There’s no other way to say it: Stay informed during a hurricane or any severe weather event. Knowing what’s going on can save lives.

There are multiple weather sources available. Here are just a few:

Government

• National Weather Service
• National Hurricane Center
• Storm Prediction Center

Local

• Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Facebook and Twitter
• Okaloosa County Department of Public Safety
• Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners Facebook
• Santa Rosa County Emergency Management and Facebook
• Holt Fire District
• Holt Enterprise News, Facebook and Twitter

Internet

• Spinks Megginson’s RedZone Weather—meteorologist out of Brewton, Ala., who forecasts the northwest Florida/lower Alabama area; goes live on Facebook during tornado warnings
• Mike’s Weather Page/spaghettimodels.com—hurricane hobbyist with a LARGE following; source for all things hurricane

Apps

Recovery

• Federal Emergency Management Center (FEMA)
• American Red Cross
• Salvation Army

Regardless of its current challenges under new ownership, Twitter is still the best source of immediate information. During severe weather, the NWS and other government agencies tweet real-time information on their Twitter sites. Facebook, while more popular, doesn’t allow for emergencies; those posting too quickly—or “moving too fast” as Facebook calls it—will be blocked (aka “Facebook timeout”) for a period of time.

Get a Twitter account and follow National Weather Service Mobile’s IEMBot Mob Twitter account for real-time information such as alerts, watches and warnings.

Use text messages, social media and email to connect with friends and family during emergencies rather than making a phone call. Mobile networks can become overwhelmed during emergencies making cell phone calls difficult. Text messages use less bandwidth and can get through when phone calls can’t.