Today is the first day of the hurricane season. Local authorities are asking people to put the record-setting 2020 season behind them and get prepared for another busy year.
"Complacency is one of the worst things that a community can experience," said Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Director Joe Valiente. "Be prepared so that we give the call to evacuate, you can do so immediately."
Valiente says the most important thing you can do is stay informed:
"When we do have a storm that's threatening our area, I think it's very, very important that they stay informed, situationally aware, of what's going on with the storm and what the risks and the actual threats are."
Valiente's counterpart in New Orleans, Colin Arnold, says they are preparing for the season much as they did last year: with pandemic precautions still in place.
"We'll use social distancing and N-95 masks, we've got another 2,000 coming in," Arnold said. "That will continue this year, regardless of where we are making strides in the pandemic, which we have."
Arnold says the best way to make sure you are protected from the COVID risk if a hurricane evacuation is ordered is to get vaccinated -- he said where you go for your evacuation might not be as well-protected against COVID as New Orleans.
"You know we're doing a great job here in New Orleans. Some other areas might not be where we are."
