Local leaders, emergency management groups and media meet Thursday in the Joint Operations Room of the Lowndes County Emergency Center for a discussion of preparation for the upcoming hurricane season.

Hurricane season started June 1 and the Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and National Weather Service (NWS) provided area agency employees with hurricane planning information at the Emergency Operations Center Thursday.

Agency representatives reviewed information about the upcoming season, past hurricane patterns, potential area impacts, along with preparations and operating procedures in the event of an emergency situation.

Some of the agency representatives and staff members that were present included the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, City of Valdosta, Valdosta State University, Moody Air Force Base, American Red Cross, South Georgia Medical Center, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Valdosta Police Department, local media and Lowndes County 911.

“It’s always good for us to get out into the local community to talk about the kinds of things that come along with hurricane season,” said Kelly Godsey, general forecaster for the National Weather Service out of Tallahassee. “Even though it may have been two or three years since we’ve seen a tropical system come through Lowndes County, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen this year.”

Lowndes County, which is approximately 50-70 miles from both the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, is still susceptible to heavy rainfall and wind impact from tropical storm or hurricane spiral rainbands, sometimes 400-500 miles outside the eye of a storm.

While the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale categorizes hurricanes as tropical cyclones with sustained wind speed, at 74 mph and above, tropical storms and tropical depressions can still have a major impact on the area due to excess rain and wind conditions.

Rainfall of six inches or more can cause flooding issues, especially in urban areas, where pavement prevents natural draining. Man-made drainage systems can be inadequate for intense rainfall.

“Six inches of moving rain can immobilize a small car,” said Godsey. “You don’t (want to) be the person who believes their heavy-duty truck can make it through high water levels. You don’t want the police officers to have to fish your vehicle out.”

According to Godsey, significant rainfall that occurs over sub-Saharan Africa contributes to the creation of tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean.

Once a storm becomes a tropical storm, it is given a name. Atlantic Ocean storm names are based on six different alphabetic lists created by the National Hurricane Center.

While hurricane names were originally all female, since 1979, the lists alternate between male and female.

When a major hurricane appears, the name is retired.

“We try to forecast what goes on during hurricane season,” said Godsey. “What we can’t do is tell you where they are going to go.”

The seasonal forecast for this year is an average of 16 tropical storms, nine hurricanes and five major hurricanes, category three or higher, as studied by Colorado State University (CSU) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Current tropical storm information can be found online at www.nhc.noaa.gov and www.srh.noaa.gov/tlh.

 Updates are also available on NOAA-equipped radios and the Weather Channel.

Ashley Tye, Lowndes County EMA director, informed local agency representatives on operating procedures and policies.

He asked that contact information be updated and to review procedures for each member to perform within designated roles. Storm drain systems should be cleaned in advance to eliminate reactionary response in the case of an emergency.

Documentation of prepratory and emergency work should be done in all cases for possible reimbursement.

Local governments should have ordinances against price gouging, curfews set in place to inhibit looting and police workload, registration of building contractors and suspension of certain fees and requirements in the event of a storm.

“I feel good that we’re ready,” said Tye. “Hopefully this will be the last meeting of the year.”

The Lowndes County Emergency Operations Center is located at 250 Douglas St. To contact the Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency, call (229) 671-2790. For more information, or to register for CodeRed, log on to www.lowndescounty.com/.