Advance planning on what you will do in an emergency is key. You have all the information about your area and its vulnerability in the case of a natural disaster. You've put together your kits of supplies, documents, contacts and other essentials. Now you must be prepared to calmly assess the situation, use your common sense and make the supplies you have gathered work properly to take care of yourself and your loved ones and, in some cases, friends and neighbors who have not properly prepared themselves.

Here are the basic rules for proper preparation:

Develop a communications plan: Your friends, family and neighbors are not likely to all be together when a disaster strikes, so knowing how you will contact one another is essential. Review what you will do in different situations, set up a plan on how people with contact one another in the event of an emergency and make sure each person has both the means and the information to contact anyone and everyone when the need arises.

Stay or go: Often the first important decision you will make is whether it is best to stay where you are or get away, so you should plan well for both possibilities. First, use common sense and a cool head to determine whether or not there is any immediate danger; do not count on others to necessarily provide all information on what is happening and what you should do. Watch television, listen to the radio and check the internet often for information, official instructions and updates. Of course, if you are specifically told to evacuate, do so immediately but sometimes that's a call you will need to make based on your own information and a healthy dose of instinct. There may be other situations when it's clearly best to stay where you are and avoid uncertainty. Plan in advance where you will take shelter in this kind of an emergency and remember to continue monitoring the outside situation to assess any changes in the situation that may require evacuation (we've planned to stay put while many hurricanes were heading our way only to find ourselves evacuating after all – Hurricane Katrina being a prime example).

Getting away: Whether you decide to evacuate or you are ordered to leave, plan in advance how you will assemble everyone who will be evacuating with you – including pets, who require separate attention and care – and anticipate where you will go. Choose several destinations in different directions so you have options. If you have a car, try to keep the gas tank at least half full at all times; during hurricane season, we try to keep ours nearly full at all times. Familiarize yourself with evacuation routes (usually designated by cities and states) as well as alternate routes and even other means of transportation out of your area, should the need arise. If you do not have a car, plan how you will leave if you have to and, if you are able, what your destination will be, considering as many alternatives as possible.

Neighbors: A community-wide network of people working together during an emergency not only makes sense, it can be one of the most vital aspects of your plan. Talk to your neighbors, exchange all contact numbers. Discuss your emergency plans and determine whether or not you may be able to work together on certain aspects, such as evacuating or caring for elderly or disabled neighbors, checking on pets or property in the even that some neighbors evacuate while others do not and determining if anyone has specialized equipment, like a power generator, medical expertise, a satellite phone – anything that might be of use to the community as a whole if needed.

Remember, knowledge is power and will be your best bet in dealing with an emergency safely and calmly.

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