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Prepare in two stages: make your household plan, gather supplies, and address home vulnerabilities well before hurricane season or a forecast; then, as a storm approaches, follow local evacuation orders and secure only what you can do safely. Hurricane hazards reach inland, too—heavy rain and flooding, damaging winds, tornadoes, and even landslides can affect areas far from the coast.
Start with the risks at your address
Check your local emergency-management office for evacuation zones, alerts, shelter information, and instructions for your address. Review flood exposure as well as coastal storm-surge risk. Being inland does not eliminate hurricane danger: the National Weather Service notes that tropical systems can bring flooding, damaging wind, tornadoes, and landslides to parts of the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia. See the NWS hurricane planning guidance and Greenville-Spartanburg NWS guidance.
Save your insurer’s contact details and policy information with your important documents. Ask your insurer what your policy covers and excludes; do not assume that a standard policy covers flood damage. Evacuation maps, forecasts, shelter availability, building codes, and insurance terms vary by location, so rely on current local information.
Decide in advance whether you would leave or shelter
Know which local authority issues evacuation orders and decide where household members would go, how they would get there, and how you would communicate if separated. Choose destination options and routes before a storm threatens. Account for accessibility, transportation, medical needs, and pets. Contact local officials about shelter availability and animal rules; arrange another option if a shelter will not accept your pet.
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- Comprehensive Hurricane Kit: This pre-packed hurricane kit includes all the essential hurricane preparedness items for home safety, such as a hurricane lantern, hurricane food, and a hurricane radio weather radio, ensuring you are fully prepared for any emergency.
- Waterproof and Durable Bag: Conveniently packed in a waterproof bag, this hurricane emergency kit is designed to protect your hurricane supplies for home from water damage, ensuring that all your essential hurricane preparedness items remain dry and functional.
- Designed for Two People: Our hurricane kit emergency for home is thoughtfully designed to cater to the needs of two people, including enough hurricane preparedness items food, water and hurricane lights for indoor use, providing peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
- Essential Hurricane Gear: This kit includes a variety of essential hurricane items such as a led hurricane camping lantern, hurricane phone charger, and emergency hurricane supplies to ensure that you have all the necessary tools for effective hurricane preparedness.
- Emergency Communication Tools: Stay informed with the included hurricane radio weather radio, an indispensable part of your hurricane supplies. This radio ensures that you receive critical updates and alerts, making it a vital component of your hurricane emergency kit.
If officials order an evacuation, leave promptly and follow designated routes. Do not wait for water or worsening conditions to make the decision. If you are not ordered to evacuate, use local guidance and your home’s condition to plan to shelter in a small interior room away from windows and glass. NWS offers a written hurricane-plan guide and actions to take when a storm threatens.
Build a kit around your household
Keep essentials together so you can take them if you leave or reach them if you stay. The National Weather Service recommends planning for at least three days of food, water, and medicine, and storing more water if possible. Adjust quantities and supplies to household needs and local advice. Its hurricane preparedness guidance lists core supplies.
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- 72-HOUR EMERGENCY KIT FOR 2: Built for disaster preparedness at home, work or on the road, this 2-person survival backpack includes food, water, first aid, lighting, hygiene and shelter essentials for up to 3 days.
- FOOD, WATER & PURIFICATION: Includes two 2,400-calorie emergency food bars, six 4.225 oz water pouches, water purification tablets and a 32 oz BPA-free bottle to help support hydration and nutrition during outages or evacuations.
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- DELUXE SURVIVAL TOOLS IN ONE BACKPACK: Adds a multi-function tool, duct tape, bio-hazard bag and emergency contact card in a portable backpack. Ideal for earthquakes, hurricanes, blackouts, wildfire evacuation, cars and workplaces.
- Nonperishable food and water, plus a manual can opener.
- Prescription medicines, first-aid supplies, and any medical or accessibility equipment and supplies your household needs.
- Flashlights or battery-powered lanterns, spare batteries, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and a way to charge phones.
- Cash, hygiene supplies, and copies of important documents, including insurance details.
- Food, water, medications, carriers, leashes, and identification for pets.
Check the kit periodically for expired food or medicine, depleted batteries, and documents or contact details that need updating. A preassembled kit can save time, but verify that it contains what your household actually needs.
Address home vulnerabilities before a forecast
Inspect the home and make repairs well in advance. Maintain trees, secure outbuildings and outdoor structures, and review local hurricane building-code specifications before undertaking a retrofit. For structural work, follow local code and qualified professional guidance. The NWS home-strengthening guidance emphasizes maintaining the home’s sound condition and assessing windows, doors, and the garage door.
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- [7400mWh (2000mAh) POWER BANK WILL KEEP DEVICES POWERED] The FosPower FOSPWB-2376 emergency radio incorporates a 7400mWh (2000mAh) power bank capable of providing emergency power to any small tablet or phone.
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- [2 LIGHT SOURCES ALWAYS POWERED] The emergency crank radio can also provide light. The 4 LED reading light and 1W flashlight provides enough output to keep you and your loved ones out of the dark in an emergency situation.
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Choose window protection ahead of time
The NWS says, “Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows.” Fitted 5/8-inch exterior-grade or marine plywood is another option it identifies. Decide what is suitable for your home, make sure panels are fitted and ready, and plan installation while conditions are safe. A covering is not a guarantee against damage, and panels should not be improvised after winds rise.
Assess doors and the garage
Include exterior doors and the garage door in your home-hardening review. Determine what protection is appropriate for your home under local building requirements; do not assume that securing windows alone addresses wind vulnerability.
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- Make an Impact: For Every LifeStraw Product Purchased, a School Child in Need Receives Safe Drinking Water for an Entire School Year. Essential Camping Accessory Made With BPA Free Materials
When a storm threatens: use this checklist
- Monitor official updates. Follow the National Weather Service and local emergency-management alerts. Learn how local officials communicate watches, warnings, and evacuation orders.
- Make the leave-or-stay decision using official directions. If ordered to evacuate, go promptly by the designated route. Take your go-bag, medications, documents, and pets, and use a preplanned destination. If staying, move to the planned interior room away from windows and glass.
- Secure outdoor items and the home if it is safe. Bring in or secure loose objects, secure exterior doors, and install prepared window coverings only if there is time and conditions allow. Move vehicles to a safer location if appropriate.
- Prepare people and devices. Charge phones, gather medicines and essential documents, and fuel or charge the vehicle if leaving. Keep your radio or another way to receive official updates available.
- Leave before floodwater arrives if flooding threatens. Do not wait for water to cover a road or block an exit. Do not treat a temporary calm as an all-clear; continue following official updates.
The American Red Cross hurricane safety checklist (Version 1, published January 1, 2022) also covers practical storm preparations. Current orders and advisories should come from local officials.
Generator, floodwater, and return-home safety
Use generators only outdoors
Never operate a portable generator inside a home or garage, even with doors or windows open. NWS says generators should be outdoors more than 20 feet from the home, doors, and windows. Follow the generator manufacturer’s instructions and local fire guidance for setup. The Red Cross also cautions against using fuel-burning devices near open windows.
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Never walk, swim, or drive through floodwater. Follow road closures and evacuation routes; water can hide hazards and make a road unsafe even when its depth is difficult to judge.
Wait for the all-clear and follow local health advice
Return only after officials say it is safe. Avoid downed power lines and damaged buildings. Follow local health department instructions about drinking water and cleanup, and use protective equipment as advised. Do not assume tap water is safe without local confirmation.
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