While we all know that we should be prepared for emergencies, it seems that sometimes it's just too overwhelming a job. We don't know where to start, so we just procrastinate, hoping that we'll be the exception and never need it Chances are that one day Mother Nature is going to shake her finger at you, and then you're going to wish you'd have done something to avoid her wrath.

Here are just a few things you can do rather simply. Some of these are things you do everyday anyway, but when there's a storm looming, you need to make sure you don't neglect to do them.

1. Keep your gas tank full. You never know when you're going to have to leave your home. It might be a natural disaster, or a medical emergency. When accidents of any kind strike, you can't afford the time it takes to stop and buy gas! Imagine if your spouse or child sustains an injury that needs immediate attention. Not having the transportation to get the medical attention they need can mean the difference between life and death. Of course you could always call an ambulance, but have you checked on what that ride will cost you these days? The last time I had to call one for my mother, it was about $800. So keep your gas tank full. If you don't procrastinate so long that you have to spend $100 to fill an empty tank, you'll appreciate only having to spend $25 for a quarter tank. Still, $100 is a lot less than the $800 ambulance ride!

2. Do your laundry! This is good advice that your mother might give you - right along with always wearing clean underwear! If you know a storm is coming, make sure all your clothes are clean. If you have to evacuate, you want to be able to have what you need. When my sister-in-law was here during the last storm off the coast of Texas, I encouraged her to do her laundry here before she went back home. Good thing she did, because once she got home, they were without electricity for several days.

3. Keep your cell phone charged. If you have to evacuate, or even lose electricity in your home for a few days, you'll be glad your cell phone is charged. Without the power to operate your land line phone, the cell phone becomes even more important for contacting family members or even making calls to insurance companies, etc. If you have severe weather problems, you risk losing cell coverage because of damage to the towers or the signals, but once that is resolved, you will at least have a phone that's charged and ready to go when the signal returns. You may be able to send a text message even if you can't make a call.

4. Have a car cell phone charger! If you don't have electricity, at least you can charge the phone in your car. If you're having to travel a long distance and make calls along the way to notify family members, you'll be glad the phone can be charged as you go.

5. Keep your propane tank filled or have extra charcoal. If you lose electricity, most people could survive for awhile by cooking outside. In case you're thinking that you'd just go out to eat, remember that if you don't have electricity, the restaurants may not, either. Our area looked like a ghost town during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in 2005. There was no place to buy gas because the pumps operate on electricity, and there was no place to eat.

6. Keep some cash in your home. It's important to have some one dollar bills. If you find that you need to make a purchase, your debit or credit card won't work if they don't have electricity. Retailers will find a way to accept your cash, and if you have small bills, you won't have to pay $20 for a bag of ice if they can't open the register to make change.

7. Have a 72 hour kit. My husband and I each have our own supplies in individual backpacks so that we could walk out of our home in any emergency. We have everything we think we would need to survive for 72 hours. Ours include water, a first-aid kit, meal replacement bars, a change of clothes, a hand-crank flashlight and radio, and other necessities. We also have a cabinet with a more extensive list of items that we could throw into the car rather easily if we had the option of driving.

8. Have maps for your area, or a GPS (global positioning system). Chances are that if you are evacuating your area, thousands of other people are, too. Know the best route to take, and have an alternate route in mind. We have a GPS in our car, and my Blackberry is also equipped with a GPS. It has helped me find my way on more than one occasion. One time I rode my bike to my granddaughter's swim meet from my son's house. When I left there, I pulled out of the parking lot and thought I knew where I was going. The neighborhood was unfamiliar to me, and the longer I drove, the more lost I got. I started to panic and then realized I had my phone clipped on my waist. I didn't have to use it, but it was comforting to know that if I had to, it was there for me.

If I keep going, I'll come up with more complicated things you need to do to prepare. For this article, I just wanted you to think of some of the things you do anyway, and just make you more aware of the importance. If you want more information on this topic, you can review my website for articles that will help you become prepared for many different situations.