The Department of Public Safety is urging Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to be prepared as we move into peak hurricane season.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre is keeping a close eye on Hurricane Lee which is forecast to pass north of Haiti and the Dominican Republic early next week with peak winds in excess of 200 km/h before it turns northward.

Justice and Public Safety Minister John Hogan says with the devastation caused by Hurricane Fiona last September still fresh in our minds, personal preparedness is critical in an emergency situation.

He says little things that ordinary citizens can do to stay prepared is to ensure that roads, ditches and storm drains are clear of debris. The province has already replaced some 3,200 linear metres of culverts over the last two years. “If that’s laid out end-to-end, it would extend from…St. John’s to Holyrood.”

The province has a website set up to help people prepare in case of emergency and provide important information links if the worst should happen.

The Government of Canada and COD-NL also have helpful links and information for people with disabilities in case of a disaster.