During any weather emergency, here are some important tips:

• Keep a battery-operated radio in an easy to find place. Keep it in the same place so you won't have to waste valuable time searching for it.
• Keep a flashlight in an easy to find place. Knowing where it will be saves stumbling around in the dark trying to find it.
• Have a supply of spare batteries for both your radio and flashlight. During a major weather event, finding batteries will be next to impossible.
• Have food on-hand that doesn't require cooking. It doesn't have to be gourmet.
• Never rely on an internet-based source for information in a weather emergency. You have no way to tell if they are receiving updated information or if that information is accurate. Rely on media outlets that have the resources for reliable information in an emergency.
• Be sure to have enough of any requried medical supplies on-hand, so you won't have to venture out.

During a flooding emergency:

• Never, under any circumstances, drive a vehicle into an area where water covers the roadway. Turn around and get to higher ground.
• If you notice rising water near your home, leave immediately and seek higher ground. If you become trapped, get to the highest point in the house that you can. Be aware that houses can and do wash away.
  

If you find yourself in the path of a tornado:

• Proceed to the nearest underground shelter - a basement or storm shelter. If no basement is available, go in an interior room (such as a bathroom or closet) and cover yourself with a matress if one is available. You want to put as many walls between yourself and the tornado as possible.
• If you're outside, proceed to the nearest substantial building. If no building is available, lie in the nearest ditch and cover your head with your hands.
• If you're in a mobile home or car, abandon it and seek shelter in a building or ditch. Cars and mobile homes are easily swept away by the winds in a tornado.
• Do not seek shelter under a highway overpass. A well publicized video features people taking shelter under a highway overpass, but this can actually be the most dangerous place to be. The concentration of wind converging under an overpass can create actual wind speeds much higher under an overpass than anywhere around it. How sure are you that you can hold onto a steel beam in 200+ mph winds?
  

When you hear that a winter storm is approaching:

• Make the assumption that you won't be able to get out - buy enough supplies to last several days. If the storm isn't too severe, you'll save going to the store for a few days. If it is severe, you won't have to worry about getting out.
• Keep a hat, gloves, shovel, snacks and water in the trunk of your car in case you become stranded on the road.
  

When you hear that a hurricane is approaching:

• Check your disaster preparedness kit to ensure that you have food and water that are in-date and still palatable. Canned food that doesn't require heating is ideal - items like tuna or chicken with single-use mayonnaise packets make an easy meal. MRE's from a surplus store or camping foods are good options also -- be sure to allow for extra water to prepare these items.
• If evacuations are suggested or ordered, don't hesitate - collect family members and especially prized items and evacuate while it is still safe to do so. Don't wait until the storm is upon you to decide to evacuate - attempting to do sure during the storm may be worse than staying put.

Having a disaster preparedness kit ready at all times is common sense. FEMA has developed materials to help you prepare for any emergency. In the unlikely event of an actual emergency, you don't have to be afraid -- you're prepared. See http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/ for more information.