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"  Power Prep. If you&amp;#039;ve got a backup generator, take it out of the shed and start it up to make sure it&amp;#039;s working. Meanwhile, stock up on a few spare gas containers\u2014you can wait to fill them up until later in the season when a storm is headed your way.  For owners of standby generators, it&amp;#039;s time to schedule an annual maintenance checkup. If you don&amp;#039;t have backup power but want it, then start the research process now. Don&amp;#039;t wait until after a hurricane to storm your big-box outlet. Refresh yourself. Hurricanes can lay waste to city water systems, flooding water-treatment plants and knocking out power. Either of those things will mean your water isn&amp;#039;t being treated, and it will take a few days to reboot the water grid.  At a minimum, start by having on hand 3 gallons of reserve water per person\u2014that will cover the bare essentials for three days. Gallon jugs of water can be found at grocery and convenience stores for as little as a $1. For more storage, consider a 55-gallon food-grade drum. To treat contaminated water, use 1/8-teaspoon unscented bleach per gallon of water, and let it sit for 30 minutes.  Don&amp;#039;t go hungry. In the April issue of Popular Mechanics we built a disaster pantry equipped with a month&amp;#039;s worth of food for a family of four for under $500. To make your own, start small by picking up an extra can of corn, a box of pasta, a chocolate bar, and a bag of dried beans every time you go to the grocery store. You&amp;#039;ll have a decent backup by the time the heart of storm season arrives. Know when to hold &amp;#039;em. Know when to fold &amp;#039;em. If a major storm comes later this year and the authorities tell you to evacuate, then do it. But what&amp;#039;s not as obvious is: If they don&amp;#039;t tell you to evacuate, then you&amp;#039;ll be doing a lot of people a favor by staying put and not crowding roadways, shelters, and motels.  &amp;quot;Run from the water, hide from the wind,&amp;quot; is how Francisco Sanchez, an emergency manager with Houston&amp;#039;s Harris County, puts it. Storm surge is the deadliest threat, while most homes\u2014except for mobile and manufactured versions\u2014can ride out hurricane-force winds.  Block that wind. In October 2010 we showed readers how to build and install quick and easy reusable storm shelters. To be ready for the worst storms, start taking your measurements and buying your plywood now. Contributing editor John Galvin covers severe weather, disasters, and other emergencies for Popular Mechanics. Follow him on Twitter at @JohnPGalvin. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/tips/a9082/how-to-prepare-for-hurricane-season-15562230/>