Any advice?

OK, so I live near an ocean for the first time in my life and I'm not quite sure what to do.  I've done some looking around on the internet, and found that hurricane season runs from June 1 - November 30.  So since it is June 28th, I thought I should have some kind of idea what to do in case of a hurricane.  The first things that come to mind are evacuation route and survival kit.  Is that it?

I was looking up the evacuation route for where I live...and I have to admit that I don't quite understand it.  I guess I'm going to have to sit down with a map and figure it out...however, I do have a question.  Will the highways be closed?  Are the evacuation routes quicker?  or is it just a way to split up the traffic?

Survival kit ideas that I found online have all been about the same idea.  Food, Water, Tools, and Important Papers.  Anything else?  And do I put this all together in a box that I can throw in my car if we have to evacuate?

When do we evacuate? (Nana and Papa, we are coming your way if necessary)  Do I just wait for the weatherman to tell me it is time?  When I start feeling nervous about the situation? (there will probably be a lot of false alarms then).

So...just for the record, I'm not freaking out here.  I have been told that this is supposed to be a pretty bad storm year for the Charleston area so I just want to be prepared and not in the dark about what to expect.  Since its not just me that I have to worry about, but 3 of us, and one that can't do anything for himself, I want to make sure I know what to do.  So any helpful thoughts would be much appreciated.