It’s National Hurricane Preparedness Week. And even though it will draw to a close on May 12th, FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are encouraging everyone—individuals, families, businesses and communities—to ready themselves for for the Atlantic Hurricane Season. It officially starts on June 1st and runs all the way through November.

Like FEMA and NOAA, BOLDplanning knows that hurricanes don’t just affect coastal areas. Torrential rain, high winds and deadly tornadoes can take a devastating toll as storms move inland. Who can forget Hurricane Harvey? This record-setting storm dumped copious amounts of rain (anywhere from 40 to 61 inches) in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. It also triggered widespread flash flooding in parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

As a proven leader in emergency, continuity and mitigation planning who’s headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, BOLDplanning knows a thing or two about extreme weather and the need for preparation. This month marks the eight-year anniversary of the historic Nashville flood, during which over 13 ½ inches of rain fell in just 36 hours, and devastated our city.

With the images from this unprecedented weather event forever etched in our minds, the BOLDplanning team looks for every opportunity to encourage severe weather preparedness. Hurricane Preparedness Week is one of those times.

So, whether your organization is located along the Atlantic coast or 500 miles away, use this time to plan ahead for all that Mother Nature can, and inevitably will, dish out. And don’t stop there. Strive to create a culture of preparedness that extends the whole year through. That’s our number one goal at BOLDplanning, and we want to make it a reality for your public or private sector organization.

Visit us online or call 615.469.5558 to schedule a no-obligation discussion about your organization’s emergency and continuity planning needs. Or, if you are attending the 32nd Annual Governor’s Hurricane Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, next week, stop by and see us in Booth #330.

Also visit ready.gov for severe weather preparedness tips, and download FEMA’s 2018 Hurricane Seasonal Preparedness Digital Toolkit. If the 2018 Atlantic Hurricane Season is anything like last year, you’ll be glad you did.