This morning I wrote about the high cost of hurricane insurance. Since today is the first day of hurricane season, I thought I’d follow that up with a list of tips from the National Hurricane Center on preparing for and surviving a hurricane.

While some of these tips are hurricane specific, others make good sense in the face of just about any natural disaster.

• Take steps to protect your home against unnecessary damage.
• Talk to your family about the types of hazards you might face.
• Identify a safe room, or at least the safest areas in your home for each hurricane hazard. If there is no suitable location in your home, you might need to rely on a community shelter.
• Determine the best escape routes from your home as well as safe places for you and your family to meet.
• Identify an out-of-state family member or friend to serve as a single point of contact for your family.
• Develop a plan for what to do with your pets if the event of an evacuation.
• Post all applicable emergency numbers near your phone and make sure your kids know how/when to call 911.
• Double-check your insurance coverage to ensure that hurricane damage is covered, and that you also have flood insurance (if necessary).
• Stock up on non-perishable supplies and create a disaster supply kit.
• Get a weather radio and be sure to replace its battery every 6 months (along with your smoke detector batteries) to keep them fresh.
• Take First Aid, CPR, and disaster preparedness classes.

You might also want to check out Matt’s list of tips for preparing for a power outage, as you’re likely to be in the dark for at least awhile after the storm passes. If you have any tips of your own, please share them in the comments.