With a potential hurricane on the horizon, Police Chief Brian Levesque and the Dartmouth Police Department are encouraging residents to take a series of precautions. These include:

Know your evacuation zone

Massachusetts has designated hurricane evacuation zones, designated as Zone A, Zone B, and Zone C, for areas of the state at risk for storm surge flooding associated with tropical storms or hurricanes.

If evacuations are necessary because of a tropical storm or hurricane, local or state officials will notify people living, working or vacationing in evacuation zones to leave the area. Even areas not directly along a coastline may be at risk for storm surge flooding during a tropical storm or hurricane.

Find out if you are in a hurricane evacuation zone by visiting the “Know Your Zone” interactive map located on MEMA’s website at www.mass.gov/knowyourzone.

Make an emergency plan

Develop a plan with your family members of what to do, how to find each other, and how to communicate in a tropical storm or hurricane. An emergency plan should include:meeting location, emergency contact information, evacuation plans, shelter-in-place plans and plans for pets.

Build an emergency kit

Put together an emergency kit containing items that will sustain you and your family if you are isolated for three to five days without power or unable to go to a store. Emergency kits are essential during hurricane season due to potential extended power outages, flooding, and impassable debris-covered roads.

While it is important to customize your kit to meet the unique needs of you and your family, every emergency kit should include bottled water, food, a flashlight, a radio and extra batteries, a first aid kit and personal hygiene items. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/build-an-emergency-kit

Depending on your family’s needs, emergency kits should also include medications, spare eyeglasses, medical equipment and supplies, and children’s items such as diapers and formula. Food and supplies for pets and service animals should also be part of your kit.

For a complete emergency kit checklist, visit www.mass.gov/info-details/build-an-emergency-kit.

Stay informed

Receiving warnings, timely emergency alerts and information from public officials is critical to staying safe during a tropical storm or hurricane. Every family should have multiple methods for receiving emergency alerts.

Dartmouth.theweektoday.com will provide continuing coverage of the storm.

Learn more about the different types of alerting and information tools, including the Emergency Alert System, Wireless Emergency Alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, social and traditional media, 2-1-1 Hotline, and local notification systems by visiting www.mass.gov/info-details/be-informed-and-receive-emergency-alerts.