CLANTON, Ala. (AP) — Gov. Robert Bentley says the deadly tornadoes that struck Alabama last year have helped the state prepare for hurricane season.

The governor said "nothing prepares you like real life" as he marked the official beginning of the hurricane season Friday by joining state emergency officials for a practice scenario involving a Category 4 storm.

The Press-Register reports (http://bit.ly/KA8VBl ) that Bentley added a major hurricane hitting Alabama this year "would be devastating" on the heels of last year's tornadoes and the 2010 oil spill. Be he says Alabama is prepared if a storm does come.

The National Hurricane Center has predicted nine to 15 named storms and up to three major hurricanes this season. Two tropical storms have already formed in the Atlantic.

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Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/press-register/