The 2011 Hurricane Season is Here... Are YOU Ready? (Part 1)
June 1st marks the start of the Hurricane Season and it's never too early to make plans and check your supplies. NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has said that 2011 may be an "above normal" Atlantic season.
We in Florida were spared last year but let's not get too complacent. Please don't wait until the Hurricane Watches and Warnings have been issued.
1. Make sure your trees and bushes have been properly trimmed to ensure that branches and limbs will not be a threat to power lines or your house.
2. If you have Hurricane Shutters make sure you know where to put them and how to use them. This may sound self evident but we lived in our house for 3 years before ever having to use our hurricane shutters.
If you plan on boarding up your windows, don't wait until the mad rush is on at your local hardware store. Measure your windows and buy them now. Then, be sure to label which board goes to which window.
3. Make a Plan- Know where your Evacuation Routes and Shelters are. 
Florida boaters, know how to tie down your boats or where you can take yours if you need to.
4. Gather your supplies, including food, water and emergency equipment. Check to make sure you have plenty of batteries!
5. Check your insurance policies and have their Policy numbers and contact information in a safe place.
6. Photograph and/or video your property and store it in a safe place. You probably will not want this kind of information sitting in the clouds so consider sending a disk or thumb drive with this information to a relative in another state.
7. If you've been deferring maintenance on your vehicles, get it done now. You may need to rely on at least one of them should you need to evacuate.
8. If you don't already have one, prepare a "To Go" Box. This will include critical items you might need should you have to evacuate... items such as a flashlight, paper goods, a first aid kit, can opener, etc. Later, should you go under a Hurricane Watch, you'll add your important papers.
Yet to come:
What to Pack
What to Do When the Hurricane is Coming.
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