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PLEASANTVILLE - Officials from the several agencies are trying to get the word out about how important it is to be prepared for the next natural disaster.
On June 30th, South Jersey and many parts of the east coast were slammed by what we now know as a Derecho.
Nobody saw the storm coming and many were unprepared.
Residents were without power and some had no water for days causing them to line up at distribution points throughout the area.
Now officials from several agencies are teaming up to get the word out about being prepared for the unexpected.
"We're probably going to have another event in the near future. We are only in the middle of the summer, there could be a weather event in the winter, so be prepared and know what to do in case there is something that happens," Atlantic City Electric regional president Vince Maione said.
One of the ways you can prepare is to have an emergency kit ready to go for your whole family.
Officials say you should have flashlights, radios, batteries, non perishable foods, and bottled water.
"If you wait for the event to happen it's going to be too late, so if you can prepare ahead of time and know what you need to do then people will be more... at least be able to withstand what the possible ramifications of a long duration outage," Maione added.
Its not only emergency kits that you want to have ready before disaster strikes, but also insurance and the right kind.
"Flood insurance is an issued policy up to 30 days after you make the original premium. Flood insurance is a priority. Everyone in Cape May County should have flood insurance on their property because home owners does not cover floods," Allen Davis of Farmers Insurance said.
Meteorologists are predicting a near normal hurricane season this year with up to 15 named storms.
But officials in Atlantic county want you and your family to be prepared. The office of emergency management has set up a website readyatlantic.org
There you can find more information about how to prepare you and your family for a natural disaster.
Atlantic City Electric says they will invest $140 million this year alone upgrading their infrastructure and continue with emergency drills on a regular basis.
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