As much as we may hate to admit it, winter will be here soon. If this winter is anything like the last several that we've had in central Illinois, you'll want to be prepared.

We know it's not reasonable to expect that no one will be out on the road during a winter storm. It's also likely that if a winter storm hits, rural areas will be hard to reach and may be without essential services such as electricity or gas until crews can restore those services.

So preparing for winter weather just makes sense and doing so now rather than later will help you be ready when we get that first big snow. Two state-level agencies, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and the Illinois State Police (ISP) have excellent brochures on winter storm preparedness and winter travel safety. If you'd like more information on how to build a winter survival kit for your car or what to do if you're without power or gas at home as a result of a winter storm, then these brochures are for you. If you know someone else who can benefit from this information as well, we encourage you to share it with them so that they can be just as prepared.

• IEMA's Winter Storm Preparedness Brochure
• ISP's Illinois Winter Survival Guide