Get ready for storms now, experts warn

The state remains unprepared for hurricanes as the season progresses, despite the emergence of the first tropical depression in the Atlantic Ocean last week. Miami-Dade and Monroe counties are the most likely spots for major storm damage, and Palm Beach County has had direct hurricane hits 18 times in the past 118 years, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Preparedness can save lives and reduce property damage, but it requires careful advance planning, center meteorologist Chris Landsea said in a recent presentation in Palm Beach.