When a disaster draws near, suddenly, preppers don't seem quite so crazy anymore. Right now, with Irma heading our way so closely on the heels of Harvey, a lot of people on the Southeast Coast are feverishly preparing for a hurricane.

UPDATE: The Florida Keys are under mandatory evacuation.

Some are projecting that if Irma doesn't change course, it will be so powerful that meteorologists will need a new Category to describe the storm: Category 6. Keep in mind that Harvey was a Category 4 and that tells you how bad the potential of this storm is. There are many articles out there focusing on that – this one focuses on how to get ready for it.

During times like this, it becomes mainstream to engage in a flurry of activity that looks like an episode of Doomsday Preppers being fast-forwarded across the screen. People rush to the stories in a frenzy, and often get all the wrong things. Most of these folks aren't preppers in the traditional sense – they're just hurrying to get ready because they know something is headed their way.

Even when you aren't a prepper, if you know a hurricane is on the horizon, the best thing you can do is focus and get things together as early on as possible.

This article is for the folks who have never really considered getting ready for an unusual event. If you need to get ready fast because something is headed your way, this may not cover ALL of your bases, but it will get you through at least a short term disaster. Nearly all of the supplies will be easily available at your local Wal-Mart, Target, or hardware store. Some will need to be ordered by mail so do this as soon as you hear that the storm is on its way.

A better option, of course, would be to pick up these items ahead of time and having an emergency kit, sitting there ready when a storm is bearing down. (Wink.) But for now, let's get busy and get prepared for the possibilities.