Hurricane Season Begins This Weekend - Now's The Time To Get Prepared

South Florida Sun Times

May 29, 2025

This Sunday, June 1st, Marks The Start Of The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Now Is The Time To Get Ready. Reduce Your Stress During An Emergency By Having Your Family’s Plan In Place In Advance. A Hurricane Can Cause Major Disruptions To Your Family, The Power Grid And The Supply Chain. The Best Way To Minimize These And Many Other Problems Is To Be Prepared. Sit Down With Your Family And Determine Essentials Such As How Much Water Your Family Needs, Where You Will Go If You Need To Evacuate And How You Will Stay In Contact With Loved Ones. You Will Also Need To Be Able To Be Self-Sufficient For At Least 7 Days After A Storm Hits Our Area.

To help you prepare, here are some tips from the Florida Department of Health:

Your emergency plan should include: a) All members of your household, b) Special medical conditions, c) When and where to evacuate, d) Special transportation needs, e) Emergency meeting place, f) An out-of-town contact who everyone can call to stay in touch, and g) Pet plan.

Gather emergency supplies: a) A gallon of water per person for 7 days, b) Non-perishable foods such as canned meat, fish, veggies, fruits and nuts, c) Non-electric can opener, disposable plates and utensils, and d) Matches and cooking gel.

Stock up on medical needs: a) 30-day supply of prescription medications from your doctor, b) Over the counter pain reliever, antacids, anti-diarrhea medicine and children’s medicine, c) List of all medications and essential medical devices, d) Physician contact number, and e) Blood type and allergies for all household members.

Assemble a first-aid kit with sterile bandages, cleansing agent, safety pins, gauze pads, scissors, sewing needle, moist towelettes and tape.

Collect essential data in a waterproof container: a) Contact information for property insurer, official emergency agencies, family and friends, b) Credit card and bank information, c) Portable computer storage device with electronic copies of Mortgage, Home Deed, Car Title, etc. d) Instructions for shutting off utilities, and e) Pet health records.

List your major home belongings and back it up with photos.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: 2025 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday – pending State Budget Negotiations

The Annual Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday is currently in limbo as State Legislators continue with state budget negotiations. This annual incentive allows Floridians to stock up on essential disaster preparedness supplies. Please check the Florida Department of Revenue website frequently as they will be updating their website on the status of this year’s tax holiday: https://floridarevenue.com/Pages/SalesTaxHolidays.aspx

Sign Up for "Alert Hollywood" Emergency Notifications:

Alert Hollywood is the City of Hollywood’s Emergency Notification System. Used by many government agencies throughout Florida, Alert Hollywood notifies residents through phone calls, e-mails and/or text messages to mobile phones of an emergency in the community such as a Hurricane Watch or Warning, Flash Flood Warning, Tornado Warning, serious Police situations and other critical incidents.

To register, visit: www.hollywoodfl.org/725/Alert-Hollywood and click on the Alert Hollywood logo to get to the registration page. Register by clicking on the "Sign Up" link located just below the login fields. After you submit your information, you will receive Alert Hollywood notifications whenever an alert is issued. Alerts may be received by phone and/or email address. Severe weather alerts issued by the National Weather Service are automatically issued through the Alert Hollywood system if you elect to receive those notifications.

The Alert Hollywood service is free to the public. Text message fees by your wireless carrier may apply depending on your mobile phone plan.

You are also encouraged to sign up for the City’s Notify Me “News and Announcements” general and emergency messaging tool. Register here: https://hollywoodfl.org/list.aspx

For more information, including Storm Surge and Evacuation Zones, Shelter Information and more, please visit the City’s website at: www.HollywoodFL.org/Hurricane.