Hurricane Preparedness Checklist: Evacuation, Home, and Outage Planning

Hurricane planning has two branches: leave when officials or household needs make evacuation the safer choice, or shelter only when local guidance and the condition of the home support it. Supplies do not override an evacuation order.

Use the National Hurricane Center for official forecasts and the local emergency management office for zones, routes, shelters, curfews, and re-entry instructions. This hazard cluster supports the Home Resilience Guide and Urban Preparedness hub.

Before hurricane season

• Look up the evacuation zone and save the official map.
• Drive or map more than one evacuation route.
• Identify accessible, pet-friendly, and medical-support destinations when needed.
• Review insurance with the insurer or licensed agent, including flood and wind coverage, deductibles, inventories, and waiting periods.
• Inspect shutters, impact protection, roof, drainage, trees, garage doors, and known maintenance issues.
• Arrange qualified work before a storm is forecast.
• Keep identification, policies, contacts, medical records, pet records, and a home inventory in protected copies.

Ready.gov provides an official hurricane preparation overview. Local building codes and emergency instructions take priority for a specific property.

When a storm may affect the area

• Open the official forecast and read timing, hazards, uncertainty, and local instructions.
• Refill ordinary prescriptions through the normal medical process.
• Charge phones, power banks, lights, and approved medical-device backups.
• Check water, familiar no-cook food, sanitation, pet supplies, and the grab-and-go layer.
• Fuel or charge the evacuation vehicle when conditions are safe.
• Tell the out-of-area contact the plan and next check-in time.
• Move or secure outdoor objects before wind makes the task dangerous.

Do not wait for a specific forecast category to prepare. Wind, storm surge, rain, tornadoes, power loss, and access limits can extend beyond the center track.

Evacuation checklist

• Leave when ordered and consider leaving earlier when medical, mobility, transport, pet, or housing needs require more time.
• Take medication, identification, contacts, water, food, clothing, phone power, and essential equipment.
• Follow official routes and road restrictions.
• Tell the out-of-area contact when the household leaves and arrives.
• Never drive through floodwater or around barriers.
• Do not return until officials permit it.

The Emergency Communication Plan and Senior Emergency Preparedness Guide cover support needs in more detail.

Water, food, and the kit

Build from Ready.gov kit guidance and CDC emergency water guidance. Use clean food-grade water containers, familiar shelf-stable food, a manual can opener, medication information, light, communication, sanitation supplies, and pet needs.

Use the Water Storage Calculator and Food Storage Calculator to plan household quantities. Do not treat pools, floodwater, rain barrels, or untreated surface water as ready-to-drink sources.

During an outage, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed and follow USDA emergency food safety guidance.

Home protection limits

Install shutters, panels, anchors, or other protective systems only as designed and before dangerous conditions begin. Do not climb ladders, handle large panels, trim trees, or work near utilities as winds increase.

Sandbags and temporary barriers have limited uses and do not make an evacuation-zone home safe from storm surge. Follow local flood guidance. Shut off utilities only when officials, the utility, or the home’s emergency plan directs it and the task can be done safely.

Backup power and carbon monoxide

Use the Outage Readiness Planner and Generator Runtime Calculator to prioritize essential loads and estimate fuel. These tools do not approve wiring, a transfer method, or generator placement.

The CDC generator safety guidance requires generators outdoors and at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents. Never use one in a home, garage, basement, crawl space, shed, or enclosed porch. Never backfeed through a household receptacle. Shut the generator down and let it cool before refueling.

After the storm

• Wait for official re-entry clearance.
• Avoid floodwater, downed lines, damaged trees, unstable structures, and generator exhaust.
• Photograph damage from a safe location before cleanup when possible.
• Do not enter a building with structural, electrical, gas, fire, or flood hazards.
• Follow local drinking-water and food-safety notices.
• Use qualified professionals for roof, electrical, gas, structural, and major water damage.
• Record what the plan missed and restock used supplies.

Continue with Build a Home Emergency Kit, Long Power Outage Planning, and the Spring Storm Season Reset.

Frequently asked questions

Should I prepare for three days or two weeks?

Start with a maintained short-duration layer and extend it as storage, budget, local guidance, and household needs allow. Evacuation zones, islands, medical needs, pets, and restoration conditions can change the useful duration. A longer supply never cancels an evacuation order.

Should I wait for a hurricane category before leaving?

No. Follow official evacuation instructions and household-specific triggers. Storm surge, rain, tornadoes, access limits, and medical or mobility needs may drive the decision before a category headline does.

Can plywood or sandbags make sheltering safe?

They have limited, property-specific uses. They do not make every structure safe from wind, flood, or storm surge. Follow local building, flood, and evacuation guidance and complete approved work before conditions worsen.