A solar eclipse will be visible across the continental United States on Monday, August 21. Many people will be hosting parties, going to the beach, and planning camping trips to view this rare occurrence.

If you are planning to view the solar eclipse, do so safely with eclipse glasses and solar viewers that meet the international safety standard. Consider products marked with ISO 12312-2, which means they meet the international safety standard.

Find more information on choosing safe glasses from the Federal Trade Commission and follow these tips:

• Use new glasses or viewers – Do not use glasses more than three years old, wrinkled, or scratched.
• Follow the instructions on your glasses or viewer carefully. Do not use homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses.
• Do not look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars, or other optical device – even when using your eclipse glasses or viewer. Those optical devices concentrate the solar rays, which will damage your eclipse glasses or viewer, and seriously injure your eyes.

For more solar eclipse safety information, including how to protect your eyes from the dangerously bright sun, visit eclipse2017.nasa.gov .  

Learning about hurricanes will help keep you prepared during hurricane season, which continues through November 30.

Make sure you do not confuse myths for facts, so you can be confident about taking the proper preparedness actions.

Here are a few myths to look out for when you are preparing for a hurricane:

• Myth: Homeowner's insurance will cover everything if a hurricane affects your home.
• Fact: Standard homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage. Consult your insurance agent about flood damage and learn more from the National Flood Insurance Program .
• Myth: Taping windows will protect them from strong, hurricane force winds.
• Fact: Taping windows can create larger, deadlier shards of glass. Hurricane shutters and impact-resistant windows are far more effective against breakage.
• Myth: It is okay to drive through a small amount of floodwater.
• Fact: The depth of water is not always obvious, and moving water has tremendous power. As little as one (1) foot of water can sweep your vehicle off the roadway.

For more myths vs. facts and great information on how to prepare this hurricane season, visit Prepareathon's Hurricane page .

Safe rooms  are a good way to provide protection for you, your family, or employees from hurricanes or tornadoes. Having a safe room for your home or business that meets FEMA criteria can help provide  “near-absolute protection”   from injury or death caused by the dangerous forces of extreme winds.

Home or small business owners can better assess their risks and determine the best safe rooms for their needs with the following publications:  FEMA's P-320  Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business ; FEMA P-361  Safe Rooms for Tornadoes and Hurricanes: Guidance for Community and Residential Safe Rooms ; and the International Code Council's (ICC) 500 Standard for the Design and Construction of Storm Shelters .  

To learn more about safe rooms, visit  www.fema.gov/safe-rooms .

If a safe room is not available during severe weather, seek the best available shelter with these tips from Prepareathon's How to Prepare for a Tornado Guide :

• Go to a small, interior, windowless room such as a closet or bathroom on the lowest level of a sturdy building. For a hurricane, make sure the room is not subject to flooding.
• Cover your head and neck with your arms and cover your body as best you can (e.g. with a cushion, coat, or blanket).

To learn more about how to protect yourself and your family during severe weather, visit the  Prepareathon website or www.ready.gov .