Anniversaries. Usually they commemorate a joyous event such as a long time marriage or the date you began your career.

But, anniversaries also denote a time in history most could do without. Take today’s for example; it’s the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the worst storm to hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast since Hurricane Camille.

While not everyone alive today can use Camille as a comparison, everyone will use Katrina as the bar to compare subsequent storms.

That’s because there will be another storm. While we all hope it won’t be for many decades, the possibility exists that it will be sooner rather than later.

Everyone remembers the weeks without power, the long lines for resources such as gas, water and ice and the congested roadways in Picayune due to the increase in population.

But did you remember to prepare for this year’s storm season?

If you are like most people, having these supplies on-hand is not at the top of the to-do list. That is until a storm enters the Gulf of Mexico. At that time people flock to the local retailers and empty the shelves in a mad dash to get as much stuff as they can before everyone else.

When this happens long lines begin forming at gas stations, eventually running out of fuel.

It gets worse when the contra flow is initiated. Not only are retailers scrambling to cater to the needs of locals, but also those who are evacuating from surrounding areas.

Do you have a week’s worth of non-perishable food, water, gasoline and other supplies?

Some other items to have on hand include a generator,

batteries for flashlights and candles for lighting the house at night. For entertainment purposes it might be good to have books and board games.

Fortunately there are no storms threatening our area at this time, but several weeks remain in the hurricane season so start preparing now.