01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, July 16, 2006

Try this conversation at dinner: A storm cuts electric power to your house. The streets are so flooded you can't leave. Outside help is unavailable --for three days.

Could your family take care of itself during those three days? Do you have what you need?

Emergency response experts believe most Rhode Islanders would have to answer no.

Now's the time for all Rhode Islanders, but especially those who live in coastal areas, to start getting ready for a hurricane.

First, make plans

Figure out if you live in a flood zone. If so, you may be ordered to leave during a hurricane.

Rhode Island Emergency Management Area Director Robert Warren advises anyone who lives near the water to study flood plain maps available for each coastal town on the RIEMA Web site (see address below) or at town halls. (Flood maps will also be published this week in local editions of The Providence Journal.)

If you are ordered to evacuate, where will you go? Talk about elderly friends and relatives and make sure someone is responsible for helping them. The Red Cross plans to open shelters, but there won't be enough for everyone. And pets pose another problem.

If you believe you are downstream from a dam, contact your town planning office and try to determine if you are threatened.

Make arrangements, if possible, to go to friends who live on high ground nearby. Besides keeping you safe, it'll keep you out of traffic jams.

Second, update your insurance policy.

If you live in a zone subject to storm surges or other water damage, make sure you have enough coverage to replace your house, including separate flood insurance to cover water damage. Some insurance companies recommend taking pictures of furnishings and valuables.

Third, get cash.

Set aside some money. When Katrina smashed New Orleans, it knocked out power and that shut down ATMs and banks. Many people couldn't get cash to meet their simplest needs.

Fourth, set aside supplies

Get a battery-operated or hand-cranked radio so you can listen to the NOAA weather station or local radio stations for warnings and instructions. Make sure you have all the batteries you'll need -- for radios, TVs, flashlights.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the American Red Cross recommend that every household also prepare a "disaster kit" by setting aside certain supplies to sustain people through hurricanes as well as other disasters for at least three days.

The lists are similar. Some of the biggest differences depend upon the needs of each household, particularly if it includes infants, elderly or disabled people who may need extra medical supplies and prescription drugs.

Here are the basics:

Water -- At least one gallon per person per day, enough for three days.

Food -- At least a three-day supply of nonperishable items, including canned food, juices, spices. Choose foods that don't need to be cooked or include sterno or a small grill with charcoal or gas to fuel it. Be sure to include a hand-held can opener and matches.

Clothing -- Set aside rain gear and sturdy walking shoes.

Bedding -- Sleeping bags or blankets and pillows.

First-aid kit.

Flashlight with extra batteries.

Toilet paper and soaps

If funds allow, more expensive items such as portable electric generators to chainsaws to water treatment systems would come in handy.

(The American Red Cross offers on their Web site, www.redcross.org, useful items ranging from a personal first-aid kit for $6.95 to a backpack filled with many of the recommended items above for $64.95.)

Gather critical documents such as insurance and financial records so you can take them with you.

Web resources

For more suggestions on how to be prepared, go to:

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/

http://www.riema.ri.gov/hazards/supplykit.php

http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0--253--,00.html