Are You Prepared for Mayhem?

What would you do if disaster strikes? Are you prepared to survive in a tornado, flood or blizzard?

Some of my favorite movies deal with these topics, and usually the main characters do not fare very well when confronted with extreme weather conditions. They always choose to ignore warning signs and are astounded when they are forced to fight for their lives.

Now I'm not the brightest flashlight in my disaster supplies kit, but I do know that I would definitely not try to outrun a tornado in my Saturn Vue. And hanging around the beach when the deadly sharknado is being forecast is a big no-no. As for severe flooding, I will graciously accept my neighbor's invitation to join him and his pets on his ark—and I can even bring my labradoodle along. And as a native Chicagoan I know not to venture outside my house during a blizzard. I simply hunker down with my hot chocolate and fleece blanket and binge watch Game of Thrones. Basically, the more prepared you are, the better off you'll be.

Coincidentally, September is National Preparedness Month and you can go to www.ready.gov to get all kinds of helpful hints to prepare for mayhem. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite disaster movies where lack of planning and idiocy reign—and I love that about these movies.

Twister: Storm chasers track deadly tornadoes as they sweep through the Midwest's infamous Tornado Alley.

Sharknado: A tornado sucks sharks out of the Pacific Ocean, setting them loose on an unsuspecting Los Angeles.

Noah: A biblical epic tells the story of Noah and the great flood.

The Day After Tomorrow: A super-storm freezes the Northern hemisphere and a small band of survivors fight for their lives.