Hurricane preparation

1. Know Your Risk and Your Zone

• Look up your storm surge evacuation zone on your county or state emergency management site Evacuation zones are built from the National Hurricane Center's SLOSH surge modeling — they map where water is expected to force people out.
• Separately look up your FEMA flood zone on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center These are two different maps built for two different purposes: evacuation zones model surge vulnerability, FEMA flood zones set NFIP insurance rating. Being outside one does not put you outside the other.
• If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, plan to leave regardless of your zone Florida's emergency management agency states it flatly: “It is never safe to remain in a mobile home during a high wind event such as a tropical storm, hurricane, thunderstorm, or tornado.”
• Account for the extra wind risk if you live on a high floor NOAA notes winds “can be stronger higher above ground level,” which puts high-rise upper floors at greater risk, not less.
• Assess your inland flooding risk, not just coastal surge NHC states that flooding “is the major threat from tropical cyclones for people living inland.” Of 442 direct US deaths from tropical systems in 2013-2022, 251 (56.8%) came from inland flooding.
• Recognize that being outside a high-risk flood area is not safety 29% of NFIP flood claims from 2014-2024 came from outside high-risk flood areas.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts and download the FEMA app Set up wireless emergency alerts and know which local agency issues evacuation orders for your address.
• Identify the nearest safe destination outside your surge zone Not the farthest — see the evacuation section. You are trying to leave the water, not the state.

2. Fix Your Insurance Before June 1

• Buy flood insurance now, because coverage is not immediate NFIP policies generally take effect at 12:01 a.m. on the 30th calendar day after application and payment (44 CFR 61.11(d)). Exceptions: coverage tied to a loan closing is effective at closing, and a shorter period applies during the 13 months after a flood map revision.
• Understand that your homeowners policy excludes flood, including storm surge Standard HO-3 policies exclude flood. Storm surge is adjudicated as flood, not wind — this is the basis of decades of hurricane litigation.
• Elect both building and contents coverage under the NFIP They are purchased separately with separate limits and separate deductibles. Residential limits are up to $250,000 building and up to $100,000 contents. A building-only policy pays nothing for your belongings.
• Find your hurricane or windstorm deductible on your declarations page It is typically a percentage of your Coverage A dwelling limit, generally 1-5%, not a flat dollar amount. Percentage hurricane deductibles are permitted in 18 states plus DC. On a $400,000 dwelling limit, 5% is $20,000 out of pocket.
• Know that the NFIP pays nothing toward temporary housing The policy excludes “any additional living expenses incurred while the insured building is being repaired or is unable to be occupied.” HO-3 will not fill the gap either, because HO-3 excludes flood — so neither policy funds your hotel after a flood.
• Know that the NFIP excludes ordinance-or-law coverage The only carve-out is the Increased Cost of Compliance benefit, up to $30,000, and it triggers only if your community declares the building substantially damaged or a repetitive loss property, and only in a Special Flood Hazard Area.
• Price a private flood policy if you need living expenses or code-upgrade coverage Private carriers commonly add both as differentiators against the NFIP.
• Photograph and video every room, including inside closets and cabinets Store the file off-site or in cloud storage. Record model and serial numbers for major appliances and electronics.

3. Harden the House, Roof First

• Treat the roof as the first priority, because failure starts well below hurricane force IBHS testing found aging asphalt shingles “can dislodge in winds as low as 60 mph.” Once the covering is gone, IBHS estimates up to 750 gallons of water — “nine bathtubs” — can enter per inch of rain through a 2,000 sq ft unsealed deck.
• Specify a sealed roof deck at your next re-roof IBHS testing found sealing the deck reduces water intrusion “by as much as 95%” versus a bare, unsealed deck. Four accepted methods: taped seams plus underlayment; full peel-and-stick membrane; two layers of felt underlayment; or closed-cell spray foam beneath the joints.
• Specify 8d ring-shank nails at 4 inches on center throughout all roof areas The 2025 FORTIFIED standard tightened this from the older 6-inch field spacing. IBHS states the change can “double the uplift your roof can withstand.”
• Budget gable-end bracing and soffit reinforcement separately This work is a FORTIFIED Silver requirement, not part of a base FORTIFIED Roof designation. Buying a FORTIFIED Roof does not get you gable bracing.
• Cover every window with shutters or pre-cut plywood before the season starts Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection; the alternative is 5/8-inch exterior grade or marine plywood, cut to fit and labeled by opening. Buy before the pre-storm rush.
• Brace the garage door It is the largest opening on most houses.
• Trim trees, remove dead limbs, and clear gutters and drains Do this well before a storm is named — it is unsafe once winds arrive and debris pickup stops.
• Understand the measured payoff of roof hardening A 2025 peer-reviewed study of 40,195 coastal Alabama policies in Hurricane Sally found FORTIFIED homes had 55-74% lower loss frequency and 14-40% lower loss severity (Roof tier 14-20%; Gold reaching 40%), and were estimated to cut homeowner deductible payments 61-65%. Scope limit: one Category 2 event, one state, and FORTIFIED addresses wind, not surge.

4. Build the Kit and the Plan

• Store one gallon of water per person per day The one figure every source agrees on. CDC advises considering more for pregnant women, people who are sick, pets, or hot climates.
• Set a duration target and know where it comes from The American Red Cross specifies a 3-day supply for evacuation and a 2-week supply at home; Florida recommends a kit to last “at least 7 days.” Ready.gov's current page no longer states any day count — guidance citing it for a 3-day figure is quoting a superseded version.
• Stock non-perishable food to the same duration, plus a manual can opener NOAA's rationale for going long: after a hurricane, “electricity and water could be out for weeks.”
• Refill prescriptions early Red Cross recommends a 7-day minimum supply; Florida recommends a two-week supply of medication.
• Arrange backup power for anyone dependent on an electric medical device Register with your utility and local emergency management now. HHS emPOWER counts over 4.6 million Medicare beneficiaries living independently who rely on electricity-dependent equipment or essential health services.
• Pack a battery or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert Ready.gov lists these in the basic kit, not the optional add-ons.
• Add flashlights, batteries, first aid kit, sanitation supplies, infant and pet needs Include formula and diapers, and pet food and medications, sized to the same duration as your food and water.
• Withdraw cash ATMs and card readers fail without power.
• Waterproof and duplicate your documents Put insurance policies, IDs, deeds and medical records in a waterproof container, and photograph them to cloud storage.
• Write a family communication plan Include an out-of-area contact, a meeting point, and your children's school emergency procedures.

5. Read the Forecast Correctly

• Learn the two lead times: Watch is 48 hours, Warning is 36 hours A Hurricane Watch means hurricane conditions are possible. A Hurricane Warning means they are expected.
• Know what those clocks actually count down to — not hurricane-force winds NHC: “Because hurricane preparedness activities become difficult once winds reach tropical storm force, the hurricane watch is issued 48 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds.” That is 39 mph. Assuming the clock runs to 74 mph badly overestimates your time.
• Track Storm Surge Watch and Warning as separate products Operational since 2017, keyed to “life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland,” generally 48 and 36 hours respectively. Surge and wind warning areas do not have to match.
• Know what an Extreme Wind Warning means Issued when a Category 3 or stronger cyclone brings sustained winds of 115 mph or greater within the hour. Take shelter immediately in an interior portion of a well-built structure — treat it like a tornado warning.
• Read the cone as the track of the center only Each circle is sized so two-thirds of historical forecast errors over a 5-year sample fall inside it. NHC's product documentation: “tropical cyclones are not a point. Tropical cyclone effects can span many hundreds of miles from the center.”
• Do not treat the edge of the cone as the edge of the danger NWS: “Areas well outside of the cone often experience hazards such as tornadoes or inland flooding from heavy rain.” New for 2026, the operational cone now depicts inland watches and warnings, not only coastal ones.
• Stop reading the category as a measure of danger NHC: the scale is “based only on a hurricane's maximum sustained wind speed” and “does not take into account other potentially deadly hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding, and tornadoes.” Hurricanes of all categories produce deadly surge, floods and tornadoes.
• Remember the storms that prove the point Harvey (2017) landed as a Category 4 but killed 68 in Texas, all but three from freshwater flooding and none from surge, with 60.58 inches of rain. Florence (2018) came ashore near the top of Category 1; 17 of 22 direct deaths were freshwater flooding. Ida (2021) killed 6 at its Category 4 Louisiana landfall and 49 more in the Northeast as a post-tropical system with no category at all.

6. When a Watch Is Issued (48 Hours Out)

• Fill every vehicle's fuel tank Ready.gov advises a full tank when evacuation seems likely, and half a tank at all times. Stations close and cannot pump without power.
• Withdraw cash and refill prescriptions if you have not already Both become difficult or impossible once the rush starts.
• Install shutters or plywood now, while it is still safe to be on a ladder This is the last comfortable window to do exterior work.
• Bring in anything that can become a projectile Outdoor furniture, grills, planters, trash cans, decorations.
• Charge phones, laptops, battery banks and medical device batteries Assume you lose power at landfall and do not get it back quickly.
• Set refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings and freeze containers of water Frozen jugs and bagged ice extend your safe window and become drinking water as they melt.
• Confirm your evacuation destination and route, and tell your out-of-area contact Identify two or three route options in different directions.
• Check your zone against this specific storm's surge forecast Zone status is standing guidance; the surge forecast is storm-specific.
• Do not tape your windows NOAA's hurricane research division: “it is a waste of effort, time, and tape. It offers little strength to the glass and NO protection against flying debris.” Spend the time on shutters instead.

7. When a Warning Is Issued (36 Hours Out)

• If officials order an evacuation, leave immediately Do not wait to see the storm. Evacuation orders are issued for life-threatening surge, not inconvenience.
• Understand that you likely do not need to go far Florida: “You only need to evacuate tens of miles, not hundreds!” NOAA agrees: “You do not need to travel hundreds of miles.” The goal is leaving the surge zone for a well-built structure.
• Expect contraflow if your state uses lane reversal It is a multi-step, officially activated process, and all entry points to reversed lanes are closed during setup. It is not instantaneous and not automatic.
• Fill sinks and bathtubs for washing and flushing CDC directs drinking water into clean containers, and sinks and tubs for washing. Bathtub water is not drinking water.
• Turn off propane tanks and unplug small appliances Power can return with surges that damage electronics.
• Close and lock all windows and interior doors Interior doors help compartmentalize pressure and debris.
• Never open or crack windows to equalize pressure NOAA: “No! All of the doors and windows should be closed (and shuttered) throughout the duration of the hurricane. The pressure differences... do not build up enough to cause any damaging explosions. (No house is built airtight.)” An open window is simply a target for flying debris.
• Move valuables and documents to the highest floor Assume water intrusion even if you are not in a surge zone.
• Leave refrigerators and freezers plugged in unless flooding is expected Keeping them cold matters more than the outage risk, unless water is coming.

8. Evacuating: Shelters, Pets and Logistics

• Choose your destination in order of preference Friends or family outside the surge zone first, then a hotel, then a public shelter.
• Know what a general population shelter actually is Florida's own description: shelters “can be crowded, noisy, boring, short-staffed and have very little privacy.” They are survival, not comfort.
• Bring your own bedding and supplies South Carolina warns shelters “may lack cots, blankets, and other amenities, and may not have food for specialty diets.” Bring your kit, medications and documents.
• Check the specific shelter's pet policy, because this guidance recently changed American Red Cross shelters now state “Pets are welcome,” though pets may be housed in a separate area, and service animals are always welcome. Many other public shelters still admit only service animals — verify locally rather than assuming either way.
• Understand what the PETS Act does and does not require The 2006 Act requires state and local emergency plans to account for household pets and service animals. It does not require any individual shelter to accept them.
• Arrange a medical special needs shelter in advance if you need one Contact your local emergency management agency ahead of the season. These generally require advance registration and a caregiver to accompany the person.
• Leave early enough to avoid driving in tropical-storm-force winds Emergency managers plan for evacuations to be complete before 39 mph winds arrive, not before hurricane-force winds.
• Take one vehicle per family and follow designated routes One car per family reduces congestion. Do not take shortcuts — they may be blocked, washed out or flooded.

9. Riding Out the Storm

• Shelter in a small interior room, closet or hallway on the lowest level NWS guidance. Stay away from windows, skylights and glass doors.
• Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside NOAA: “An interior room without windows is the safest place you can be in a building.”
• Keep a mattress and helmets available NOAA suggests covering yourself with a mattress and wearing a helmet for added protection.
• Know the difference between a safe room and an interior room A safe room is an engineered structure built to FEMA P-361 and ICC 500 standards providing “near-absolute protection.” An interior room is simply the best available refuge in an ordinary building. They are not equivalent.
• If flooding traps you, go up — but not into a closed attic Ready.gov: go to the highest level of the building, but do not climb into a closed attic, where you can be trapped by rising water.
• Do not go outside during the eye NWS: “there will be a short period of calm, but at the other side of the eye, the wind speed rapidly increases to hurricane force winds coming from the opposite direction.” Stay sheltered until officials say the storm has passed.
• Monitor a NOAA Weather Radio throughout Cell and internet service may fail. Treat an Extreme Wind Warning like a tornado warning.
• Stay off the phone except for emergencies Keep networks and your battery available for genuine emergencies.

10. After the Storm: The Most Dangerous Phase

• Run generators outdoors only — 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages is the floor, not the target Ready.gov and CPSC specify at least 20 feet; CDC has published 25 feet. Farther is strictly better. The same rule applies to camp stoves and charcoal grills. Never run one in a garage, basement, crawlspace or shed — even with the door open.
• Do not assume "outside" is far enough — measure it In CDC post-hurricane poisoning investigations, generators placed outdoors sat an average of just 3.2 feet from the home (range 1-7 feet). Recorded placements included under a deck, near a window, in a shed, in a garage, in a carport and in a basement — sheds accounted for more poisonings than garages.
• Never connect a generator to your home's wiring without a transfer switch Backfeeding energizes utility lines and can kill line workers and neighbors. Use heavy-duty extension cords to appliances instead.
• Install carbon monoxide alarms with battery backup on every level CO is “a colorless, odorless gas that can kill you, your family and pets.” You will not smell it and symptoms mimic flu.
• Never use a gas stovetop or oven to heat the house It raises carbon monoxide risk and adds fire and burn hazards.
• Keep the generator dry and let it cool before refueling Touching a wet generator can cause electrical shock; fuel on hot engine parts can ignite.
• Stay out of floodwater It can contain “debris, chemicals, waste and wildlife,” and “underground or downed power lines can electrically charge the water.” Treat every downed line as live and report it.
• Never drive or walk into flood water NWS: “A mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock over an adult. It takes just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars and just 2 feet of rushing water can carry away SUVs and trucks.” Turn Around, Don't Drown.
• Apply the food safety time limits exactly The refrigerator holds food safely about 4 hours unopened; a full freezer about 48 hours. Discard perishable food held above 40°F for 2 hours or more. Food may be refrozen if it still contains ice crystals or is still refrigerator-cold.
• Throw out anything that touched floodwater, and refrigerated medication after a long outage Discard refrigerated medication if power was out more than a day unless the label says otherwise. When in doubt, throw it out.
• Follow boil water notices precisely Bring water to “a rolling boil for one full minute,” or disinfect with 1/8 teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon, stirred and left 30 minutes.
• Wait for authorities to declare re-entry safe Returning before storm debris is cleared is dangerous. Use extreme caution with chainsaws and ladders, and never cut trees near power lines.

11. Documenting Damage and Filing the Claim

• Photograph and video everything before you clean up or discard anything Do not throw out damaged items until the adjuster has seen them.
• Take reasonable steps to prevent further damage and keep every receipt Tarp the roof, extract water. Flood-specific caveat: the NFIP does not broadly reimburse post-loss mitigation — its loss-avoidance coverages are capped at $1,000 each and are keyed to protecting property from imminent flood, not post-loss tarping.
• File your NFIP proof of loss within 60 days of the loss It must be signed and sworn. Prepare an inventory of damaged property with quantity, description, actual cash value and amount of loss.
• Know when a flood claim pays replacement cost Replacement Cost applies to a single-family dwelling only if it is your principal residence AND insured to at least 80% of full replacement cost — or to the maximum available NFIP limit, which qualifies you regardless. “Principal residence” means you lived there at least 80% of the preceding 365 days.
• Know that NFIP contents are always paid at actual cash value Personal property is settled at replacement cost minus physical depreciation. There is no NFIP contents replacement-cost option, and appliances, carpets and carpet pads are listed separately as ACV property.
• Understand the repair-first condition on replacement cost Where the cost exceeds $1,000 or 5% of the building coverage, replacement cost is not paid until repairs are actually completed. You may take ACV first and claim the balance within 180 days.
• Understand recoverable depreciation on the wind side Under homeowners policies the insurer typically pays actual cash value first and releases the withheld depreciation after repairs are completed and documented.
• Verify any public adjuster's license and your state's fee cap Florida caps fees at 10% of claim payments for claims from a governor-declared emergency during the year after the declaration, and 20% otherwise. Caps and rules vary substantially by state.
• Screen contractors and check assignment-of-benefits rules Avoid anyone demanding large payment up front, and confirm they pull proper building permits. Florida now prohibits AOB outright for property policies issued on or after January 1, 2023, making any attempted assignment “void, invalid, and unenforceable.”
• Apply for FEMA Individual Assistance and consider an SBA disaster loan FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments under the Stafford Act, but partial insurance benefits “shall not preclude” federal assistance for uninsured losses. SBA disaster loans run up to $500,000 for real property and $100,000 for personal property; renters are eligible for the personal property loan.

Common Mistakes

• Treating the Saffir-Simpson category as a danger rating — it measures sustained wind only and explicitly excludes surge, rainfall flooding and tornadoes
• Assuming the 36-hour warning clock runs to hurricane-force winds — it runs to the onset of 39 mph tropical-storm-force winds
• Reading the forecast cone as the danger zone, when it shows only where the center may track
• Buying flood insurance once a storm is already named — NFIP coverage generally takes 30 days to take effect
• Assuming homeowners insurance covers storm surge, which is adjudicated as flood and excluded
• Never checking the hurricane deductible, which is typically 1-5% of the dwelling limit rather than a flat amount
• Expecting either policy to pay for a hotel after flooding — the NFIP excludes living expenses and HO-3 excludes flood
• Taping windows, which NOAA calls “a waste of effort, time, and tape” offering “NO protection against flying debris”
• Opening or cracking windows to equalize pressure, which NOAA answers with a flat “No!”
• Going outside during the eye, when winds return suddenly from the opposite direction
• Running a generator in a garage, shed, on a porch, or just outside the wall — CDC found outdoor generators in poisoning cases averaged 3.2 feet from the home
• Sheltering in a mobile or manufactured home, which Florida says is never safe in a high wind event
• Driving through floodwater — 12 inches carries away most cars and 2 feet carries away SUVs and trucks
• Cleaning up or discarding damaged property before photographing it and before the adjuster has seen it
• Waiting until a warning to prepare, when supplies sell out and it is no longer safe to be on a ladder

Pro Tips

• Spend your hardening budget on the roof before anything cosmetic — the sealed roof deck is the highest-leverage measure IBHS has tested and adds little to a re-roof you were already paying for
• Ask your roofer specifically for 8d ring-shank nails at 4 inches on center; IBHS says it can double uplift resistance and almost no homeowner thinks to specify it
• If you are buying a FORTIFIED Roof designation expecting gable-end bracing, read the tier carefully — that work belongs to FORTIFIED Silver
• Ask your agent to show you your hurricane deductible as a dollar figure rather than a percentage; the number often changes how much emergency cash people keep
• Buy flood insurance in the spring — the 30-day clock means a policy bought when a storm is already in the Gulf will not cover that storm
• Photograph your home room by room, including open closets and cabinets, once a year before June 1; it takes fifteen minutes and settles most contents disputes
• Freeze water in zip-top bags and containers before the storm — they keep food cold during the outage and become drinking water as they melt
• Put a cheap thermometer in the fridge and freezer now, so the 4-hour and 48-hour rules become a measurement instead of a guess
• Register anyone dependent on electric medical equipment with your utility and local emergency management before the season, not during the storm
• Evacuate to the nearest safe place, not the farthest — long drives put you on the road when the winds arrive
• Call ahead about pets rather than assuming: Red Cross shelters now welcome pets, while many other public shelters still take only service animals
• Keep printed copies of your contact list and policy numbers, because phones die and cloud access needs connectivity you may not have

Sources

• NHC - Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
• NHC - About the Forecast Cone
• NHC - Tropical Cyclone Hazards
• NHC - National Storm Surge Hazard Maps
• NWS - Hurricane Watches and Warnings
• NWS - Hurricane Safety: Take Action
• NWS - Turn Around Don't Drown
• NOAA - Prepare Before Hurricane Season
• NOAA - Know Your Risk: Water and Wind
• NOAA - Stay Protected During Storms
• NOAA AOML - Should I tape my windows?
• NOAA AOML - Should windows be left open during a hurricane?
• Rappaport 2014 - Fatalities in the US from Atlantic Tropical Cyclones (BAMS)
• Ready.gov - Hurricanes
• Ready.gov - Build a Kit
• Ready.gov - Power Outages and Generator Safety
• Ready.gov - Food Safety
• Ready.gov - Water
• Ready.gov - Evacuation
• CDC - Hurricane Safety
• American Red Cross - Survival Kit Supplies
• American Red Cross - Find an Open Shelter
• IBHS - Two Critical Ways to Reduce Storm Damage
• IBHS - FORTIFIED Roof
• ALDOI - IBHS FORTIFIED Performance in Hurricane Sally (2025)
• FEMA - Flood Insurance
• FEMA - Risk Rating 2.0
• FEMA - Safe Rooms
• 44 CFR 61.11 - Effective Date of Coverage
• 44 CFR Part 61 App. A(1) - Standard Flood Insurance Policy Dwelling Form
• III - Settling Insurance Claims After a Disaster
• III - Hurricane and Windstorm Deductibles
• Florida DEM - Know Your Zone
• Florida DEM - Make an Evacuation Plan
• Florida DEM - Manufactured Homes
• SCEMD - Hurricane Traffic Management
• PETS Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-308)
• HHS emPOWER Program
• SBA - Disaster Physical Damage Loans
• Avoid injury and liability

Picking one

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