Hurricane Preparation: What to Do Before the Storm

Article overview

• Make a plan early: Know your evacuation zone, choose meeting points and decide how your family will communicate if power or cell service is disrupted.
• Build an emergency kit: Stock several days of water, non-perishable food, medications, first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, cash and key documents.
• Prepare your home: Clear gutters, trim trees, secure outdoor items, protect windows and know how to shut off utilities if needed.
• Prepare your vehicle: Fuel up, check tires and wipers, pack a car emergency kit and avoid driving through flooded roads.
• Plan for pets: Include pets in evacuation plans, pack food and medications and identify pet-friendly shelters or lodging.
• Review insurance and documents: Take photos or video of your home, car and belongings before a storm to help if you need to file a claim.

Start preparing before hurricane season

June may be the official start of hurricane season, but there’s never a wrong time to begin emergency planning and preparation. Here are some of the first steps you’ll want to take when preparing for a hurricane or tropical storm.

Hurricane prep quick checklist:

• Stock 3+ days of water and food
• Build an emergency kit
• Secure home and yard
• Fuel vehicles
• Review evacuation plan

Create a family emergency plan

• 1 month before hurricane season: Review your evacuation zone, map out multiple routes and choose a safe meeting place in case your family becomes separated. This is also a good time to talk through communication plans, update emergency contacts and make sure everyone knows where supplies and important documents are stored.

• 1 week before a storm: Recheck your emergency kit, refill prescriptions, charge backup batteries and confirm where you would go if officials recommend evacuation. If you have pets, verify that their food, medications, carriers and vaccination records are ready to take with you.

• 48 hours before landfall: Follow local alerts closely and complete any final safety steps, such as securing outdoor items, gathering documents, fueling vehicles and moving supplies to an easy-to-reach location. If an evacuation order is issued, leave as soon as it is safe to do so.

When creating an emergency plan, be sure to include evacuation routes and meeting points, should you become separated or lose power. Determine how you’ll stay in touch and consider designating someone from out of state as your primary point of contact. After your evacuation and communication plans are in place, sign up for storm alerts.

The FEMA app allows you to receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service and find emergency shelters in your area. Stay tuned to local news as well for updates on school closings, sandbag sites, road closures and emergency supply tips.

If you have a pet, be sure you have their microchip information, or consider having them microchipped, and know a safe place where you can take them if hotels or public shelters don’t allow pets.

Once news sources announce the projected path of a tropical storm or hurricane, stores within the cone (i.e., the probable track of the hurricane) are likely to become frenzied.

Build an emergency kit

Stock up on non-perishable food, water and medications for people and pets in advance of storm announcements. Also, prepare a basic first aid kit that contains the following:

• Absorbent compress dressings
• Adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)
• Adhesive cloth tape
• Antibiotic and hydrocortisone ointments
• Aspirin
• Antiseptic wipes
• Emergency blanket
• Cold compress
• Nonlatex gloves
• Gauze bandage and sterile gauze pads
• Tweezers

Lastly, gather essential items such as flashlights, batteries, and a battery-powered radio, and have cash on hand in case power outages affect ATMs and card readers.

If you have a pet, ensure that their essential supplies (i.e., leashes, carriers, pet pillows, and blankets) are stored conveniently near yours for easy access.

Prepare your home before the storm

In preparing your home for a hurricane, you’ll want to begin by:

• Trimming trees and shrubs to reduce potential debris, and clearing your gutters and drains to prevent flooding. Ideally, these preparations should be done at least a month before the start of hurricane season, as professional help can become limited once a storm is announced.
• Purchase plywood to reinforce windows and doors. Plywood supplies can run thin at the peak of storm season, so this is another item worth keeping on hand year-round.
• Learn how to turn off your gas, electricity and water in case there’s damage to these systems after a storm or if you need to evacuate.
• Take photo and video inventory of your home, car, and personal belongings before a storm hits, as this can help expedite the insurance process afterward if you need to submit a claim.
• Sandbags serve as a temporary defense against rising floodwaters. Place them in front of vulnerable areas such as doorways, garages and low-lying points of entry to redirect water.

Once a hurricane is approaching:

• Secure any loose outdoor items such as furniture, trash cans and decorative items or tools.
• Build up a supply of water for sanitary purposes by filling your bathtub, washing machine and large buckets or containers with water.
• Fill your car’s gas tank and move it to higher ground. If you have a garage, park your car inside the garage against the garage door.
• Unplug electronics—they are vulnerable to lightning strikes.
• Gather important documents (i.e., legal papers, birth certificates, marriage license, financial papers and insurance policy information) and place them in a safety deposit box or in fireproof/waterproof safe. If you can’t store original documents safely, make copies of your documents and keep them with you in a waterproof envelope.
• Use a flash drive to store any digital copies of important documents and records, and ensure you have all the passwords to critical accounts stored in a safe place you can access easily.

Prepare your vehicle

While much of the focus on hurricane preparedness centers on protecting your home, it's equally important to prepare your car. Your vehicle will be essential if you need to run last-minute errands or evacuate as a storm approaches. 

Before driving:

• Do not drive in rainy weather and high winds if you don’t have to.

• Check your tires (including your spare) to make sure they have plenty of tread and are properly inflated.

• Before the storm hits, fill up your gas tank.

• Make sure the windshield wipers are in good shape. The blades should completely clear the glass with each swipe. Replace any blade that leaves streaks or misses spots.

• Pack an emergency kit in your vehicle, which includes a flashlight with extra batteries, a first-aid kit, drinking water, mobile phone and car charger, extra snacks/food for your travelers and any pets, battery booster cables and emergency flares or reflectors.

On the road:

• To boost visibility, drive with your headlights on.

• Reduce your speed to account for less traction on wet roads and the destabilizing effects of high winds.

• To avoid a collision, keep enough open space around your vehicle. Drivers should extend their following distance to at least 5 or 6 seconds, and adjust speed to keep open space to at least one side of your vehicle at all times.

• If your vehicle starts to hydroplane, gently ease off the accelerator and continue to look and steer where you want to go. This will help the vehicle regain traction.

• Avoid driving through flooded areas, even if you are familiar with the roads. The flooded area may contain dangers such as debris, tree branches or power lines that are not visible. The best thing you can do is turn around and find an alternate route.

Prepare your pets

Pets should be part of your hurricane plan, too. Before a storm, make sure each pet has current ID tags or microchip information, pack food and water, gather medications and vaccination records in a waterproof container, and identify pet-friendly hotels, shelters or family members outside the evacuation area. Keep leashes, carriers and comfort items with the rest of your emergency supplies so you can leave quickly if officials issue an evacuation order.

Preparing for a hurricane before a storm is even in the forecast can help protect your home, vehicle, pets and loved ones when severe weather approaches. By making a family emergency plan, building a supply kit, securing your property and staying informed through official alerts, you can make faster, safer decisions if conditions change or an evacuation becomes necessary

We have several FREE guides that you can access for hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, here are the links:

• Hurricane Safety Guide
• Flood Safety Guide
• Tornado Safety Guide