It’s never too early to prepare for a possible emergency.
In this case, we’re talking about Hurricane Irma, which continues to churn in the Atlantic, with 180 mile-per-hour winds.
Forecasters now say the storm poses an extreme storm surge threat to the United States and the Bahamas.
Gov. John Carney and officials at the Delaware Emergency Management Agency are monitoring the hurricane, which is expected to make a turn towards the north on Saturday after striking south Florida. It's still unclear if Irma will head north through the central part of Florida or veer east or west and then head north.
Delaware’s Department of Public Health suggests preparing now for possible impacts here next week.
"Things that people always want to consider preparing for in an emergency. It's not just about having enough food and water for several days. It's also about having enough medication; are you on dialysis; are there potential language barriers? People should prepare first and foremost for across the board and not just think about what people think of as basic needs," said DPH Communications Director Emily Knearl.
Knearl also points out that says you should also think about safe drinking water, enough water for everyone in your household for several days. And she says don’t forget about pet safety. And she says you should fill up your gas tank now to be on the safe side.
You can get more information on DPH’s website by logging on to PrepareDE.org.
