With National Hurricane Preparedness Week underway and the official start of hurricane season less than a month away, officials with the National Weather Service are encouraging Valley residents to get ready. 

Barry Goldsmith, a warning coordination meteorologist for the NWS, says there are different ways residents can prepare, including:

• ·  Determine your personal hurricane risk by learning what types of wind and water hazards there are where you live
• ·  Make sure to have an evacuation plan 
• ·  Review your insurance policies, particularly if you live in an area that's prone to flooding
• ·  If you're told to evacuate, don't take any chances. 
• ·  If you live in a home that stands on a pure block foundation, make sure it's anchored to withstand at least 100 mph winds. 

“One storm can thread the needle and become one that may be memorable for a year, decade or a generation,” said Goldsmith. “So, we need to prepare this year as we would prepare for any year, no matter what that forecast is.”

For more tips, visit www.noaa.gov.