Hurricane season is practically here! Officials with the city of New Orleans hope we will have a dull summer and autumn.
The good news -- this season is expected to be pretty much near normal levels for tropical activity. The bad news -- so was last year, and try telling that to anyone in the paths of hurricanes Michael or Florence.
"We know that it only takes one storm so we must prepare all times of the year," said New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness director Colin Arnold. "Make preparations now."
Arnold said residents need to be prepared for two scenarios -- evacuation, or, if the storm isn't forecast to be a major hurricane, shelter in place.
"Make an evacuation plan that includes all of your family's potential special needs and pets," he said. "Gather emergency supplies -- if it's an evacuation, we call it a 'go-bag,' if it's a shelter-in-place, we call it a 'home kit.'"
Click here for recommendations on what to include in your go-bag or home kit.https://ready.nola.gov/plan/hurricane/#shelter
Of course, it doesn't take a hurricane to challenge the city's drainage. Sewerage and Water Board director Ghassan Korban said 116 out of 120 pumps are online with repairs underway on four of them.
"We've never been as ready as ever," said Korban, who said they can generate the power needed to power those pumps when necessary.
The city this year is changing how it handles evacuees who need a ride out of town. RTA buses will continue to pick people up at the 17 "evacuspots," but will now take them to the Smoothie King Center, instead of Union Passenger Terminal. https://wwl.radio.com/articles/new-orleans-city-assisted-evacuation-plan-changes
"This change to the Smoothie King Center will quadruple the number of evacuees that we can process at one time," said Arnold.
The city has not called for a mandatory evacuation since 2008's Hurricane Gustav, the first and only time the city-assisted evacuation plan was enacted.