We are officially in hurricane season and will be until the end of November. Many of us don't need to be reminded how serious they are after experiencing Hurricane Ike. My own family had it relatively easy, and was without power for only one week, but I know many others who went without power for over a month.

I wanted to list off a few things that you can do now to start preparing for hurricane season. This list is by no means comprehensive, and you should take the time to do some research on your own about what extra precautions you might want to take.

Buy supplies early. I can remember going into Wal-Mart a week before Hurricane Ike hit, and there was nothing left. Seeing shelves completely bare is always an unsettling occurence, and even more so when you need food. I did have enough food for a few days, and was able to get into a relatively well stocked grocery store as my food supplies ran out. I will not be going through another hurricane like that though. I will definitely be keeping my pantry well stocked with enough food to last several days. Flashlights are your friend. It gets dark at night, and without any electricity it is always a shock at just how dark it gets at night. Be sure to have enough lights, and batteries to last. These are safer than candles because you aren't risking a fire.

If you are leaving your home be sure to check for limbs from trees that might fall on your house if there are strong winds, and trim the ones that you can. Garage doors are also susceptible to wind damage, and they should be reinforced.

When a hurricane is coming it is always impossible to tell where it is going to go, and we all like to wait until the last minute to make a decision about whether to stay or go, but if you are going to go it is always best to leave early. The sooner you leave the less traffic there is to deal with, and the better the chances of getting a hotel closer to home. I remember during Hurricane Rita that every single hotel between Houston and Dallas was booked to capacity.

I know that I've left many things off of this list. What are some other steps that can be taken to prepare for a hurricane?