Though hurricane seasons differ from location to location, we can all prepare for them the same. It is important to do so in the event that a particularly devastating one, like Katrina, strikes your community. Hopefully you will never find yourself in a situation such as this, but it is better to be organized than to be caught unawares.

The first thing to do is to find out when your hurricane season begins and ends. Though you might see hurricanes before and after, these dates include the majority of tropical activity. On average, September is the most popular hurricane month while May is the most dormant.

According to the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, the Atlantic hurricane season is officially from June 1 to November 30. The prime time for hurricanes to hit here is between August and October.

The Northeast Pacific's season begins in May 15 and ends November 30. They encounter a greater risk of having one in late August and early September.

The Northwest Pacific basin can encounter tropical cyclones at any time during the year. However, they experience heightened activity from July to November. Their peak is in late August and early September.

The North Indian basin is a little tricky. Instead of having just one peak season, it has two. Those times are April to June and late September to early December.

The Southwest Indian and Australian/Southeast Indian basins share the same hurricane season. It begins in late October and ends in May. Like the North Indian basin, they have two peaks; one in mid-January and one in mid-February to early March.

The Australian/Southwest Pacific basin's season begins in late October, reaches its peak in late February/early March, and then ends in early May.

Next, and perhaps most important, you should prepare your family and home for the hurricane onslaught. Create a family plan. Acting Director of Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Ken McBride suggests, "You should call your local authorities to learn about potential evacuation routes and the location of emergency shelters in your community. It is important to familiarize yourself with your community's emergency plans BEFORE an emergency situation occurs."

The first thing to do is to get the essentials together. This includes battery-operated devices such as flashlights, clocks, and radios. Make sure they work properly and that you have new batteries in case the current ones die. If you are waiting out a

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