All eyes across the Gulf Coast were fixed on reports of Tropical Storm Cindy, a storm that developed in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week.

Cindy’s appearance reminded all of us that the hurricane season is upon us and that everyone must pay close attention to the weather.

Cindy is the perfect storm to start the season, provided her relatively benign bite does not lull people into a false sense of security.

Emergency management leaders in our community have broad experience with these storms and thus kicked into a watching and ready status from the moment the first weather forecasts showed the likelihood of a storm developing.

Our area is fortunate to have such professionals keeping watch.

For much of our area, we expect, the storm will manifest itself as just a few days of wet weather as it passes through.

We are lucky if that prediction rings through. As in any rain event, wet weather can make travel difficult as roads can become slick and the opportunity for accidents is increased.

We hope and pray others throughout the Gulf Coast come safely through the storm and the anticipated flash flooding it may bring to some areas.

Cindy is an alert for us all to be prepared for the next storm that heads into the Gulf and threatens life and property.

Such storms can have deadly and devastating results, thus taking them seriously is vital.

If you don’t have a plan for what you and your family will do when severe weather strikes, now would be an excellent time to begin creating such a plan.