All Shelby County residents should plan to stock up on emergency preparedness items July 6-8 as the county and several municipalities participate in the Alabama Department of Revenue’s first severe weather preparedness sales tax holiday.

According to the Department of Revenue’s website, Shelby County is participating in the holiday, as well as Calera, Montevallo and Hoover. At the Helena City Council meeting June 11, Helena officials voted to participate as well.

Vincent will not participate in the sales tax holiday.

None of the county’s other municipalities have yet made a decision whether to participate, according to the Department of Revenue website.

We hope other municipalities will consider participating in the sales tax holiday. This has the potential to be extremely beneficial for local families, who can take this opportunity to both purchase essential emergency readiness supplies and make sure a plan is in place that lets each family member know what to do in case of an emergency.

If you don’t have a family plan for emergencies, we urge you to take this opportunity to make up a plan, purchase the needed supplies and go over the plan with your family. You never know when a severe weather event may hit, and having a plan with a designated safe area can ease your mind during stressful situations.

Items included in the sales tax holiday are batteries; cellular phone batteries; cellular phone chargers; radios; battery-powered flashlights, lanterns or emergency glow sticks; tarpaulins, plastic sheeting, or plastic drop cloths; ground anchor systems, such as bungee cords or rope, or tie-down kits; duct tape; materials specifically designed to protect window coverings; non-electric food storage coolers or water storage containers; non-electric can openers; ice packs; self-contained first aid kits; fire extinguishers; smoke detectors; carbon monoxide detectors; gas or diesel fuel tanks or containers; and others.

For more information on preparing a family emergency plan, visit RedCross.org.

The We Say is the opinion of the Shelby County Reporter editorial board.