There's something different about this year's hurricane season: a lot of people are hurting financially. The governor and emergency officials worry about what that will mean for preparedness.

Governor Mark Sanford was in Myrtle Beach Monday talking about it. He says getting your home and family ready for a storm should be a spending priority.

It's been many years since a category two or higher hurricane struck South Carolina. Sanford says coastal residents may have forgotten about how serious a threat hurricanes can be.

"There is a tendency toward complacency and you know the purpose of today's visit is to remind people of the importance of not falling to that temptation," said Sanford.

Combine complacency with a weak economy and Sanford says some people may be tempted to cut back on insurance, storm kits or home hurricane protection. He says that would be a mistake.

"I think it's just one of those essentials that has to go with living on the coast if one is going to be at all I think diligent about the larger notion of preparedness. it is a priority."

New this year, the state now has voice and data links to all county emergency operation centers in the state. At the same time, Horry County is looking for ways to improve its communication with the public. Some counties are considering Twitter, the online networking service, as a way to give people storm updates on their cell phones.

For security reasons, officials say Horry County will not use Twitter, but maybe some other type of texting service. Carissa Medeiros is with Horry County Emergency Management.

"We're investigating some other avenues of trying to get out warnings or if there is an incident that happens, trying to let people know about that," she said.

One point Medeiros and the governor both made is that hurricane preparedness is personal. The county, state and federal governments can only do so much. In the end, you're responsible for making sure your family is safe.

Hurricane expert Dr. William Gray predicts there will be 12 named storms this year, including six hurricanes.