FORT MYERS, Fla. -- With Hurricane Season a little over two weeks away, first responders and local businesses are working make sure the community is prepared. Hurricane preparedness events have taken place to make sure residents have the supplies and information needed to whether any possible storm.
One such hurricane preparedness seminar took place Saturday at the Home Depot in The Forum n Fort Myers. The Fort Myers Fire Department and The Fort Myers Police Department partnered with employees at the Home Depot to answer questions from the public about the best way to reinforce their homes and prevent panic during an emergency.
“I would hope that the people that were here last year for Irma woulds learn that it’s never too early to prepare", said Office Ray Beiner.
Beiner and his fellow officers were out patrolling the roads and enforcing curfew as the city recovered from Hurricane Irma. He and Lieutenant Walter Mitchell saw how quickly people scrambled for necessities due to lack of prior preparation.
“What we saw is a lot of people not prepared so a lot of people were crowding the gas stations trying to get gas once the power went down", Mitchell told Four in Your Corner.
Both men are hoping that people who lived through hurricane Irma will prepare ahead of time this Hurricane season. Part of that preparation means reinforcing the home with impact-proof windows and a generator in the event of a power outage.
One thing first responders say everyone should have on hand is an emergency kit filled with essential items like flashlights, batteries, gloves, goggles, and a first aid kit. These things will help with any immediate needs that pop up until emergency crews can arrive on scene.
Four In Your Corner's Dani Beckstrom held a Q&A to answer viewer questions about hurricane prep. You can view that video here.
