June 1st marks the start of the 2020 hurricane season, and the City of Thomasville reminds residents about the importance of hurricane preparedness as the season approaches. Last season saw a record number of eighteen named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. The 2019 season was the fourth consecutive year of above-average storm activity.
“Weather analysts are predicting an above-average and extremely active 2020 season. The projection of an active season combined with the global COVID-19 pandemic may impact your prior family preparedness plans,” said Ricky Zambrano, Public Information Officer. “Experts recommend taking the time now before the busy storm season begins to gather batteries, flashlights, a first aid kit and enough food and water for each person in your family to last at least three days.”
Zambrano also recommends taking the time to be sure your cell phone is charged, and that you have copies of personal documents. “It is also a good idea to be sure you have a good supply of your medications, your vehicle fully fueled and cash on hand.”
Preparing your home and property for the arrival of severe weather is also important. “Take time now before a storm is imminent to look for low hanging limbs or branches that may need to be removed from trees on your property,” said Zambrano. “You do not want to prune trees and shrubs when a storm is near, so take the time now to assess your property and remove anything that may come down in a storm.”
In addition to home preparations for storms, it is important to know how to report outages. “The City of Thomasville uses an outage management system that assists with monitoring and identifying outages in the electric system,” said Zambrano. “The benefit of this system is that a customer’s telephone number is recognized when calling into the system to report an outage. For this reason, it is important that we have a correct telephone number on file for our customers.”
Customers may also use Tville TextAlert to report outages. “Tville TextAlert allows customers to report electric outages and receive updates on outages through text messages on their mobile phone or device,” said Zambrano. “It allows City of Thomasville staff to more quickly pinpoint the locations where outages are occurring. Customers can easily sign up for Tville TextAlert by texting TVILLE to 85700.”
Staying informed through reliable news outlets is also important as storms approach. “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the primary source for official weather watches and warnings. Local news and radio stations are also a good source of up-to-date information,” said Zambrano.
For more information about the Tville TextAlert, or any of the City of Thomasville’s services, call 229-227-7001 or visit thomasville.org.