Over the past months, the Statesboro community has experienced multiple cases of severe weather. From the flooding in August to the storm that knocked down power lines to start off September, the weather has not always been kind to the region. While students and residents of Bulloch County cannot control the weather, they can control how well prepared they are.

Having a solid collection of non-perishable foods properly stored is a great way to make sure that food doesn’t run low if you can’t leave the house due to multiple days of inclement weather. Having battery-powered electronics is another great way to prepare for the worst. Alarm clocks with batteries and wall clocks can help you to tell the time when most of your electronic methods are out.

If you live in a multi-level apartment complex, it is never a bad idea to make friends with neighbors on different floors. For certain weather events, such as tornados, it is better to be on the bottom floor of a complex. However, flash floods are best waited out on an upper-floor. Apartment complexes themselves can help with preparedness and disaster safety by designating safe rooms for each kind of natural disaster.

While the school and even the apartment complexes have a responsibility to ensure that their students and residents are as protected as possible from disasters, at the end of the day, disaster preparedness lies squarely on the individual’s shoulders. Take it upon yourself to give yourself and your belongings the best possible chance to make it through a natural disaster unscathed.