Tampa, Florida Hurricane Preparation

We have visited Tampa, Florida several times and each time have been amazed at the forcefulness of its summer storms. Loud, booming thunder storms with accompanied by fearfully dark clouds brightened only by the piercing flash of lightening. Storms in Tampa can seem frequent and fierce to visitors but for locals the real storms to be concerned about are hurricanes. When hurricanes make landing on the west coast of Florida, Tampa stands to suffer property damage and the potential for the loss of human life. It is no wonder that in Tampa, Florida, hurricane preparation is a serious community wide activity.

City of Tampa Takes a Stand.

The local Emergency Management Office of the City of Tampa has rallied its personnel to prepare a very thorough and well organized web site containing helpful and timely information for all of its residents regarding preparation for an approaching hurricane. Certainly influenced by the disaster within a disaster of Hurricane Katrina, the city government Tampa, Florida has determined to take hurricanes seriously and to education the entire population of the city through an awareness program called "Get Ready Tampa" this program reminds citizens of the potential for disaster based on their geography and the steps to take before, during and after a hurricane to minimize hurricane damage.

Officials in the Tampa Emergency Management Office have broken down their program into three parts 1. Making a "Go Bag" , 2 . Preparing a Disaster Survival Kit and 3. Preparing a household Survival Plan.

What's in a "Go Bag".

It's pretty obvious that for Tampa residents a "Go Bag" is something that they will want to haver ready to take with them should they be asked to evacuate their homes before or during a hurricane. As hurricanes are known to move quickly and unpredictably up and down coastal waters, Tampa residents may find that there is little or no time to consider what they really need to bring with them in the midst of a storm. For this reason the Emergency Management Office of the City of Tampa, Florida strongly suggests making up a "go bag' in advance of the landing of a hurricane.