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Prepare before a hurricane watch or warning: learn your evacuation zone and route, protect windows and outdoor property, stock household-specific supplies, review insurance, and keep important records safe. If local officials issue an evacuation order, leave promptly; their instructions take priority over a general plan. This guidance is for U.S. households, but evacuation zones, hazards, and building requirements vary by location.

Build your household plan well before hurricane season

Know when and where to go

Find your local evacuation zone, official evacuation routes, and emergency alert system through your local emergency management agency. Decide where household members will meet and how you will communicate if separated. Plan how everyone—including children, older adults, people with disabilities, and pets—will get to safety. Local routes and instructions are specific to your area, so do not rely on a generic map or route.

FEMA’s hurricane preparation guide recommends planning in advance for evacuation and sheltering: How to Prepare for a Hurricane.

Inspect and protect the home

Check windows, exterior doors, garage doors, roof covering, and the connections between the roof and walls. Arrange repairs or suitable protection before storm season. FEMA recommends hurricane shutters or reinforced windows; which option is appropriate depends on the openings, local building-code requirements, and installation needs. A local qualified professional can assess what fits your home. Do not assume a product is suitable simply because it is marketed as a hurricane shutter.

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Clear drains and gutters, secure outdoor furniture and equipment, anchor sheds, secure an air-conditioning unit, and prune tree limbs that could become hazards. These tasks come from FEMA’s Teen CERT Basic Training Participant Workbook and its How to Stay Safe When a Hurricane Threatens information sheet. Complete outdoor work while conditions are safe; do not go outside to secure items once dangerous weather begins.

Assemble supplies for your household

Keep food, water, and emergency supplies for several days, and account for prescriptions, medical equipment, pets, and any needs that are specific to your household. FEMA’s 2024 Teen CERT workbook checklist specifies three days of food and water and one week of medications. Treat those as planning quantities in that checklist, not a guarantee that they cover every household or every disruption.

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Store supplies where you can reach them and check them periodically for expired food, depleted batteries, or changes in household needs. If evacuation is possible, know what you would take with you and keep essentials easy to gather.

Review insurance and safeguard records

Read your policy and ask your insurer what coverage applies to hurricane damage and flooding. FEMA’s 2024 hurricane information sheet says standard policies do not cover flooding and that additional coverage may be needed. Coverage depends on your own policy; verify it directly rather than assuming that hurricane coverage includes flood damage.

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Keep important documents in a dry, secure place and make password-protected digital copies. Include the information you would need to identify your policies, property, household members, and essential medical needs.

Set up reliable alerts before a storm forms

Sign up for alerts from local emergency management and monitor official weather updates as a storm approaches. FEMA’s app page says the FEMA App can receive real-time National Weather Service alerts for up to five locations and help users locate shelters. It can supplement, but should not replace, local emergency instructions: FEMA App: Take Charge of Disasters.

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What to do when a hurricane approaches

  1. Monitor official updates. Follow National Weather Service information and local emergency management notices. Check your location-specific evacuation instructions and use the route you identified in advance.
  2. Leave when officials order an evacuation. Depart promptly and follow official directions. Do not treat staying home as an alternative to an evacuation order.
  3. If you are not ordered to evacuate, use your planned shelter. Stay indoors in a safe interior area away from windows. Consider flood risk when choosing where to shelter; an interior room is not safe if rising water threatens it.
  4. Bring in or secure loose outdoor objects only while it is safe. Do not go outdoors in dangerous conditions to move furniture, trim trees, or make last-minute repairs.
  5. Use fuel-burning equipment safely during outages. FEMA advises operating generators, grills, and camp stoves outdoors and at least 20 feet from building openings. Keep them outside, away from doors, windows, and other openings.

Keep away from floodwater and help others safely

Moving water can be dangerous even when it looks shallow. FEMA’s 2024 information sheet says six inches of fast-moving water can knock a person down and one foot can sweep a vehicle away. Follow its warning: “Turn around, don’t drown!” Do not walk or drive through floodwater.

FEMA’s same information sheet says, “You are the help until help arrives.” Help others only when you can do so safely; do not enter floodwater or put yourself in danger attempting a rescue.

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