Although Selma lies nearly 200 miles above the Gulf of Mexico and far more than that from the Atlantic Ocean, Dallas County Emergency Management Agency officials are still urging residents to take the necessary precautions to remain safe during hurricane season, which kicks off Friday.

Making note of Hurricane Ivan, which came ashore in 2004 and left more than 90 percent of the county without power, Rhonda Abbott, director of the Dallas County EMA, said the main threats to the area are high winds, heavy rains and tornadoes.

“Just because we’re inland doesn’t mean we’re exempt,” Abbott said. “Flooding could be an issue, downed trees, downed power lines, all that, so people need to make sure they have supplies on hand to be self-sufficient for 72 hours or so.”

To keep track of impending storms, Abbott suggested everyone in the area purchase a weather radio so they can keep up with what’s going on with the weather.

After Ivan’s destruction, Abbott said she and her family were without power for six days.

“That’s a long time to be without power when it’s hot, so people need to be sure to take things like that into consideration,” she said. “You’ve got elderly people with medications, so make sure your prescriptions are filled. There are things you just need to make sure you do to be self-sufficient. You’re not going to have all your amenities.”

In addition to weather radios, other national emergency organizations such as FEMA have created items to assist residents in case of a natural disaster.

By visiting fema.gov and ready.gov, residents can download smartphone weather applications, find items to stock their emergency supply kits with and create an emergency preparedness plan for themselves and their families, among other items.

The theme of this year’s National Hurricane Preparedness Week, which runs through June 2, is “Be a Force of Nature.” The campaign calls for residents to known their risks, take action and get prepared for the 2012 hurricane season.

“The year that Ivan came through will live long in the minds of many people around here,” Abbott said. “So people need to make sure that they have supplies on hand and be prepared for extended periods of time should anything like that occur again.”