Get ‘immersed’ at Savannah hurricane expo

June 07--Savannah area residents can get motivated to prepare for hurricane season with a a virtual reality experience called Immersed at the Savannah Area Hurricane Preparedness Expo on Saturday.

This tool, developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its partners, puts users at the center of a flood crisis, allowing them to assess damage in a community and see the benefits of mitigation first-hand. Through simple tasks, users experience a major flood event in a real, personal way.

The Expo is a free educational event with over 35 exhibitors to assist consumers in preparing for hurricane season. To entice racing fans to attend, Nationwide Insurance will have the No. 88 Chevy Cup Car and simulator on display.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, is predicted to be near-normal or above normal, bringing 10-16 named storms, including one to four major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher. Chatham County hasn't been hit by a Category 3 or higher "major" storm in more than a century, but experienced significant flooding and wind damage from the Category 1 and tropical storm force winds of Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017.

The expo, free to the public, offers insurance information, how-to seminars and family preparedness tips. FEMA notes that every $1 spent on mitigation saves a community an average of $4, according to the Multihazard Mitigation Council.

Among the exhibitors will be the Savannah Tree Foundation. Executive Director Joe Thomas will be on site to discuss ways residents can prepare their trees for tropical storm season.

Expo partners include the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, WJCL and the Chatham County Emergency Management Agency.

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