Federal officials gathered in Downtown Brooklyn Tuesday to announce the official 2022 hurricane season forecast.

After just going through two of the three most active hurricane seasons ever recorded in 2020 and 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that 2022 will again see an above-normal number of storms.

“It doesn't matter how many are predicted, it just takes one storm to cause major damage to a community, and it doesn't even have to be a hurricane,” says FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell.

Officials say residents can prepare for weather emergencies by knowing what flooding zone they are in and having a plan for where to go and what to bring in case of an evacuation. 

“New York City is very at risk. If it's a big enough storm, the subways, the buses will start running. People live in a lot of high-rise buildings, the elevators could go out, so you need to be prepared, you need to know your situation,” says Christina Farrell, the first deputy commissioner of NYC Emergency Management.

Criswell adds, “Listen to what your local officials say.  Just because you haven't experienced it, doesn't mean it's not going to happen this time."

City officials say in order to improve communication, they've been working to expand the Notify NYC Program and give New Yorkers a few different options of how to get emergency messages from the city. 

Notifications through the app, text messages, emails and phone calls are now available in 14 different languages, including sign.

“Late information can be deadly information, and so we have to be able to communicate fast and shift, because these storms are coming rapidly and they're coming in different ways,” says Mayor Eric Adams. 

To register for Notify NYC alerts, click here.