Thank you so much for asking this! I grew up in south Florida, so I know my hurricanes. There are a few common things that I’m sure you guys know from snow storms. For example: Don’t mess with power lines that are down. Call the electric company and let them know, but keep your distance. Live wires are deadly, and you can’t always tell if they’re live.

Another thing: if it looks nice out, that doesn’t mean the storm is over. The eye of the storm can seem calm and peaceful, but it doesn’t mean it’s safe to go out. Always wait for the all-clear on the TV or radio.

Speaking of, always have a little battery-powered radio and/or TV in case the power goes out on your television. And no power means no internet, BTW.

A big one: don’t leave anything outside!!! If you have potted plants, lawn gnomes, garbage cans, wind chimes, bird baths, lawn chairs, or pretty much anything that isn’t attached to the ground or really fucking heavy, bring it inside. The right gust of wind can turn anything into a projectile that can really do some damage to objects and/or people. If your neighbors leave something out as the storm is approaching, knock on their door and remind them to take it in.

Just in case the power fails, try to do laundry and showering beforehand. Cold showers suck, and if you lose power for a long time, not having enough clean clothes sucks, too.

Oh, and if you are out of power for a long time, don’t underestimate the versatility of a grill. One of my favorite power outage foods is grilled waffles. We just took the Eggo waffles from the freezer, since that wasn’t exactly keeping cold anymore, and threw ‘em on the grill. DELICIOUS!

But again, key point to remember: hurricanes happen. It’s just a lot of rain and wind. Everything is going to be okay.