Today, you’ll learn why you should get ready for another brutal round of hurricanes, why you need to factor in a global epidemic to your emergency plans, why you can’t trust your smart home device and more.

New York City… Southern California… Puerto Rico… Who knows what will happen tomorrow — or where. That’s why it’s important to be prepared. Your life — and the lives of your loved ones — depends on it. So let’s take a look at this week’s must-read articles.

This week’s drop is a bit of a mixed bag. I’ll show you an email scam to avoid, address concerns over sentient appliances, clear up some cybersecurity confusion and introduce a special guest who will be joining us for next week’s mailbag.

I’d like to kick off the first Weekly Drop of 2017 with a great suggestion from one of my readers. This handy gadget means you’ll never have to worry about opening your door to a stranger.