Hurricanes are among nature's most powerful and destructive forces. On average, six hurricanes will form during each Atlantic hurricane season and two during the Pacific hurricane season. The season is in full swing in both regions through November 30, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas we have seen the damage these storms can cause.

Every natural disaster is unique, and emergency responders have to quickly adapt to the ever-changing nature of a crisis. However, while speed is crucial during rescue and recover efforts, the need for safety is just as important as it is before and during a storm. Here are some of the basic essentials to have on hand so that emergency response teams, disaster recovery crews and volunteers can be ready to assist those in need and have access to the right equipment to help them stay safe.

Planning large-scale events can be quite a challenge. Organizers must manage an endless list of responsibilities and details to ensure that everything goes smoothly, from permitting, concessions and entertainment to recruiting volunteers, parking and attendee safety. The larger the event, the more important it is to ensure that crowd control measures are in place. The easier it is for pedestrians and vehicles to navigate in and out of the event, the less likely accidents are to occur.

Counties and municipalities are often responsible for ensuring public safety at the many parades, festivals and other activities that take place in their communities. When events impact driver and/or pedestrian traffic routes, maps should be created that clearly delineate street closures and detours, and local businesses and residents need to be notified of any street closures affecting them well in advance.

A wide variety of crowd control and traffic safety products are available to help ensure that events are safe and enjoyable for all involved. Traffic barricades can be used to define boundaries, restrict access to specific areas and make street closures obvious for visitors on foot and in vehicles, making them a vital part of any plan to keep event participants safe.

Summer is in full swing, bringing with it longer days, plenty of outdoor activities and more people hitting the roads and trails. With more than half of all Americans planning to take time off and over a third of families making vacation a priority, traffic, bicycle and pedestrian safety is more important ever. Although spring is typically the time of year for road and sign maintenance and repairs, reducing risk requires an ongoing effort to ensure that signage, pavement markings, barriers and other traffic safety equipment is in place and up to date

When a hurricane or tornado has passed, recovery and cleanup operations must begin; and they must begin quickly. Just because the inclement weather has cleared out of the area, the need for safety has not gone away.

Residents that evacuated want to return to see what damage has occurred to their personal property. This is understandable. However, debris is strewn everywhere. Accidents are likely to occur in this scenario.

During the construction process, traffic patterns will be disrupted. This is due to a combination of temporary routes and detours. Traffic safety products are required to meet the requirements identified in Traffic Control Plans.

To help identify the different zones of a road construction site, barricades are used. There are many different barricades products. Below we cover popular alternative barricades used at a road construction site to manage detours and modified traffic patterns.