ELKRIDGE, Md. — Hey Marylanders! This is your friendly (and important) reminder that hurricane season is officially underway. It kicked off on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, so now’s the time to get your emergency plans in place before the storms start rolling in.

Last year’s hurricane season was a doozy. Officials say it was the third most expensive on record, thanks to several intense storms, including multiple Category 5 hurricanes. And this year, forecasters are expecting another active one , with 14 to 21 named storms, and up to six major hurricanes.

Prepare ahead of time:

Russ Strickland, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM), put it best:

“Preparedness cannot wait until a storm is approaching—by then, the ability to make some critical decisions

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