While Illinois is not known for its hurricanes, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency or IEMA wants you to be prepared just in case you travel south. This week marks National Hurricane Preparedness Week and with hurricane season spanning from June 1st-November 30th, it’s important to know what you should do if you find yourself caught in severe weather.  IEMA Spokesperson Kevin Sur says one of the most important things you should do is have your phone charged.

Sur spent time in New York City during Hurricane Ida and said that many vacationers and visitors did not have a way to receive warnings because the city was without power.

Other things you can do include updating emergency plans and enhancing your preparedness kit supplies, subscribing to your vacation destination’s emergency alerts, familiarizing yourself with evacuation zones for all travel locations, knowing your hurricane risks including inland locations, practice cybersecurity making sure all mobile devices use multifactor authentication and check FEMA’s website for more hurricane preparedness information. 

IEMA Director Alicia Tate-Nadeau says to take time during good weather to be prepared for bad.  Find out more by visiting www.ready.illinois.gov.