The sky darkens faster than you expect. What started as a weather advisory on your phone suddenly becomes an evacuation order, and you’re standing in your kitchen wondering if you have enough batteries, if your insurance papers are somewhere safe, or if you even know where you’d go.
Hurricanes don’t give you much time to figure things out. They give you deadlines. And when those deadlines arrive, you either have a plan or you’re scrambling through drawers at midnight while the wind picks up outside.
Here’s what you need to know to be ready before the next storm season rolls around. Because the best time to prepare for a hurricane is when the sun is shining and you can think clearly.
Hurricane Planning Checklist and Guide
Getting ready for hurricane season feels overwhelming until you break it down into manageable pieces. Let’s walk through everything you need to do, step by step, so you can protect your family, your home, and your peace of mind.
1. Create Your Emergency Supply Kit
Your supply kit needs to keep you going for at least three days, maybe longer if the storm is particularly bad. Start with water. You need one gallon per person per day. That’s for drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene. If you have a family of four, you’re looking at 12 gallons minimum.
Food comes next, and this is where people often mess up. You don’t want anything that needs refrigeration or extensive cooking. Stock up on canned goods, protein bars, dried fruits, nuts, and ready-to-eat meals. Think about what you’d actually want to eat when you’re stressed and possibly sitting in the dark. Peanut butter, crackers, canned tuna, and granola bars go a long way.
Now let’s talk about the stuff that keeps the lights on, literally. You need flashlights and batteries. Not just one flashlight, but several. One for each family member is ideal. Those battery-powered lanterns are worth every penny because they light up a whole room. Get extra batteries. Way more than you think you’ll need. While you’re at it, grab a manual can opener because your electric one won’t help you when the power’s out.
Your first aid kit should include bandages, antibiotic ointment, pain relievers, prescription medications (at least a week’s supply), and any medical supplies specific to your family’s needs. Add a thermometer, tweezers, and medical tape. If anyone in your house takes daily medication, talk to your doctor about getting an emergency supply.
Don’t forget the basics that make life bearable. Toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, soap, hand sanitizer, garbage bags, and wet wipes. You’ll want these items sealed in waterproof bags. A battery-powered or hand-crank radio keeps you connected to emergency broadcasts when your phone dies. Speaking of phones, get a portable charger or two. The kind that holds multiple charges.
2. Secure Important Documents
Water damage destroys paper faster than you think. Your birth certificates, passports, insurance policies, medical records, bank account information, and property deeds need protection. Get a waterproof, fireproof safe or container. They’re not expensive, and they’re worth every cent when you’re dealing with the aftermath of a storm.
Make copies of everything. Digital copies stored in the cloud give you backup access from anywhere. Take photos of your important documents with your phone and upload them to a secure cloud service. While you’re at it, photograph every room in your house, your belongings, and anything valuable. These photos become crucial when you’re filing insurance claims later.
Keep some cash on hand too. ATMs go down. Credit card machines stop working. You need actual bills, preferably in small denominations. A few hundred dollars in cash can solve a lot of problems when electronic payment systems are offline.
3. Develop Your Evacuation Plan
You need to know your evacuation zone. Your local emergency management office has maps showing which areas get evacuation orders first. Look it up now, not when a storm is coming. Different zones evacuate at different times based on storm intensity and storm surge predictions.
Figure out where you’ll go. Do you have family or friends inland who could host you? Book a hotel early if that’s your plan, because rooms fill up fast once a hurricane gets named. Know your evacuation route. Have a primary route and a backup. Roads flood. Accidents cause traffic jams. You need options.
Pack your evacuation bag before you need it. This is separate from your supply kit. Your evacuation bag is what you grab when you leave. Think about what you’d need for a week away from home. Clothes, toiletries, medications, phone chargers, important documents, some comfort items. For kids, that might mean a favorite stuffed animal or book. Keep this bag easily accessible.
Here’s something most people forget: practice your evacuation. Actually drive the route. Time it. See what you encounter. Talk through the plan with your family. Kids need to know what’s happening and what they should do. The middle of a crisis is not the time for first-time conversations about emergency procedures.
4. Protect Your Property
Start outside. Walk around your house and look for anything that could become a projectile. Loose roof shingles, hanging tree branches, unsecured patio furniture, grills, potted plants, and garden tools. Either secure them or bring them inside. That lightweight plastic chair on your deck becomes a dangerous missile in 100-mph winds.
Your windows need attention. If you have hurricane shutters, great. Install them when a storm threatens. If you don’t, plywood works. Measure your windows now and cut plywood panels that fit. Label them so you know which piece goes where. Store them somewhere accessible. Those myths about taping windows? They don’t work. Tape doesn’t prevent glass from breaking. It just makes bigger shards.
Check your roof and gutters. Clean out the gutters so water flows properly. Loose or damaged shingles should be repaired before storm season. A small leak becomes a major problem when heavy rain pounds your roof for hours. If you have a garage door, consider bracing it. Garage doors are often the weakest point in a house, and when they fail, the wind gets inside and can literally lift your roof off.
Think about your yard’s drainage. Where does water go during heavy rain? If it pools near your foundation, you might need to adjust your landscaping or install better drainage. Flooding can happen even if you’re not in a surge zone.
Trim those tree branches that hang over your house. Dead or weak branches come down in high winds. Better to remove them on your schedule than have them crash through your roof during a storm. If you have big trees close to your house, consider having a professional arborist assess them.
5. Stay Informed About the Storm
Download weather apps now. The National Hurricane Center app, your local news apps, and emergency alert apps all serve different purposes. Enable notifications so you get updates automatically. When a storm forms, these apps become your lifeline to accurate, timely information.
Understand the terminology. A hurricane watch means conditions are possible within 48 hours. A hurricane warning means they’re expected within 36 hours. Those timeframes matter. You act differently based on whether you have two days or 36 hours.
Follow official sources. Social media spreads rumors and outdated information faster than facts. Stick to the National Weather Service, your local emergency management office, and established news outlets. They’re getting information from meteorologists who actually know what they’re talking about.
Pay attention to the forecast cone. That cone shows where the storm might go, not just the center line. Anywhere in that cone could see impacts. People sometimes think if the center line doesn’t cross their city, they’re safe. That’s wrong. You can be hundreds of miles from the eye and still get dangerous conditions.
Storm surge predictions are critical. Storm surge kills more people than wind in most hurricanes. If forecasters say your area could see 10 feet of surge, take that seriously. That’s water, not waves. It’s like the ocean rises 10 feet higher than normal. Nothing survives that.
6. Prepare Your Vehicle
Your car needs the same attention as your house. Fill up the gas tank when a storm threatens. Don’t wait until the last minute. Gas stations run out, and the ones with fuel have lines that stretch for blocks.
Check your spare tire, jack, and jumper cables. Make sure your registration and insurance information are current and easily accessible. Keep a car emergency kit with basic tools, a first aid kit, water, snacks, and a blanket. If you’re evacuating, you might be stuck in traffic for hours. Your car becomes your temporary shelter.
7. Plan for Your Pets
Pets are family. They go with you. Many emergency shelters don’t accept pets, so you need a plan. Research pet-friendly hotels along your evacuation route. Some animal shelters offer emergency boarding during hurricanes. Call ahead and find out their policies.
Prepare a pet emergency kit. Food, water, medications, leash, carrier, vaccination records, and a recent photo of your pet. That photo helps if you get separated. Microchip your pets if they’re not already chipped, and make sure the contact information is current. Collars with ID tags are essential too.
If you can’t take your pets and refuse to leave without them, you’re putting everyone at risk. Find a solution beforehand. Talk to friends, family, or boarding facilities. Your pet’s life and yours both depend on having a solid plan.
8. Know Your Insurance Coverage
Pull out your homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy and actually read it. What does it cover? What doesn’t it cover? Standard policies usually don’t include flood insurance. You need a separate flood policy, and there’s typically a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect. Don’t wait until a storm is forecast to buy flood insurance.
Document everything you own. Take photos or videos of each room. Open closets and drawers. Record model and serial numbers of electronics and appliances. Keep receipts for expensive items. This documentation makes filing claims easier and helps ensure you get proper compensation.
Understand your deductible. Hurricane deductibles are often different from regular deductibles. They might be a percentage of your home’s insured value rather than a flat dollar amount. A 5% deductible on a $300,000 home means you pay the first $15,000 of damage. That’s something to know before the storm, not after.
9. Establish Communication Plans
Cell towers go down. Phone lines fail. You need multiple ways to communicate. Designate an out-of-state contact person. Everyone in your family should know this person’s phone number by heart. Sometimes it’s easier to reach someone far away than someone local because local networks get overwhelmed.
Text messages often go through when phone calls won’t. They use less bandwidth. Teach everyone in your family how to send texts, even the less tech-savvy members. Social media can also work when other methods fail, but remember that internet access depends on working cell towers or WiFi.
Establish a meeting point if you get separated. Pick a location outside your immediate area. Everyone should know the address and how to get there. Practice saying it out loud. Write it down and put it in everyone’s wallet or bag.
10. Review and Practice Your Plan
A plan you made last year might not work this year. Maybe you moved. Maybe your kids are older. Maybe your health situation changed. Review your hurricane plan at the start of every season. Update contact numbers, check expiration dates on supplies, and make sure everyone still knows what to do.
Run through scenarios. What if the storm hits while you’re at work? What if it’s nighttime? What if only one parent is home with the kids? Talk through these situations. The more you discuss and practice, the more automatic your responses become when real stress hits.
Test your equipment. Do those flashlights actually work? Are the batteries in your radio dead? Does your weather radio receive signals? Is your phone charger compatible with your current phone? These small checks prevent big problems later.
Keep learning. Every hurricane teaches lessons. Pay attention to what worked and what didn’t for your neighbors, your community, and yourself. Adjust your plan accordingly. Preparedness is an ongoing process, not a one-time checkbox.
Wrapping Up
You can’t control when or where a hurricane hits, but you absolutely control how ready you are. The steps above aren’t complicated or expensive. They just require time and attention before the crisis arrives.
Start today. Pick one thing from this guide and do it this week. Next week, tackle another. Before you know it, you’ll have a complete plan that actually works. That peace of mind is worth every minute you invest now.
When the next storm starts spinning in the Atlantic, you’ll watch the forecast with preparation instead of panic. That’s the difference planning makes.