In the wake of the anniversary of the tornado that destroyed Joplin, Mo., and with hurricane season approaching, it's time to be sure your readers are prepared for summer's severe weather:
-- Provide tips from experts like NOAA, The Weather Channel, the Red Cross and your local meteorologists. What weather experts in your area could become community bloggers?
-- Help your readers create a family plan for tornadoes, floods and other types of severe weather typical in your area. Make sure they include pets in the plan, and make sure kids know what to do if severe weather catches them at school, at sports practice or at a friend's house.
-- Extreme heat is also a form of severe weather. Make sure readers know what precautions to take when outside on hot days. (Make sure they know how heat affects their pets, too!)