Hurricane season began this month, so Poplarville Fire Chief Jason Bannister took a moment to provide tips to Pearl River County residents about being prepared before a hurricane enters the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane season began on June 1, and will last until Nov 30. While there is no threat of a storm as of Tuesday, it’s never too late to prepare.

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Bannister said that when prepping for the season it’s a good idea to have plenty of bottled water, non-perishable food items such as canned food, batteries, a flashlight and a first aid kit on hand.

“What a lot of people do before a storm comes is fill their bathtub full of water, for extra water,” said Bannister.

Other items to think about having include an emergency generator, portable chargers, and a battery-powered radio.

Here are the best ways for Poplarville residents to stay safe in the situation of an upcoming hurricane. Banisters said to be prepared, get what you need early and to stay home as much as you can, unless if there’s an evacuation. Incase of an evacuation residents will be notified through the Pearl Rover County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the Fire Department in this situation work directly under EOC.

“Our plan is basically there plan,” said Bannister.

What the Fire Department and the City of Poplarville has done over the past several years is relaying information to their residents through Facebook. Specifically the Pearl River County office of Emergency Services, the Poplarville Fire Department and the City of Poplarville’s Facebook page. There the community can be kept aware of what they need.

Bannister said if the hurricane gets to where it will be a bad storm, they will go out to residents that will be impacted by the storm. This includes mobile, trailer homes, campers and other housings of that nature. They will inform them of the storms details and advise them to evacuate. The storm shelter on Rodeo Street in Poplarville is a facility residents can utilize during any major weather events which is also handled by the PRC EOC. Always during storms the best source of information is the National Weather Service.

Post hurricane is also important, the damage one can make is extensive and affects a town for several days or weeks. Here’s how resident can recover from a hurricane.

Bannister says the main step to recovery is patients. City Departments can’t help every resident at the same time so it’s going to take time. But if your patient, have your insurance information ready (if you have any damage), and know who to call for getting your property fixed, the process goes by faster. Bannister mentioned with Poplarville being such a small town evaluating the towns damages and people who need help take up to 2-3 hours. Note that during a large stale hurricane it could take weeks before the recovery process even starts.

“Because after a storm, the first step is dealing with emergencies and then after all the emergencies within the city then we start the recovery process,” said Bannister.

Bannisters take away for residents is, don’t wait too late to get out of the city in the case of a hurricane. If you wait to late you might be in traffic in the middle of a storm event and that’s worse than being at home during a storm.

“Don’t wait to late, if you see a storm coming, plan as soon as you see it and know where your going to go early,” Bannister added.