Weather emergencies can happen at any time, and you may not always be with your kids when they do. If you have kids who you feel are old enough to understand and act accordingly during such an emergency, it's a good idea to make sure they know what to do should one occur when you're not around. But if you have younger kids who will need to be cared for in your absence, the person you put in charge of that care should also have all the information they need to make smart, quick decisions.

Most parents leave a list of emergency contacts for their sitters, and while that's a good start, it may not help much during and in the immediate aftermath of a weather emergency that occurs suddenly. For example, if a tornado is about to hit, your sitter should know if you have a storm shelter or safe room, where it is, and how to access it (if, say, there's a lock combination). If you don't have a shelter, they should know to take the kids to the lowest level of the house, or to an inner room in the house with no windows, like a closet or bathroom.

But that's just one aspect of making sure your sitter is prepared for weather emergencies while you're away. Here are 8 others.

Share your evacuation plan

No one wants to imagine that their sitter will have to manage an evacuation with their kids, but if you're away for several days or weeks, it's always a possibility, so in those cases, sharing your evacuation plan makes sense. That plan should include a list of emergency contact numbers, the location of your family's pre-designated meeting place should anyone get separated, and easy to remember evacuation routes. Make sure your sitter has access to a vehicle, or is able to rent one if need be. If you have a location you typically evacuate to, like a relative's house or shelter, that information should be left for them as well. Try and stay in close contact before the storm hits so you know where to find them should cell phone towers get knocked out.

Hunkering down at home

The best course of action may be to have them stay put in your home, but in that case, it's important for them to know how to manage the potential effects of a major storm all while keeping your kids safe. Here are the most important things for your sitter to know if they plan to ride out a weather emergency with your kids.

Emergency Alert System. Make sure your sitter can and is getting alerts from a reliable weather app or site, like the NOAA or your local Emergency Alert System (EAS).

Where you keep your emergency bag. This bag will also come in handy during an evacuation, because it should have essentials they'll need to keep everyone safe and as comfortable as possible. The bag should include a first aid kit, medicines for everyone in the household (including pets), at least a gallon of water per person, extra batteries, a phone charger, non-perishable food, a flashlight and warm clothes.

The circuit breaker and other utilities. Not only is this useful if the power goes off during a storm, in the case of severe flooding in the area, turning off all the power helps prevent power surges and fires. Aside from electrical, they may need to know how to turn off the gas line as well, especially if there's a fire risk.

Your generator. If you have a generator, you may want to give your sitter a quick tutorial on how to use it since they can look a little intimidating. They should also know to keep portable models outside and away from windows as they emit carbon dioxide.

Winter supplies. Should a winter storm hit while you're away, you'll want your sitter to know where your ice melt salt bags and shovels are so no one takes a nasty spill when they head outside. And if the power goes out, they'll need access to extra warm layers, coats and blankets, so make sure they know where to find that stuff, too.

Flooding dos and don'ts. Flooding can impact an area very quickly, and isn't always connected to a major storm like a hurricane. The most important things for your sitter to remember is to act quickly if a flooding emergency is issued, and get the kids to higher ground. Avoid driving through flood waters as even just a foot of water can lift a car off the ground, and try not to wade through flood waters as potentially harmful debris is often just under the surface. If flood waters start to rise in the house, take the kids to the highest part of the house and call or signal for help.

There are lots of potentially dangerous scenarios that accompany a weather emergency, but if you provide your sitter with detailed information on what they should do in each scenario, it will help them keep your kids safe, and give you peace of mind.