SAN LEON, Texas – For Denise Swafford and Loren Jacobs of San Leon, a day on the dock and fishing is pretty much a daily routine.
They're doing it while they can, as uncertainty is brewing in the tropics.
"I get a little nervous, but we usually have some place to go if something gets close enough and it's time to evacuate," Swafford said.
To get residents prepared, representatives from the National Weather Service and Galveston County's Office of Emergency Management held a preparedness event at the local fire station Monday.
"Basically we provide educational materials and presentations about what people should know, what to expect," Garret Foskit, the Galveston County Emergency management coordinator said.
Experts were on hand informing people of what to do right now, rather than wait.
"Always have a plan and build a kit. Put the stuff that you need to have in order to survive," Foskit said.
"This area is vulnerable to storm surge and they may have to evacuate. So build a kit that they can take with them," Dan Reilly, a National Weather Service Forecaster, said.
It was nearly nine years ago when Hurricane Ike wreaked havoc along the coast including parts of San Leon.
"Everything was pretty much wrecked. All the docks were gone and stuff like that. Everyone's downstairs were wiped out if they had anything downstairs," said Jacobs.
Although that's something they hope never to have to go through again, their advice to others: Stay on top of the local forecast and be mindful of what Mother Nature is capable of.
"It looks completely different in person than it does on TV. You get a real reality check of what it actually does do or can do," said Jacobs.
