What to do: 

• Clear your gutters and downspouts.  
• Secure loose items in your yard. (Many times floating debris causes as much damage, to you or your neighbors, as the water itself.)
• If you are in low lying areas, make room to store valuables at higher elevation in the event of flooding. Sometimes a U-haul truck is a great idea.
• If you fear flooding, sandbags and rolls of plastic are good items to have handy to minimize water infiltration.
• Have abundant supply of water, and candles in case you lose power.
• Have working flashlights with extra batteries.
• Have extra ice available and a cooler to maintain frozen foods.
• Do not run generators without proper ventilation.
• Check to make sure your sump pump is operating properly. Consider installing a 12-volt battery back-up system.
• Check and clean exterior drains in basement stairwells.
• Top off your vehicle's gas tank.
• Keep your cell phone charged up.
• Have cash on hand as ATMs may be without power. Make sure to have small bills too.

If you have a boat and are not planning on taking it out of the water, remove all canvas, sails, and anything else that could be a problem with high winds. Add chafe protection to dock lines. Make sure to have extra long dock lines as they will need to be adjusted with the storm surge. If it's on a lift you may want to consider other options as the lift may not be high enough.