KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- As clouds roll in, time to take cover.

"Chances of being struck by lightening are pretty small and hail may sting a little but no big worries," said Rodney James of Knoxville of his preparation plan.

Knoxville Fire Department and Knoxville Knox County Emergency Management Agency say don't worry about severe weather, plan.

"Just be cautious," said Capt. D.J. Corcoran with the Knoxville Fire Department. Always have shelter within a walking distance if you are out. Make sure that you have somewhere that you can get in from the weather."

If you are outdoors, stay informed. Be sure to take cover away from trees and other structures. Lightening and hail can be damaging, even in a vehicle.

"Hail can be as big as golf balls, or baseballs sometimes, and that can cause a lot of damage," said Corcoran.

Flash flooding can be deceiving. When in doubt, don't cross. "If you don't know how deep it is, don't try to go across it in a vehicle," he said.

With downed trees and power lines, Knoxville Utilities Board says stay away. "The most important thing is if you see a downed power line, to stay away from it. Even if the power line doesn't look like it's dangerous, it could still be energized," said Susan Edwards, a spokesperson for KUB.

KUB says trees frequently cause outages in storms. "It's good to have an emergency kit on hand. That would include a battery powered radio, flashlights of course," said Edwards. "Matches and candles."

And remember if your power is out, your cordless phone is out, too. "It's good to have a regular land line phone, or a cell phone that you can use in the event of an outage."

If you have an outage, you can call 865-524-2911 to report it to KUB's automated system. You can also click on the link below.