Family
How to Prepare for Hurricane Season
Last Updated on September 10, 2025 by Daily News Staff
(Family Features) Among nature’s most powerful phenomena, hurricanes are destructive, rotating storms that form over warm water and move toward land.
These dangerous storms are accompanied by high winds, heavy rain, a rise in water level, flooding and even tornadoes, which can cause damage to the coast and locations far inland. However, taking action to prepare ahead of time can help you protect your home and loved ones in the event of a natural disaster. Consider these tips to prepare for a hurricane.
Pay Attention to Weather Forecasts
In the event of inclement weather, ensure you have a way to be informed, such as smartphone alerts, watching the local news or listening to a weather radio. Be on the lookout for hurricane-specific alerts and make sure you understand the difference so you can react appropriately:
- Hurricane watch: These alerts are usually announced about 36 hours before an anticipated storm, notifying people that hurricane conditions are possible.
- Hurricane warning: A more serious alert; experts typically issue this warning of expected hurricane-force winds or dangerously high water or waves within 24 hours of a storm.
Evaluate Community Risk
If you live, work or plan to vacation near the coast or close to a waterway connected to the ocean, it is important to understand if you’re in an area prone to flooding, tropical storms or hurricanes. You may also research through the Federal Emergency Management Agency whether your property is in a flood-prone area or at high-risk for hurricane-force winds.
Follow Evacuation Guidance
If a hurricane is on the horizon, authorities may advise you to evacuate or shelter in place should driving conditions be unfavorable. Never ignore an order to evacuate; even well-built homes may not hold up to a hurricane. If you need to evacuate, grab your emergency supply kit (food, water, medicine, important documents and first aid and safety supplies) and follow the recommended route. Alternatively, if you receive orders to shelter in place, stay inside and away from windows with easy access to emergency supplies until the “all clear” is given by local authorities.
Build a Home Using Resistant Materials
For areas prone to natural disasters, constructing a home using resilient materials is paramount. For example, houses built with insulated concrete forms (ICFs), such as those from Nudura, can be engineered to withstand natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires. Superior at resisting high winds and protecting from the impact of flying debris, ICFs offer a tested, safer alternative to wood framing.
Prepare Your Home
If heavy rain and damaging winds are expected, these steps can help protect your property from damage:
- Clean out drains, gutters and downspouts.
- Secure or bring patio furniture and other items inside that may be blown away or damaged.
- Consider elevating your heating system, water heater and electric panel above ground level.
- Cover windows with storm shutters or exterior-grade or marine plywood.
- Turn off gas and electricity at the main switch or valve, if instructed by authorities or the power company.
Learn more about preparing your home to withstand hurricanes at nudura.com/hurricane-prep.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
SOURCE:
Nudura
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News
Money Management: The Importance of Financial Literacy
You may have mastered the core subjects like math and grammar in school, but financial literacy – or understanding the basics of money management in order to help you make better financial decisions – often goes overlooked before adulthood. It’s not so much a course of study as it is a plan of action. When you understand how to earn, save, spend and invest wisely, you aren’t just building a stable future for yourself, but your family and community as well.
(Feature Impact) You may have mastered the core subjects like math and grammar in school, but financial literacy – or understanding the basics of money management in order to help you make better financial decisions – often goes overlooked before adulthood. It’s not so much a course of study as it is a plan of action.
Financial literacy in the United States has remained stagnant at generally low levels for several years, according to research from TIAA Institute and the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, with even lower levels among Gen Z. Yet greater financial literacy – including key aspects such as goal-setting, budgeting, saving, credit management and investing – is strongly linked to better financial outcomes, including lower rates of debt constraint and financial fragility.
While emboldening yourself to understand financial terms can be a little overwhelming at first, once you have a grasp of basic concepts you can begin to get a handle on your money and make better financial decisions. Simply put: When you understand how to earn, save, spend and invest wisely, you aren’t just building a stable future for yourself, but your family and community as well.
From nonprofit partnerships to volunteer-led programs and fee online resources, Schwab and its employees help millions of people every year build the knowledge and confidence to take charge of their financial futures by serving as board members, mentors, role models and educators.
Because financial health is a lifelong journey, the earlier people learn vital money skills, the better. That’s why the financial advisory services provider develops education programs geared toward kids that continue into adulthood, helping people no matter where they are on their journeys.
Talk Money
It’s never too early to start a conversation about financial literacy. Having teens identify goals that are important to them – such as concert tickets or a first car – can kickstart coversations about money. Working with your child (and a financial advisor, if necessary) on a plan for saving to realize those goals can serve as a jumping off point. After achieving some success, their enthusiasm may grow, which is a powerful motivator to keep saving.
Support School Initiatives and Programs
Outreach programs that empower young people to make smart financial decisions is key to a bright future. Programs like Money Matters – Schwab’s flagship financial education program utilized by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America – gives young people hands-on experience with all aspects of money and investing.
This example, and others, don’t just include program funding – they build partnerships that create impact and opportunity with national collaborations that reach more than 17 million youth annually, empowering young people with the tools and confidence to make smart financial decisions for life.
Spread the Financial Love
Championing financial literacy empowers everyone – individuals, families and communities. By serving as a board member, mentor, role model or educator to help bring financial literacy to others in your community, you can supply the tools and knowledge to lead programs that focus on giving back, empowering future generations in countless ways.
To learn more about financial literacy and find resources to empower your local community, visit SchwabMoneywise.com.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
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Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
child education
Making the Grade: How High-Impact Tutoring Builds Student Success
Student Success: If your child is struggling in school, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. One approach many schools are turning to is high-impact tutoring, also known as high-dosage tutoring.
Making the Grade: How High-Impact Tutoring Builds Student Success
(Feature Impact) If your child is struggling in school, it can feel overwhelming to know how to help. Learning gaps can grow quickly, confidence can slip and what should be simple can start to feel frustrating for both students and parents. But families don’t have to solve this alone. Schools and districts play a critical role in providing the right support. One approach many schools are turning to is high-impact tutoring, also known as high-dosage tutoring.
Backed by extensive research, high-impact tutoring has emerged as one of the most effective school-based strategies for accelerating learning. Studies from EdResearch for Recoveryshow students who participate can gain the equivalent of 3-15 additional months of learning in reading and math within a single school year, making it a powerful tool for accelerating learning and closing achievement gaps.
This type of enrichment goes beyond merely homework help and is vastly different than traditional tutoring. Offered during the school day, many schools and districts across the country are starting to offer proven, structured high-impact tutoring programs by partnering with organizations like Catapult Learning, a leader in providing education solutions that generate demonstrable academic achievement and better life outcomes for students.
Consider these benefits of high-impact tutoring:
Small Group, Big Leaps
A number of factors set high-impact tutoring apart from traditional tutoring. To start, high-impact is most effective when it’s delivered during the school day (either on-site, live virtually or hybrid) in small group settings. Secondly, each session occurs up to five times per week and can be 20-45 minutes in duration. This type of small group instruction delivered with frequency and consistency isn’t just a supplement to classroom learning – it creates a pathway toward academic goals that may not have existed before.
Trusted Tutors, Real Progress
For families, finding the right tutor can feel overwhelming. Vetting private tutors, managing schedules and evaluating quality can be a time-consuming, uncertain exercise. School-based high-impact tutoring removes that guesswork. Districts partner with experienced education organizations to provide vetted, highly trained tutors, structured instructional materials and ongoing progress monitoring.
Through partnerships with school districts nationwide, Catapult Learning helps deliver structured, research-based high-impact tutoring programs that are designed to support students in reading and math, aligning with classroom goals to ensure learners of all skills and abilities receive the right support at the right time. Plus, its research-based instructional materials – combined with exemplary tutors and real-time accountability – allow families to benefit from clear insights into their child’s growth through real data and measurable outcomes.
Flexible and Accessible
High-impact tutoring has the added benefit of being flexible, accessible and less taxing on parents. Because it’s designed to be built directly into the school day, there are no extra trips, costs or added scheduling stresses for families. It’s a hassle-free way for students to get the help they need without burdening parents or caregivers.
Proven Results
The urgency for high-impact tutoring has only increased in the years following the pandemic. The widespread instructional disruptions left countless students with unfinished learning and specific skill gaps traditional classroom time can’t always address. High-impact tutoring offers a targeted way to make up for educational losses and promote equity by providing intensive, individualized instruction to the students who need it most.
Research shows high-impact tutoring is now recognized as the most effective school-based strategy for accelerating learning in reading and math for struggling students. Multiple studies confirm that well-designed tutoring programs produce measurable learning gains.
While many school districts face challenges in providing consistent, high-quality academic support due to limited capacity, staffing and resources, programs implemented by Catapult Learning have demonstrated students can achieve up to eight additional months of learning in reading or math within a single school year. In practical terms, this means students can make accelerated progress toward grade-level expectations, strengthen foundational skills and build confidence in the classroom – all within the structure of the regular school day.
As more schools adopt this approach, families can check with their district to learn whether high-impact tutoring is available. To better understand how these programs are delivered in schools, visit catapultlearning.com for additional information.
SOURCE:
Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.
New hybrid event aims to give grieving audiences meaningful holiday viewing, with films from more than 25 countries and a mission centered on love, loss, and emotional truth.
A new film festival debuting in late 2026 is taking a different approach to holiday entertainment. Grief Fest™: The Grief Film Festival, created by My Grief Angels Inc., is being introduced as what organizers believe is the world’s first film festival dedicated entirely to grief, remembrance, resilience, and healing.
The hybrid festival will run in two segments: November 25–29, 2026, during Thanksgiving week, and December 24, 2026, through January 3, 2027, during Christmas and New Year’s. Top Honors films will be announced on December 31, 2026.
Organizers say the timing is intentional. Research cited in the announcement shows that grief and loneliness are major holiday stressors for many Americans, making the season especially difficult for people coping with loss. In that context, Grief Fest™ is positioning itself as an alternative to the flood of traditional feel-good holiday programming.
The festival is open to short films, features, documentaries, experimental work, AI-generated projects, and VR experiences. It is described as inclusive, non-religious, and LGBTQ+ friendly, with submissions already received from more than 25 countries. All films will be presented in English, either spoken or subtitled.
Grief Fest™ will be available both in person and virtually through Film Festival Plus, making it accessible to audiences worldwide. The launch of GriefFest.com also includes Lumen, a multilingual AI guide designed to help filmmakers and attendees navigate the festival in their preferred language.
Rather than focusing on industry prestige, organizers say the festival is centered on community and emotionally honest storytelling. For audiences who feel unseen during the holidays, Grief Fest™ is aiming to offer something rare on the seasonal screen: recognition.
Source: PR Newswire
Related Reading
- Grief Fest: Official festival site
- My Grief Angels Inc.: About the nonprofit behind the festival
- Film Festival Plus: Virtual access platform
Catch the latest in movies, TV, music, pop culture, and live events in STM Daily News’ Entertainment section.
