FOLEY — With hurricane season under way, it’s no wonder Foley city officials recently met to review the Forward City’s preparedness plan.

“Each city department has a plan,” Foley Risk Manager Joe Bouzan said in a telephone interview, “and every year, we review.”

“The main focus is to refresh the city staff of their departmental responsibilities associated with a storm, make modifications where needed, and simply to reinstate relationships with other businesses and agencies that we work with during and after a storm event,” Foley City Manager Mike Thompson added in a news release. “We always hope that we won’t have a need to use our emergency plans, but we intend to always be prepared leading into the hurricane season.”

According to Bouzan, that season started last month.

“Hurricane season starts the first of June and runs through November,” he said.

That plan includes a tip that Bouzan said Foley residents should also keep in mind when faced with a hurricane or equally severe weather.

“Residents have to remember that the first 72 hours are on them,” he said.

That means already being prepared for such weather by having an evacuation plan, if necessary. To help with that, evacuation maps are available at Foley City Hall, as are additional pamphlets distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including tips on preparedness for the elderly and those with special needs.

According to FEMA, the first thing to do in advance is to compile kits that consist of emergency items.

“Consider two kits,” FEMA information states. “In one, put everything you will need to stay where you are and make in on your own. The other should be a lightweight, smaller version you can take with you if you have to get away.”

Those kits should include such items as a gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation; a three-day supply of non-perishable food; a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both; First-Aid kit; whistle to signal for help; dust mask; plastic sheeting; duct tape; moist towelettes, garbage bags with plastic ties; wrench or pliers to turn off utilities; can opener for food; lanterns, flashlights or glow sticks; artificial ice; plywood; portable generators; fire extinguishers; smoke detectors; carbon-monoxide detectors; and local maps.

To help ease the financial burden of these and additional items that can be used in a weather emergency, Foley is joining communities across the state this weekend in taking part in Alabama’s inaugural State Sales Tax Holiday for Severe Weather Preparedness Items.

The holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday and runs through midnight Sunday. Within that time, residents can purchase those items without the charge of state sales tax.

However, a news release by Gov. Robert Bentley’s office states that the items must be valued at less than $60, with the exception of generators, which must cost no more than $1,000 each.

“It’d be a good idea for residents to take advantage of that,” Bouzan said of the sales-tax holiday.

Once Foley residents have those items in place, the city risk manager advises them to develop or review their own emergency plan. For additional help in doing so, visit the Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency website at www.co.baldwin.al.us or the Federal Emergency Management Agency website at www.ready.gov.