As you probably know, New York City is expecting extremely bad weather this weekend as a result of Hurricane Irene. We should feel the effects of the storm beginning on Saturday through Monday. In any emergency it is good to be prepared so the following are helpful links and tips to make it through this weekend safe and sound.

Please note that anyone living in a ten block radius of the water may be in an evacuation zone should flooding occur. Please utilize this helpful link to determine if you are in an evacuation zone. You may also call 311 for information on evacuations, although they are experiencing technical difficulties due to the high number of calls, so using the web is probably your best bet.

The Mayor will announce whether there is mandatory evacuation tomorrow, Saturday, at 8:00AM. Please tune into TV or radio news, or dial 311.

You should have a "go bag" ready with emergency items, including an extra set of house and car keys, credit and ATM cards as well as cash, bottled water and nonperishable foods, a flashlight, battery-operated radio, first aid kit and copies of important documents (photo ID, proof of address, insurance cards) in a waterproof portable container.

Also, if you have pets, be sure to factor them into any plans that you may have to make.

If you do plan to evacuate to a shelter or to stay at a friend's house in another zone, be forewarned that the MTA has announced they are shutting down public transportation starting at 12PM on Saturday.

For additional tips, such as what supplies you should have on hand, the Red Cross has an essential guide.

Highlights for City Dwellers

If the power goes out, most buildings lose their water pump. This would prevent you from getting water into the faucets and the ability to flush the toilet. You should fill up bath tub for washing. This can also provide you with water to flush toilet.

Also, make sure to get cash out of ATM as they won't work in a power outage.

No one knows exactly what is going to happen this weekend. However, preparing for any emergency ahead of time is definitely the smartest and safest thing to do.