The hurricane season is now among us and from past experiences we know all too well that they can come fast and furious, leaving a trail of disaster behind. It would be horrible for us to lose property but the most important thing is to not lose a life.

The Ad Council and New York City Office of Emergency Management’s Know Your Zone campaign wants to encourage New Yorkers to prepare for the start of the Atlantic Hurricane Season on June 1st and know their evacuation plan. Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 25-31st) is just the beginning, we need to be prepared at a moment’s notice.

• Free Resources available on www.nyc.gov/knowyourzone

Know Your Zone has information about the six hurricane evacuation zones, the hazards you may face from a hurricane and what to do to prepare.

• Know if you live or work in one of NYC’s six hurricane evacuation zones.

  These zones are ranked by their danger of flooding from storm surge (with Zone 1 being the most likely to flood). In the event of a hurricane or coastal storm, residents in these zones may be ordered to evacuate.

• Follow steps to prepare for Hurricane Season:

1.  Use NYC’s Hurricane Evacuation Zone Finder or call 311 to find out whether your home or business is located in a hurricane evacuation zone.
2. Understand hurricane hazards and the steps you can take to prepare.
3. Sign up for Notify NYC (https://a858-nycnotify.nyc.gov/notifynyc/). Get the latest emergency information via text, phone, email, fax, Twitter (@NotifyNYC), BlackBerry Messenger, and instant messenger.

• Share the Ready New York Hurricane Guide:

  The guide contains instructions on how to develop a hurricane disaster plan and secure your home before a storm as well as a map of New York City hurricane evacuation zones. http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/ready/hurricane_guide.shtml

• Spread the word and Send a Tweet or post on Facebook:

Live in NYC? Do you know your hurricane evacuation zones? Be prepared and #knowyourzone. www.NYC.gov/knowyourzone http://bit.ly/1nPC9li