It's that time of year in Florida. The time when hurricanes come boiling of the African coast and head toward the United States. Tropical Storm Erika is on her way north and right now, we're in that nebulous "cone of uncertainty".

Hurricane season is also the pre-game warm up to winter storms up north. Hopefully, you' won't get hit by a big storm, but there are a few Things you can do to get prepared and stay safe. (And take the sting out of lost power, downed trees, no internet and being trapped in the house.)

Things you will need:

• A battery operated or hand-cranked radio to keep up on local area storms, flooding and other news alerts.
• Stock up on water. If you can't get your hands on bottled water, fill your bathtubs and make sure you have water purifying supplies.
• Emergency blankets are key for keeping warm and for keeping dry.
• A good first aid kit. Check your supplies and replace missing Things before the storm hits.
• SomeThing to beat boredom while you're housebound. DVDs (as long as the power holds) to watch, games, puzzles...