Preparing for hurricane season is mostly about finishing a checklist of practical tasks before a storm is ever forecast. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and the best time to prepare is the weeks before it starts, not the days before a storm makes landfall. Here’s what that preparation actually looks like.
Water, Food, and the Three-Day Minimum
Water is the single most important supply to stockpile. FEMA recommends storing at least one gallon per person, per day, which covers both drinking and basic hygiene. A normally active person needs at least half a gallon just for drinking, and the rest goes toward cooking and cleaning. For a family of four, a three-day supply means 12 gallons minimum. If you have the space, aim for a week’s worth.
For food, stock non-perishable items that don’t require cooking or refrigeration: canned goods (with a manual can opener), peanut butter, crackers, dried fruit, granola bars, and ready-to-eat meals. If you lose power, a closed refrigerator keeps food safe for about four hours. A full freezer holds its temperature for roughly 48 hours, or 24 hours if it’s half full, as long as you keep the door shut. Knowing these windows helps you decide what to eat first and what to toss after a prolonged outage.
Build a Go-Bag With Documents
A go-bag is a single bag you can grab if you need to evacuate quickly. Beyond the basics like a flashlight, batteries, phone charger, first aid kit, and a change of clothes, the most commonly overlooked items are documents. Keep copies of insurance policies, IDs, bank account records, and any medical information in a waterproof container or saved electronically on a USB drive or cloud service. If your home floods and paper records are destroyed, these copies become essential for filing insurance claims and proving your identity.
Also include cash in small bills. ATMs and card readers go offline when power is out, and cash may be the only way to buy gas or supplies in the immediate aftermath of a storm.
Know Your Evacuation Zone
Every coastal county assigns evacuation zones based on storm surge risk, typically labeled A through E or by number. Your zone determines whether you’ll be ordered to leave during a hurricane and how early that order comes. Most counties publish zone maps on their emergency management websites, and many let you look up your address directly. Do this before hurricane season starts so you’re not searching for the information while a storm is approaching.
Plan at least two driving routes out of your area, since main highways can become gridlocked during mass evacuations. Identify where you’ll go, whether that’s a friend’s house inland, a hotel, or a public shelter. If you’ll need a shelter, check in advance whether it accommodates your specific needs, including medical equipment, mobility assistance, or pets.
Preparing for Pets
Many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside, so finding a pet-friendly option needs to happen well before a storm threat. Contact your local emergency management office or animal shelter to ask about designated pet-friendly evacuation shelters in your area.
Your pet’s emergency kit should include several days’ worth of food in an airtight, waterproof container, a water bowl and water supply, any regular medications in a waterproof bag, a collar with an ID tag, a backup leash, and a sturdy carrier or crate for each animal. Keep copies of vaccination records and registration documents with your own important papers. One often-missed item: a photo of you and your pet together. If you get separated during an evacuation, that photo helps prove ownership and makes it far easier for someone to reunite you.
Familiar items like a favorite toy or bedding can also help reduce your pet’s stress in an unfamiliar environment.
Medications and Medical Supplies
The CDC recommends having at least a week’s supply of any prescription medications on hand before a hurricane. If your insurance only covers 30-day fills, call your insurer or pharmacy a few weeks early to request an emergency override or early refill. Many states activate emergency prescription policies during declared disasters, but relying on that means you’re already behind.
If you depend on refrigerated medication like insulin, have a small cooler and ice packs ready. For anyone who uses powered medical equipment such as a CPAP machine or oxygen concentrator, a backup power source is not optional. Battery packs designed for medical devices are available, and your power company may also have a medical priority list for restoring service if you register in advance.
Review Your Insurance Before Storm Season
Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage. Flood insurance is a separate policy, and it comes with a 30-day waiting period from the date of purchase before coverage kicks in. That means buying flood insurance after a storm is named will not protect you for that storm. If you live in a flood-prone area and don’t have a policy, purchase one well before the season begins.
Review your homeowners or renters policy too. Know your deductible, what’s covered, and whether you have a separate hurricane or wind deductible (common in coastal states). Take a video walkthrough of your home showing your belongings, and store it in the cloud. This inventory dramatically simplifies the claims process if you need to file one.
Generator Safety
If you plan to use a portable generator during a power outage, placement matters more than anything else. Generators produce carbon monoxide, a colorless and odorless gas that can be fatal indoors. Place your generator outdoors, at least 20 feet from any doors, windows, or vents. Never run one inside a garage, even with the door open.
Stock up on fuel before the storm, since gas stations lose power too. Store gasoline in approved containers away from your home. Run the generator periodically during the off-season to make sure it starts reliably, and keep the oil and air filter maintained.
Home Hardening and Yard Prep
The weeks before hurricane season are the time to handle structural preparation. If you have storm shutters, test them to make sure they fit and the hardware works. If you use plywood, pre-cut panels for each window and label them so installation goes quickly. Inspect your roof for loose or missing shingles, and clear your gutters and downspouts so water drains properly.
When a storm is actually forecast, bring in or tie down anything in your yard that wind could turn into a projectile: patio furniture, grills, potted plants, trampolines, trash cans. A chair that seems heavy to you is not heavy to a Category 3 wind. Trim dead branches from trees near your house, especially any that hang over the roof or power lines. This is cheaper and safer to do in May than during a frantic weekend in September.
Communication and Family Plans
Decide in advance how your household will communicate if cell service goes down. Pick an out-of-state contact person everyone can check in with, since local calls often fail while long-distance ones go through. Make sure every family member knows the evacuation plan, the meeting point, and where the emergency supplies are stored.
Download your local emergency management app or sign up for county alert systems that push evacuation orders and shelter locations directly to your phone. Charge portable battery packs before the storm, and consider a battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio as a backup. When cell towers go down and the internet is out, NOAA weather radio may be your only source of real-time information.