1) Make a plan with your family.
Everyone should have an escape plan and backup plan. Everyone should have emergency numbers. Everyone should have 2 designated meeting places: one for the immediate family, and one for large groups.

2) Prepare an emergency supply kit in advanced, not at the last minute. Flashlights, batteries, insect repellent, rubbing alcohol, etc. (A Checklist is below)

3) Stock up on food supplies, utensils, water, paper, and coal or propane.

4) Prepare your first aid kit and include your prescription medicines.

Preparing Before A Hurricane:
Stock up on nonperishable foods, drinking water, batteries, diapers and formula for infants and pet food for animals. Know your evacuation route. Know where you would go and how you would get there. Fill out your emergency numbers and place them into a waterproof zip lock bag. Create an emergency communication list in case you are separated from family and friends. Include all your home, work, school and cell numbers and exchange lists with family, friends and neighbors. Keep the lists at home, at work and in your cars. In addition, designate a contact person who lives outside the area for everyone to reach in case of evacuation.

Keep a small supply of cash on hand. Banks may close and ATMs may be inoperable during a storm. Make sure you have enough prescription medicines to outlast a storm and its aftermath. Refill your first-aid kit.

Decide where to take pets, boats and travel trailers if you cannot take them with you. Pets are not allowed in many public shelters. Keep a list of "pet-friendly" places - hotels and motels, friends, boarding facilities or veterinarians - including their phone numbers.

Check all battery-powered equipment. Emergency cooking facilities and lights will be essential if utilities are interrupted. Charge up or check camera batteries. You may need to take photos of damage after a storm. Make sure you have a battery powered radio and spare batteries. They can activate the emergency broadcast system, give continious alerts and updates.

Take inventory of your valuables and your home. Make a videotape, take photos or keep a written log.

Double-check your insurance coverage for Hurricane coverage - If you want it, you need to get it now because you cannot get it once a storm enters the Gulf. Flood insurance - If your insurance company doesn't offer it, the federal government does, but it will not go into effect until 30 days after you've paid for it.

Store drinking water in any clean containers - bathtubs, bottles, pots, etc., as the water supply may become contaminated.

Secure outdoor objects that may be blown away or uprooted or store them inside. Secure homes and buildings by boarding up each window. Tape is not adequate. Moor your boat securely or move it to a designated safe place. If in a mobile home, check tie-downs and evacuate. Historically, manufactured homes suffer the greatest amount of damage during hurricanes.

Fuel up your car in case you may need to evacuate. You may need to evacuate quickly and/or sit in traffic for hours. Service stations may also become inoperable. Make sure your gas tank is full. Prepare your vehicle for what could be a very long ride. Stock your vehicle with necessities such as water, food, pillows and blankets, toilet paper, current maps, baby supplies, pet supplies, prescription medicines and cash. Bring proof of residency - your driver's license, a utility bill or rent receipt - in case you will need Red Cross or FEMA assistance.

Move valuables, personal papers, family photos and important computer disks to a waterproof container on the highest level of your home or pack them to take with you.

Turn off utilities if told to do so by authorities. Unplug small appliances. Turn off propane tanks.

During A Hurricane:
Stay away from windows, skylights and glass doors, even if they are boarded or covered. Stay on the floor that is least likely to be affected by strong winds and floodwaters. A small interior room without windows on the first floor is usually the safest place. Beware of the eye of the hurricane. If the calm storm center passes directly overhead, there will be a lull in the wind that can last up to half an hour. Winds will then rise again to hurricane force.

After The Hurricane:
If a hurricane forces you into a public shelter, stay there until told by local officials that it is safe to return to your home. Tune into the AM Radio or TV news stations for advice and instructions about emergency medical, food and housing aid, and other forms of assistance.Do not drive unless it is absolutely necessary.

Do not drink or prepare food with tap water until you are certain it's not contaminated.

If you smell gas, leave your house and call your gas supplier. Look for electrical system damage. Stay away from loose or dangling wires or power lines. Check for sewage and water line damage. Watch for loose plaster, drywall and ceilings that could fall. Take photos of any damage, both of buildings and their contents, for insurance claims. Make minor repairs to prevent further damage or looting, but do not make major repairs or dispose of damaged property until it has been inspected by an adjuster. Save all receipts.

Watch out for displaced animals, especially poisonous snakes that may have come into buildings with floodwaters.

If your power has gone out, open refrigerators and freezers only when necessary. A freezer without power can keep food in satisfactory condition up to 36 hours if it is kept closed. Wrapping a freezer in blankets will help insulate it.

Open windows and doors to ventilate and dry your home.

Avoid disaster areas; stay away from floodwaters, flooded roads and washedout bridges. Stay away from riverbanks, bayous and streams until all potential flooding has passed. Stay alert for extended rainfall and subsequent flooding, even after the storm has passed.

Call your insurance company if you have vehicle or property damage to report.