Hurricane Florence continues to move west-northwestward and with an increase in forward speed and intensity expected by Monday.

The potential for a catastrophic land impact is HIGH. The waters along the coast are very warm, which translates into the making of a powerful storm.

If you are located on the Eat coast anywhere between GA and VA, NOW IS THE TIME TO BE IN PREPAREDNESS MODE.

In a disaster situation, you want to be a spectator, not a participant.

If you are a participant, you will either be a victim, or a survivor with an unpleasant story to tell.

Avoid being one of those individuals appearing on national news with matted hair and dirty clothes crying, "Where is FEMA?"

Foremost, now is the time to be considering an evacuation plan. Sit with the family, makes your calls and lock in a place to stay inland if the need arises.

Next, now is also the time to be considering what prep materials and actions will be needed at your home or place of business if the weather system ultimately targets your location.

PREPAREDNESS CONSIDERATIONS:

The key categories you should consider are as follows:

• Food and Water
  
• First Aid 
  
• Medications
  
• Power Needs
  
• Tools and Supplies
  
• Special Requirements (Baby, Elderly, Pets)
  
• Important Documents
  
• Cash
  
• Fuel
  

For several of these categories, you have two basic choices: Try to buy locally or shop online. For the later, Amazon is an excellent option and there is still time for orders to be delivered, particularly with Prime service or overnight shipping.

This year, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) is making changes to maps and other products to help improve communication to the public, including where a tropical system is headed and what impacts it may bring.

1. When the NHC issues a track for a tropical system, the map includes what is known as the cone of uncertainty.

Beginning this hurricane season, the cone will be smaller than it has been in past years. This will give the public a better idea of where the center of the storm is headed in the coming days.

2. In 2017, the NHC introduced an experimental map to help convey to the public when strong winds would arrive at a given location.

Beginning this hurricane season, the NHC has decided to make these maps fully operational. Get used to them. They can be very helpful.

3. It is standard for the NHC to issue a public advisory that includes information about all aspects of the storm, such as current winds, expected storm surge and the precise location of the system's center. In past years, these advisories only discussed the given tropical system for the next two days, limiting the amount of log-range details about the storm.

Beginning this hurricane season, these advisories will contain information that talks about hazards as far as five days in advance.

myFOXHurricane

At the link below, press the play button to view an animation of the movement of Florence over the next few days as predicted by NOAA's Global Forecast System (GFS) model.

http://www.myfoxhurricane.com/gfs.html

https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/find-an-open-shelter.html

DHS / FEMA

https://www.fema.gov/disaster-recovery-centers

https://www.disasterassistance.gov/

FEMA Mobile App

FEMA has made available a free mobile app for Apple and Android devices with tools and tips to keep you safe before, during, and after disasters, including the location of shelters. The app is available for Apple devices via the iTunes store and Android devices via the Google Play Store.

Info via SMS

To search for open shelters: text SHELTER and a Zip Code to 43362 (4FEMA) .

To search for open Disaster Recovery Centers, text: DRC and a Zip Code to 43362 (4FEMA) .