Remember last year when we were all horrified by Katrina and Rita, and before that the tsunami and God-knows-what-else? Remember that feeling you got in the pit of your stomach when you realized you’ve done essentially nothing about being prepared should something like that happen in your city? Remember the object lessons we learned from the post-Katrina chaos in Mississippi and Alabama, and how it reached halfway to Memphis? Remember the disaster in itself that hysterial evacuation from Rita became? Remember how we all swore we’d create “go bags” and emergency kits and stockpile several days of water and food and keep fresh batteries and up to date first aid kits?

Yeah, we didn’t do it, either. It’s hurricane season again. Start worrying, but go shopping now. The Red Cross has a great reference for home disaster preparedness. It’s general, but a great place to start. Tweak to your own tastes and needs, but make one, and keep it handy.

For many disasters, evacuation is key. Speed this process by pre-packing go-bags with essentials. You can’t take multiple days of food and water, but you can have copies of crucial documents, some tools, first aid supplies, a flashlight, a change or two of clothes, toiletries, cash, and the like in a sturdy bag or backpack kept near the door. Getting out isn’t always indicated, but when it is, it’s best to be able to do it quickly.

Other bits of wisdom worth remembering:

• Half full is half empty. Keep your car’s tank full.
• If you’re storing water, you need about a gallon per person per day.
• Grocery store gallon jugs won’t keep forever. Rotate your water.
• Don’t omit pets in emergency planning.

Making Light has a couple good posts on the subject as well.