LAKE MARY, Fla. — June 1 marks the start of hurricane season and emergency management officials are teaching people what they need to know in case a storm comes.

Seminole County residents attended the second annual Hurricane Action Day, hosted by the Office of Emergency Management. The workshop focused on how to develop a plan, staying informed during a storm, creating supply and first aid kits, and connecting people with organizations who can help them during the aftermath.

“We want people to be prepared, not scared,” said Alan Harris, the county’s emergency manager.

Harris says the earlier people prepare, the better. You should check your insurance and figure out a recovery plan just in case. Search if you are in an evacuation zone and find your nearest shelter, and create disaster kits with food, water, medicine, and other general supplies.

He says his team has been preparing, too. Hurricane season doesn't end until November 30.

“Over these last couple weeks, we’ve been doing a lot of disaster preparedness,” said Harris. “We put on an exercise with over 100 participants, over 650 injects, real types of calls coming into the emergency operations center.”

Harris says even though it’s the start of hurricane season, disasters can happen at any time.

“We just had a tornado a few months ago, even these afternoon thunder showers can spawn a tornado so having a preparedness plan, getting a kit together is very important regardless of the disaster,” he said.

Bill Rutherford says he has lived in Florida for 20 years and participated in the workshop. He keeps an emergency kit at home.

“Safety more than anything else, being prepared,” he says. “Understand that it’s not just the wind, it’s the water.”

Spectrum News created a complete guide to Storm Season 2025, which you can read here.