in the path of a hurricane or other weather

With many families poised for spring and summer travel, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) is helping get travelers ready for hurricane season by highlighting National Hurricane Preparedness Week, May 1-7.

“Our State Climatologist and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have forecast an increase frequency and intensity of natural disasters like hurricanes,” IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau said. “So before your big vacation, find time to prepare for any kind of severe weather. It could save your life.”

With hurricane season spanning from June 1 to Nov. 30, there are several practical ways that Illinoisans can better prepare and plan for hurricanes while traveling. Depending on your travel destination(s), the following steps are helpful to consider:

• Update emergency plans and enhance your preparedness kit supplies

• Subscribe to your vacation destination’s emergency alerts

• Familiarize yourself with multiple evacuation zones for all travel locations

• Keep your cell phone charged for weather warnings and localized emergency alerts

• Know your hurricane risks including inland locations

• Practice cybersecurity by making sure all mobile devices use multifactor authentication

In 2021, IEMA Public Information Officer Kevin Sur was deployed to Hurricane Ida in New York. “Due to flooding, many neighborhoods of New York City were without power,” said Sur. “With power out, many vacationers and visitors did not have a way to receive severe flash flood warnings or contact family and friends via cell phone and let them know they were safe.”

 “Many of these recommendations are helpful for all disasters and plans can be modified in cases of flooding, tornadoes, fires, or other emergencies,” said Tate-Nadeau. “Take time during good weather to be prepared for bad.”