BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD)- Forecasters expect to see an above-average hurricane season. The NOAA is expecting 15 to 21 named storms.
At Brookstown Hardware in Baton Rouge, shelves of emergency supplies are being cleared out.
“We usually carry 10 to 15 generators, right now we only have one,” said Brooke at Brookstown.
As of Friday, the store is sold out of emergency kits and face masks, but Brooke said it’s never too late to prepare.
“Some of the essentials are batteries, flashlights, a tarp — if you already have a leak in your roof you want to have that in stock,” she said.
The Coast Guard is pushing locals to start taking precautions now before heavy rain arrives in Baton Rouge in the coming weeks.
“Make sure your family is prepared and you have an evacuation plan in place,” said Savanna Vandehei.
The Coast Guard provides the following preparedness tips:
- Stay off the water. Hurricanes and tropical storms can be deadly and our ability to conduct rescues can be diminished or non-existent at the height of a storm. Be prepared, stay informed and heed storm warnings.
- Be prepared. Owners of large boats are urged to move their vessels to inland marinas where they will be less vulnerable to breaking free of their moorings or to sustaining damage. Mooring lines should be doubled in case of high winds. Boats that can be trailered should be pulled from the water and stored in a place that is not prone to flooding. Those who are leaving their boats in the water are reminded to remove EPIRBs and to secure life rings, life jackets, and small boats. These items, if not properly secured, can break free and require valuable search and rescue resources to be diverted and may put first responders in harm’s way to ensure people are not in distress.
- Evacuate as necessary. If mandatory evacuations are set for an area, the public should evacuate without delay. Coast Guard personnel and other emergency responders may not be able rescue those in danger during the storm.
- Stay informed. The public should monitor the progress and strength of the storm through local television, radio, and the Internet. Boaters can monitor its progress on VHF radio channel 16. Information can also be obtained on small craft advisories and warnings on VHF radio channel 16.
Updates on the tropics are available here.
