BEAUMONT, Texas — With hurricane season a little more than a month away, experts said it is never to early to prepare for severe weather and to be ready for the worst.
Hurricane season begins on June 1, 2022, and Southeast Texans know just how devastating severe weather can be.
Area residents are highly encouraged to get prepared during the Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday. The holiday runs from April 23 to April 25 and during it, emergency supplies in Texas are tax free.
Southeast Texas store managers said they have seen a great deal of people buying emergency items this weekend. Managers said items such as flashlights, batteries and generators are all temporarily tax free.
"I think the tax here is $8.25 or $8.75, but you know you're saving almost 10% on an item, so, I mean, that's a little bit of money left in your pocket, ” Tommy Jacks, store manager at M&D supply, said
Experts are predicting that the 2022 hurricane season will be more active than normal.
"We hope to God that we don't have any situations this year, but this is Texas, so it's always better to be prepared,” Jacks said.
Jacks is a Texas native. He said he knows how unpredictable weather can be and feels like it is never to early to prepare.
"It's always better to be prepared because if you get into a bad situation, especially an emergency situation, and you don't have something you need, then it becomes even more dire,” Jacks said.
The manager believes the holiday could not have come at a better time.
"I think the time is perfect for that, just simply put, because it is right before hurricane season, and it gives everybody the opportunity to see what they have and make those plans accordingly for the future," Jacks said.
Jacks feels that even those who did not plan on buying anything this weekend can still benefit. He feels it is a great time to check emergency supplies at home and get a checklist going.
"I actually bought batteries and everything this weekend just to stock up on some stuff I didn't have," Jacks said.
At a recent disater expo at Ford Arena, more than 60 organizations shared information on how to have a plan in place if a disaster strikes.
"Make those plans. Rehearse your plans. So if something happens, you're ready to react because training overrides panic” Kenneth Luce, advanced medical response expert, said.
Tax free weekend runs through Monday, April 25, 2022.