POLK COUNTY, Fla. – The Atlantic hurricane season is underway and thankfully, there’s no immediate sign of anything tropical cooking across the basin. However, Floridians are no stranger to how quickly this could change so having a plan in place before the first storm forms is the best course to take.

Polk County emergency management officials kick off their hurricane preparedness expo Tuesday in the Davenport area to better equip their folks for what may lie ahead.

The expo is organized by the Northeast Polk Chamber and sponsored by Duke Energy, with support from Polk County Public Safety and Emergency Management Teams. These individual teams will also have a presence at the expo to help answer any questions or concerns you may have.

The event begins at 5 p.m. this afternoon, and the first 50 guests to arrive will receive a FREE bucket of hurricane supplies courtesy of the many organizations sponsoring the event.

I will have the luxury of speaking as a member of their pre-selected panel, to discuss in greater detail a bit of the ins and outs of the hurricane season as well as what we’re expecting could play out as time rolls on.

Other special guests include Duke Energy, the Polk County Emergency Operations Center, Polk County Sheriff’s Office, as well as a member of the electronics engineering team with the hurricane hunters.

Some of the things you’ll find at the expo include:

• Expert guidance

• Resource booths

• Safety demonstrations

• Supplies and giveaways

• Free preparedness swag

Beginning at 5 p.m., it’s highly encouraged residents of Polk County come out. If you have some spare time later on this afternoon and Haines City/Davenport isn’t a far drive for you, you’re also more than welcome to join us for a plethora of quality information surrounding the hurricane season.

The expo itself is being hosted at the Tom Fellows Community Center.

This expo is geared toward giving you the tools and any additional knowledge you may need to be as prepared as can be for whatever tries to head our way throughout this hurricane season, and even those thereafter.

I look forward to bringing you all content and coverage of the event, as well as providing some valuable insight on how to better weather the season ahead especially when disaster may attempt to approach our beautiful Sunshine State of Florida.