According to the seasonal outlook issued by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the Atlantic basin is expected to see an above-normal hurricane season this year.

To help citizens start thinking about ways to cope with dangerous weather, President Obama declared May 22-28 “National Hurricane Preparedness Week." For complete information on how to prepare for severe weather, please visit www.ready.gov. Lutheran Disaster Response also offers resources on its web site www.ldr.org.

Below are a few tips to get you started.

Step 1: Make a to-go kit
Get an Emergency Supply Kit, which includes items like non-perishable food, water, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, extra flashlights and batteries. You may want to prepare a portable kit and keep it in your car in case you are told to evacuate.

Step 2: Make a Plan
Make a Family Emergency Plan. Your family may not be together when disaster strikes, so it is important to know how you will contact one another, how you will get back together and what you will do in case of an emergency.

Step 3: Be Informed
Hurricane hazards come in many forms: lightning, tornadoes, flooding, storm surge, high winds, even landslides or mudslides can be triggered in mountainous regions. Look carefully at the safety actions associated with each type of hurricane hazard and prepare your family disaster plan accordingly. But remember this is only a guide. The first and most important thing anyone should do when facing a hurricane threat is to use common sense.

Step 4: Get Training
FEMA's Emergency Management Institute (EMI) has developed a training program to encourage community hurricane preparedness. This computer-based course provides basic information about dealing with tropical cyclones and hurricanes. Visit www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/is324a.asp and select the ‘take this course’ option at the top of the right hand column to take the interactive web-based course.