YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY
By DAVID BROWN

Summer marked the onset of another hurricane season - and also the time of year when we see hundreds of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. After last year's experience with the traumas that Mother Nature can bring, I think most Americans are now a little more diligent about making storm preparations.

One of those precautions is to make sure that they have a cash flow available. Hurricanes, tornadoes and severe thunderstorms can disrupt normal mail delivery, close banks or make it difficult to get to a local banking institution. This can be especially true for many Social Security beneficiaries who are older or have disabilities. But if people take advantage of direct deposit of their benefit checks, then they won't need to worry about getting Social Security checks or getting them deposited. Benefit payments automatically go into their account for immediate use.

Direct deposit also means people don't have to worry about lost or stolen checks. If someone is not using direct deposit and his or her check is lost, it can take some time to investigate and replace a check. Why take the chance when signing up for direct deposit is so easy? Any beneficiary who is not now using direct deposit can visit us at www.socialsecurity.gov/deposit/ to find easy-to-understand, user-friendly information about how to sign up. Or they can call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778),or visit a local Social Security office and ask for the publication Social Security - Receive Your Benefits By Direct Deposit.

Mr. Brown is District Manager of the Social Security Administration's Downtown New York Office.