In no particular order:
1. Do all your laundry and dishes. If you are out of power, you'll be glad you don't have a pile of dirty laundry and dishes to contend with. Get rid of your trash, too. If you missed pick up, take it to the dump or find a local business who will let you use their dumpster.
2. You can use the empty dishwasher to house computers, electronics, whatever. It's not perfect protection, but offers some protection. Some people use their washing machine but I've heard mixed results on this. I'd be more inclined to fill it with water and use it for washing water later. Don't expect to use the water for cooking or drinking because there's always a soapy residue on your machine.
3. Get some cash. In the aftermath of hurricanes in FL, we were without power and none of the card processing machines/ATMs worked.
4. Bleach down countertops. Disasters make the creepy crawlies surface. Keep bleach around for post-hurricane if you are out of power - again, as critter repellent.
5. Freeze bottles of water - as many as you can. Use empty soda bottles, water bottles and rubbermaid containers. Transfer to fridge and coolers if you lose power. In the fridge, place the iced water bottles and containers in a bucket to catch condensation. The ice turns your fridge into a cooler for awhile. Later, if you are without power for a long while, you can use the water for washing and flushing.
I wouldn't advise it for drinking without disinfecting. See these very good tips for water handling post-hurricane: <http://www.floridahurricane.net/water-safety-hurricane-tips.html>http<http://www.floridahurricane.net/water-safety-hurricane-tips.html>://www.floridahurricane.net/water-safety-hurricane-tips.html
6. Have a bottle of bleach around; it comes in handy to disinfect water.
7. if you don't have silicone caulk to seal your tub drains, duct tape will work. Use the tub to store washing and flushing water but don't use it for drinking unless you disinfect it.
8. You can never have too much duct tape.
9. Duct tape is for taping Xs directly TO windows. Why? I/f you window does get hit, it will break in a more compact piece/pieces for easier clean up. Duct tape doesn't keep your window from breaking. Thus, taping duct tape to plastic sheeting and then covering your windows is less than useless.
10. Print out telephone numbers, important info, whatever. Carry two copies stored in two different places. If electricity goes out and batteries die, a hard copy will come in handy. IF you need to call someone and have never actually "dialed" the number, a dead phone or computer won't retrieve them for you.
11. Grind your coffee fresh daily? Don't forget to grind coffee ahead of time in case you lose power or have an alternative way to grind beans that doesn't rely on electricity.
12. Place matches and lighters in ziploc bags to use for lighting candles, gas grills, charcoal grills, etc.
13. Really, truly, seriously: remove anything from your yard/porch/deck that isn't securely tied down: signs, furniture, tree limbs, branches, flip flops, garden hose, grills, tiki torches, statues, loose bricks, flags, etc. All of them become missiles in a storm.
14. Move important stuff to counters/upper floors. Keep very important documents in Ziploc bags.
15. If you loose power, make meals from the contents of the fridge first. Use canned and packaged goods later.
16. For lighting, don't forget that you can use battery operated LED lights from bikes, holiday lighting, outdoor lighting.
17. It's highly unlikely, but it cannot hurt to have an axe and flashlight stored together near the entrance to your attic in case you need to break through your roof.
18. Woolite and handiwipes. Woolite for hand washing clothes if you are without power. Handiwipes for wiping off the grime and sweat due to having no air conditioning and limited supplies of water, but still having to clean up and get filthy and sweaty in the aftermath.
19. Bug repellant because, if you lose power, you'll be spending evenings outside and/or opening windows for cool/fresh air.
20. Once the storm passes and you have nothing to do because you are stuck inside waiting for flood waters to clear, spend some time making a list of what you need for your go bag so you have one on hand all the time. Start packing it now; fill it in the next few days while this emergency is still on your mind. What's a go bag? There are many resources on the Web, here's just one:<http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2F72hours.org%2Fgo_bag.html&h=vAQEudj-H&s=1>http://72hours.org/go_bag.html
In addition, I'd recommend that a go bag contains a check list of things to do as you bug out. It would be nice if bugging out meant grabbing the go bag and driving off, but it doesn't. You'll usually have a pile of things to do first - like get the pets taken care of, medicines stocked, etc. Make that list now, while you're calm. When there's another emergency, instead of having to write the list under stress, you'll already have it written. Work on it with your family or someone else; it's always good to have an extra pair of eyes and another set of brains helping with your list.
21. Tornadoes did Floridians in during hurricane Charlie. Since the storm could be moving east over us, be sure to be prepared for tornadoes in the aftermath of the hurricane passing. Put on your bike helmet, get in the empty tub if you have one left, and put a mattress over you.
22. Of course, follow all the other emergency tips your local government/orgs provide such as have all your medicine stocked, make sure pets are taken care of with pet food and enough water for them, etc.