Hurricane Season

June 1 began hurricane season, and though the Winston Salem and Kernersville areas of NC don't usually bear the brunt of sea-born weather, taking precautions is always a good idea.

Ready.gov lays out some good advice for preparing for these types of situations. Some of these questions fall under the 'seems basic but you'd be surprised how much it helps to actually ask' category.

• How will your family receive emergency alerts? (TV, radio, email alerts, etc.)
• What is the shelter plan? (Should everyone meet together at a certain predefined location?)
• What is the evacuation route? (How will your family get there, or leave altogether if need be?)
• What is the communication plan? (When time is of the essence there may not be an opportunity for a dozen phone calls. Do you have a plan in place, like who calls who to spread information quickly?)

But perhaps more importantly, everyone should consider some specific questions related to their family. Consider the following:

• Dietary and medical needs of the group.
• Pets
• Disabilities and responsibilities for assisting others

It's fine to know where your family needs to go, but if the area is without power or typical amenities things can change quickly. If someone in your family will need insulin, for instance, or cannot walk without assistance, having a plan early on for how best to handle that goes a long way. Whether it's babies that will need special care or pets that you may have to double back for, answering some basic questions now will make taking action far easier should hurricane weather affect this area.

Our minds tend to freeze up when we're panicked, so we can't count on thinking all this through in the spur of the moment.

For more information on hurricane preparedness, see ready.gov's 'Make a Plan' page we linked to above for a good bullet list of additional resources, such as plans for electronics, pets, first aid, and insurance documentation.