cannot consistently predict, with any accuracy, what path a hurricane will follow.

The first thing is to listen to bulletins to determine all you can about the storm, its position, speed and direction of movement and wind speed and expected time of arrival.

Double check that your insurance is up to date and includes storm damage! Prepare your property. This includes closing and securing blinds.

Put away all lawn fur niture, children's toys, tents and so on. Simply turning over a lawn table is not a guarantee of safety.

3. Check your batteries in radios, flashlights and so on.

4. Check your larder and stock up on items you might need.

5. If can dry your clothes, do your laundry.

6. Secure your boat - before the weather deteriorates. Remove all loose items, radios, outboard engines, batteries, and so on. Check the length of the mooring chain.

7. Explain what you are doing to children and why.

8. Get your emergency lighting ready. If you are using a generator make sure it runs and you have enough fuel to hand. Make sure that fuels are clearly labelled so that gasoline and kerosene do not get mixed up.

If you must use candles or oil lamps make sure that you have a bucket of sand or water handy in case of fire.

9. Monitor the weather reports.

10. Make use of daylight hours, and finish as much of the preparation as possible.

11. If the schools should be closed during the day make sure your children know what to do and where to go.

If the hurricane is a category 2 storm or above, there are further preparations that should be made.

Make ice! That is ice cubes and blocks. If your power is prone to going off during a blow then try some of these tips.

Defrost and clean your refrigerator and freezer. Where possible use the frozen and fresh food immediately. Repack the freezer tightly and fill in the spare space with plastic bags of water.

These will freeze and should the power go off will maintain the low temperature of the freezer much longer. If you can make spare blocks they can be placed in a cooler for use in the regular part of the 'fridge.

If you think you may need to dip water from the tank, clean the buckets that you will use and check that you have a good piece of rope to pull the bucket up with.

All the above preparations can be done without spending too much time or money.

The cruise ship Zenith with battered bows after she encountered 80 knot winds in Hurricane Edouard HURRICANES SUPPLEMENT HUR