Brace yourself for 100 mph winds and tremendous ocean surges. A category three hurricane is on arrival so what do you do? You look around your house and wonder if it will look like this tomorrow. Will your windows bend and snap into a million pieces, will your roof blow off before your eyes? As this is hurricane season -- June 1 to November 30 -- it is important to remember various tips on dealing with the storm.

Belco spokesperson Linda Smith offered several hurricane tips starting from before the hurricane strikes, and as it progresses.

Before the hurricane strikes, it is important that you unplug all appliances leaving one light on so you will be able to tell when power has been restored.

She added: Please do not call Belco during the hurricane. Crews are limited in what they can do during the height of the storm.

Please help to keep the telephone lines open for emergency or threatening situations which will be handled as necessary. Crews cannot undertake restoration/repair work in hurricane force winds.

As the hurricane progresses, Belco engineers will know immediately when large areas lose power as they are able to monitor, by computer, switches which trip out causing major outages.

When the winds have subsided, please check with your neighbours to see if they have called Belco. Initially, it will not be necessary for you to repeat the call, as engineers will already know about all of the major areas that have been affected and will begin working on those.

It is Belco's policy to restore supply to the largest areas first in an attempt to get as many customers as possible back on line.

Your call to Belco would be most useful should you find power has been restored to neighbours in your immediate vicinity but not you.

When power is restored, should you find that a light bulb is extremely bright or brighter than usual, turn off your power at the meter and call Belco.

Chief inspector of specialist operations Philip Every, who is also on the Emergency Measures Organisation which is responsible for every aspect -- rescue, clean-up, stores/business' clothing etc. -- of a hurricane once it approaches said "preparedness'' is the key.

A spokesperson for Bermuda Fire Services offered this advice when a hurricane hits: "We recommend that candles be in proper holders and not be left overnight unattended and they should not be close to combustible material.

"Also be sure the batteries in your smoke alarms are checked.'' On the work of the EMO, Secretary of Cabinet and senior official of the organisation Leo Mills said: "The EMO is of course fairly well practised when it comes to dealing with hurricanes and generally those who are members of the organisation know their areas quite well and carry them out with tremendous efficiency.

"The public of Bermuda can take some considerable comfort from knowing that the EMO has both the knowledge and the capability to respond effectively, and quickly when an emergency arises.'' Asked how the EMO operates when a hurricane is approaching he added: "Once we begin getting advisories which indicated that Bermuda is potentially at risk the Police and the senior officials of EMO would normally be put on notice.

"If the hurricane appears to be heading in our direction an early meeting is held to assess the genuine threat to Bermuda, making sure that all major players are prepared to go into action.'' Mr. Mills added: "We also make sure all the supplies that we need are reviewed and throughout the storm we meet providing the direction of rescue efforts and recovery efforts.'' He also said that recently the organisation attended a disaster management workshop and seminar at the Police Recreational Club in Prospect which featured leadership by Dr. Michael Brown, who is a physician in Barbados.

"He is connected with the Pan America Health Organisation and has done extensive work on disaster management schemes,'' Mr. Mills said.

He added: "The workshop was organised jointly by PAHO and Ms Jacqueline Lightbourne, Bermuda's chief nursing officer. Participants in the course included representatives from Bermuda's hospitals, the utilities, the Bermuda Police Service, the health department, Marine and Ports, the Ministry of Education and HM Prisons department.

"The seminar was one of a series of initiatives that takes place every year to increase public awareness on steps that are being taken to address the consequences of a hurricane or any other kind of emergency.

"And in those particular kinds of initiatives those normally on the first line of defence would be those who would provide shelter, road clearing services, the restoration of communications, emergency medical services, and help repairing the infostructure.'' TOTAL DESTRUCTION -- When a hurricane tears through Bermuda there is no telling what destruction will be left behind. This is a shot of McGalls Hill is Smith's Parish just after Hurricane Emily past through in 1987.