PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — One of Florida's fastest growing cities is hoping to help residents get prepared for hurricane season.
On Saturday, July 9, the City of Port St. Lucie will host its 16th annual hurricane expo at the Mid Florida Event Center.
The event will run from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and is free to attend.
"We've had over 20,000 people move into the city, so just looking at statistics, we can assume greater than 50% of them are from out of area and probably have never experienced a storm before," said Billy Weinshank, Emergency Management Division Director.
Weinshank said Port St. Lucie has not experienced a major storm in years.
Hurricane Dorian skimmed the Treasure Coast in 2019. Hurricane Irma was back in 2017.
At the expo on July 9, there will be over 30 vendors to help residents prepare for extreme weather situations.
Exhibits will focus on storm shutters, tree and lawn maintenance, generators, water damage, and insurance.
WPTV First Alert Meteorologist James Wieland will also be presenting.
The expo was originally scheduled for Saturday, June 4, but was postponed due to an approaching tropical system that was expected to bring heavy wind and rain to the Treasure Coast.
"Know if you live in a flood zone, if you don't live in a flood zone," said Weinshank. "If you do, do you need to evacuate and at what point do you need to evacuate? If you do, where are you going? It's important."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-average active hurricane season this year.
Hurricane season runs from June 1 until Nov. 1.
