Hurricane preparation checklist for your household

Most of the work happens before a storm is named. Here is what to do now, when a watch goes up, and after it passes.

Reviewed October 2026

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The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with most storms arriving between August and October. Hurricanes can do damage more than 100 miles inland, so this applies well beyond the coast.

Before the season starts

Do these once a year, ideally in May, while stores are calm and prices are normal.

1. Find your evacuation zone. Your county or city emergency management office publishes zone maps. Note your zone somewhere everyone in the house can see it.
2. Plan where you would go. Pick two options: a friend or relative outside the zone, and a hotel or shelter further inland. Drive the route once so it is familiar.
3. Sign up for local alerts. Most counties offer free text or app alerts. Learn what each alert level means before you need it.
4. Agree on a family contact plan. Phone calls often fail after a storm while texts still get through. Choose one out-of-area contact everyone checks in with.
5. Stock supplies for several days. Water, food, medications and pet supplies come first. Our supply calculator works out the amounts for your household.
6. Protect your documents. Keep insurance policies, IDs and medical records in a waterproof, fireproof box, and store password-protected copies online.
7. Check your insurance. Standard homeowner policies do not cover flooding. Flood coverage is a separate policy, and new policies usually have a waiting period before they take effect, so this cannot wait for a forecast.
8. Prepare the house. Install shutters or have plywood cut and labeled for each window. Clear gutters and drains, and trim branches that overhang the roof.
9. Choose a shelter spot at home. The safest place is a small interior room without windows on the lowest floor that will not flood.

Watch versus warning

Knowing the difference tells you how much time you have.

Tropical-storm-force winds of 39 mph or more arrive well before the center of the storm, which is why outdoor preparation has to be finished by the time a warning is issued.

When a watch is issued

• Fill vehicles with fuel and get some cash, since card readers fail without power.
• Bring in or tie down outdoor furniture, grills, planters and anything else the wind could throw.
• Fill prescriptions and refill anything that runs low within two weeks.
• Charge phones, power banks and battery-powered lights.
• Set your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings, and freeze water bottles to help them hold temperature if the power fails. See power outages for how long food stays safe.
• Pack a go bag for each person using the kit checklist.

If you are told to evacuate

Leave as soon as an evacuation order covers your zone. Take your go bags, medications, documents and pets, and follow the routes officials give. Do not wait to see how the storm develops: roads fill quickly and conditions worsen before the storm arrives. If you live in a mobile or manufactured home, plan to leave whenever a hurricane threatens, even without an order. Our evacuation plan guide covers what to decide in advance.

If you stay home

• Stay inside, away from windows and glass doors, in your chosen interior room.
• If water rises inside, move to the highest floor, but do not climb into a closed attic, where you can be trapped.
• Do not go outside during the calm of the eye. The far side of the storm follows, with winds from the opposite direction.
• Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank radio on for updates, and save your phone battery for emergencies.
• Do not drive while the storm is passing.

After the storm

Many injuries and deaths happen after a hurricane has passed, not during it.

• Return home only when local officials say it is safe.
• Run generators, grills and camp stoves outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. Carbon monoxide from them kills people every hurricane season.
• Treat tap water as unsafe until officials say otherwise. Use bottled water, or boil or disinfect it as described in our water guide.
• Photograph all damage before you clean up, then contact your insurer and register with FEMA if your area has a federal declaration.
• Text rather than call so lines stay open for emergencies.
• Wear sturdy shoes, gloves and long sleeves when clearing debris, and have a professional inspect structural damage before you go into damaged rooms.