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Lauren's List: Unique List Of Hurricane Prep Tips

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Hurricane season is officially upon us. It kicked off last week in case your forgot.

Today's "Lauren's List" is all about making sure you're prepared to ride out a storm.

But this isn't your ordinary storm checklist.

We all know the basics: buy batteries, flashlights, water and put up shutters.

But we've found a few tips you may not have thought of before now.

First up, stay connected!

Let's face it, internet service will be hit or miss during and after a storm if power goes out. But you can still read tweets via text. Go to your favorite accounts and subscribe to receive their tweets via text message.

My suggestions, do this for the National Weather Service (@NWS), and of course, CBS 4. Our handle is @CBSMiami.

Don't text too much during a storm though because you may run out of battery.

Speaking of which, my next tip is to make your phone's battery last longer by shutting down all apps, disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and even reducing the brightness on your screen.

If you're a pet owner whose dog freaks out in thunderstorms, have some dryer sheets handy.

When atmospheric pressure changes during a storm, static electricity builds up, even around pets, and veterinarians say that's why they get so worked up.

You could get them a "Thunder Shirt", or simply rub them with an unscented dryer sheet and that should calm them down for a bit.

Finally, buy some glow-in-the-dark duct tape.

Your supplies are useless if you can't see them in the dark. Add the labels once you know the storm is coming so your house isn't a neon mess all season long. Plus, you can put some tape on the floor to mark a path to the exits in case you need to run out in a hurry in the dark.

I want to know, what do you do to prepare for a storm that other people may not have thought about before?

Tell me on Facebook at facebook.com/laurenpastrananews, or on Twitter @LaurenPastrana.

If you have an idea for a future "Lauren's List", send it to me at lpastrana@cbs.com.

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