Hurricane preparedness is more than just a concept; it is an industry and for some, a way of life. Being prepared is more than just putting up window protection and getting the canned goods and water ready, it is a state of mind. The first step towards becoming hurricane prepared is learning the hazards associated with hurricanes. As one of my great friends from the National Weather Service once told me, "you have to know the enemy". In this case, the enemy is the hurricane.

Before making your way through our preparedness section, make sure you have taken a close look at our Hurricane Hazards section to learn the basics about hurricanes and tropical storms. It is very important to try to understand how these incredible forces of Nature work and how these forces may ultimately impact you!

Once you have a basic level of understanding about hurricanes and their effects, the next step is to have a plan. This is called your hurricane plan. No matter what your financial situation is or what you think about your odds of being affected by a hurricane, having some kind of plan in place is always better than none at all.

The first step in developing your hurricane plan is to know your risk to the hurricane hazards in your area. Ask youself these questions and then try to find the answers to them:

• Do I live in a storm surge zone where I might have to evacuate at some point?
• If I do have to evacuate, where will I go? Are there friends and/or family outside of a potential evacuation zone that I could stay with?
• Do I have a pet that will need to be taken care of in the event of a hurricane emergency? If so, how?
• Is there anyone in my family with special needs that may require extra time, money and resources should a hurricane threaten?
• Do I have the right kind of insurance for my home (even if you rent)? If not, how can I go about obtaining it?
• If a major hurricane were to make a direct hit on my community this season, and I do not have to evacuate, am I capable of being self-sufficient for up to a week? What will it take to get to that point?

• American Red Cross preparedness information
• American Red Cross hurricane preparedness information