As I sit here starting my day in sunny North Carolina, my mind and thoughts are on all my Tampa brothers and sisters. I have special connections to Tampa. First, USSOCOM Headquaters is location at MacDill AFB in Tampa. I spent over 30 years in US Army under the umbrella of USSOCOM. Many past and present friends, comrades, etc. are in Tampa. Secondly, our Corporate Office is in Tampa! I just want to tell everyone to be safe.

Preparing for Natural Disasters

One of the biggest lessons learned I have learned from large storm systems such as hurricanes is that you must be proactive! Hurricanes are just about the only storm that can be predicted and prepared for well ahead of the potential natural disaster. Most major hurricanes are tracked for days prior to impacted the United States. One of the major flaws in the government (local, state, and federal) is that we are always reactive to preparing for, mitigating the impact, and follow-up recovery efforts. I have seen this getting better over the last decade or so. I truly feel that Hurricane Katrina (LA) was a major wake-up call for all levels of government. With that said, do not rely on your government. You must prepare, rehearse, adjust plan, and stay alert to ensure the safety of yourself, family, and friends.

Recommended Information

There are many websites available for information on preparing for hurricanes. Information is at everyone’s finger tips. One of the websites I have utilizing for Hurricane Ian is the National Hurricane Center HURRICANE IAN (noaa.gov). There also numerous Facebook Pages that are vital to follow. I will not list them all but if you’re familiar with social media, searching for such sites is easy. Another good website to utilize is www.ready.gov.

To all my family, friends, and followers…Be safe, be prepared, rehearse, adjust, and be alert!!! Ol’Salty Out.