As we prepare for a possible hurricane hitting my area on Sunday, one thing I am finding is that so many people around me lack the basic intelligence to find and understand good weather information leading up to an event (I am talking about the week or 3-4 days before disaster hits, when we still have full/normal access to information). As a result, I think they go from an ignorant state to a panicked state, and that happens to late, too close to the event. So I would add awareness and intelligence to the list of important "prep".
I knew about the possibility of a storm 4+ days ago. Got some supplies yesterday and more today, as well as some extra fuel for cars/chainsaws and propane for my grill. Ran my diesel generator this evening to check everything out. Will gauge the overnight weather model runs in the morning and decide if I need another 55 gal of diesel on hand (have 100 gal right now). That leaves me about 3 more days to get my property and home in order in case the storm hits.
Compare that to friends/neighbors we talked to this afternoon -- they are just starting to be aware of the hurricane now. They have lost a lot of time, and now have to compete with all the other crazies for food at the store tomorrow. And they are hopelessly confused about weather models and hurricane tracks, and the statistics/probabilities/methods the NHC uses to put together their forecasted tracks. Right now their forecast is the result of much uncertainty and lack of agreement in the weather models, and doesn't represent a track as much as it represents an average guess. They explain all of this in their bulletin. But everyone is convinced the hurricane is headed right over us because if you just look at the track without understanding it, that's what you'd see. In reality the individual model tracks want to take it anywhere from far west to far east of here, and the average "track" is just going down the middle of the spaghetti. Weather doesn't obey averages like that, it's merely a graphical convenience to relay the information.
Funny thing, my wife's uncle, who lives about 14 miles from us, is also ahead of the game and already moving his tractor and other equipment to higher ground (he's in a flood-prone area). He's a captain on a local ferry boat, and would have been plugged into the situation well in advance because they get detailed weather reports before every shift, as a matter of procedure. I knew when we talked to him today that he would have his act together. I really respect that.