Coast Guard Urges Storm Preparedness

The Coast Guard has made recommendations that all mariners take proper safety precautions throughout the hurricane season. The hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, runs from June 1 to November 30, according to the NOAA. Lt. Samuel Johnson, a search and rescue controller for the Eighth Coast Guard District, said that boaters, commercial or recreational, should heed storm warnings and bring their vessel to safe moorings. Johnson, who coordinates search and rescue operations throughout the Gulf coast, also recommends boaters contact bridge tenders for any deviations to posted schedules due to approaching storms.