With the memory of Sandy still fresh in many people's minds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is forecasting an active or extremely active hurricane season for 2013. We could see 13 to 20 named storms, including 3 to 6 major hurricanes with winds of 111 miles per hour or higher. Here are six ways to weather the season.

Six months ago today—on October 29, 2012—Sandy slammed into the mid-Atlantic region. A new Consumer Reports survey documents the deep disruption and devastation Sandy wrought, along with highlighting the steps that helped victims cope in its aftermath.

A mowing accident in Florida in which a two-year-old lost both her feet tragically underscores the dangers posed by powerful lawn equipment. "The energy transferred by a typical lawn mower blade is equivalent to being shot in the hand with a .357 Magnum pistol," says the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, whose doctors see many such injuries. "In addition, a lawn mower can eject a piece of metal or wood up to 100 miles per hour."

How much progress have federal officials made in taking steps to reduce Americans' exposure to arsenic in everyday foods such as rice and apple juice? Not as much as we'd hope to see. While there is an arsenic standard for drinking water, no federal limit exists for arsenic in most foods.

Since 1961, the third week in March has been designated National Poison Prevention Week. The event was established by Congress as a way to highlight the dangers of poisonings and show how to prevent them. More than 2 million poisonings are reported each year, nine out of 10 of which occur at home. While children are most vulnerable, poisonings are also one of the leading causes of death among adults.

Contrary to what you might expect from all the news about gun violence, accidental deaths from guns in the home are relatively uncommon, and have actually gone down slightly in recent years, according to a new study. But other deadly accidents at home, including poisonings, falls, and burns, are far more common, and on the rise. The good news: some simple measures can help prevent most of them.

Lots of folks bought a new TV in time to enjoy the Super Bowl and often the old TV winds up in a bedroom. It's crucial to ensure that any TV in your home is installed in a way that doesn't pose a hazard to kids. Televisions were involved in furniture tip-over accidents that killed 206 children ages 8 and younger in the United States during the years 2000 to 2011, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And in the years 2009-2011 alone, 12,700 children under age 10 were brought to hospital emergency departments due to injuries involving TV tip-overs, the CPSC reported. The problem involves both older tube TVs and newer flat-screen models. Fortunately, with either type of TV, such tragedies are easily prevented.

Portable electric space heaters provide heat quickly without the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, making them a quick way to provide extra warmth to a chilly family room. But if you have little kids, it's safest to keep them away space heaters--electrical or otherwise. Here are additional tips for using space heaters safely.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a minimum sound standard for electric and hybrid vehicles to help reduce pedestrian fatalities.

It's such fun to watch your child rip open a holiday present and find just what he was hoping for. But as a savvy consumer, you should know that toys are frequent hazards. In 2011, the most recent year for which the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has statistics, an estimated 262,300 toy-related injuries were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments and there were 13 deaths related to toys.

After the deaths of five infants using Nap Nanny infant recliners, the Consumer Product Safety Commission sued the products' manufacturer in an effort to prevent further tragedy. The recliner was originally recalled in 2010 after the first reported death in a Nap Nanny. On December 5th, the CPSC took the unusual step of filing an administrative complaint due to defects in the products' design, warnings, and instructions, alleging that the products "create a substantial risk of injury to the public."

If you've got a bedbug infestation, you probably want to do whatever necessary to get rid of them, including spraying your home with pesticides. But earlier this week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned about a steep rise in injuries from misuse of pesticides to control the bugs.

Focus Products Group International, which owns the West Bend brand name, is recalling several hot cocoa drink makers today. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the small appliances have internal parts that may leach heavy metal lead while making hot cocoa.

There's a huge demand for portable power generators in the aftermath and clean-up from Hurricane Sandy. However 8,600 Champion-branded portable generators, sold exclusively at Costco, pose a fire hazard and are being recalled, warns the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The ravages of Hurricane Sandy may have ruined your medications. Follow this advice from the Food and Drug Administration to make sure the drugs you take are safe: