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We lived through four hurricanes in Florida last year and have watched the weather reports with trepidation as this year's hurricane season progresses. Even with the best laid plans, life can get a little crazy if you're without power for several days. With Hurricane Wilma bearing down on our coast, here are a few "wish I'd thought of that before the hurricane" tips to consider before the weekend:

1. Buy a car charger/adapter for your laptop and your cell phone.
I travel a lot, so I take these tools for granted, but am amazed by people who tell me they don't have either. Consider buying a second battery for your laptop, too. When I got my new Dell Inspiron, I skimped, believing the original battery really would last four hours. Running out of power on one of my flights to L.A. convinced me to buy the second battery.

2. Have at least one phone with a corded handset.
We lost power for several days after Hurricane Ivan last year but never lost phone service. Unfortunately for a colleague, she only had cordless phones in her home so when the power went down, her phones did not work.

3. Put a hurricane notice on your web site home page.
Do this before the hurricane hits as you may not be able immediately after. Provide emergency contact info for clients in the event you are not readily available in the aftermath of the storm. Blogs are a great way to keep everyone up to date (provided, of course, you have access to update them).

4. Run DSL instead of cable.
DSL in underground here so I never lost internet access during last year's hurricanes. Our home became "news central" for the CNN and Fox News junkies when their cable-based internet access went down. Neighbors also used my laptop to check email and notify clients as to when they would be back in the office.

5. Stock up on your DVDs.
The aftermath of each hurricane last year gave us a lot of time to sit around "without" - without power, without A/C, without TV...you get the picture (oops, pun not intended). Our next door neighbors climbed in their SUV, plugged in a portable DVD player, turned on the a/c and had movie night with their kids. Obviously, an SUV is more conducive for this than a Z4, but it was a nice break from the heat and the kids thought it was "tight."

Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends, colleagues and south Florida neighbors as we move toward the weekend.

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