Preparing Your Home and Family for a Hurricane
Preparing your home for a hurricane is crucial to ensure the safety and well-being of your family and property. Hurricanes can bring devastating winds, torrential rains, and dangerous storm surges. By taking proactive steps, you can minimize damage and be ready to face the storm with confidence. Here are a few tips:
- Maintaining Your Home
- Routinely inspecting and maintaining your home allows you time to address any necessary repairs and reduces your risk of damage when a storm comes.
- Regularly maintain your home including roof inspections, gutter cleaning, and securing outdoor furniture or equipment.
- Ensure generators and vehicles are filled with gas in case of power outages and necessary evacuation.
- Protect Your Home and Property
- Install hurricane windows or protect your windows with storm shutters or plywood.
- Place sandbags at your doors to guard against flooding.
- Trim trees and remove any debris or outdoor furniture that could become projectiles during a hurricane.
- Stock Home with Food and Water
- Have a minimum of seven (7) days' supply of non-perishable food (like canned goods) and water to last during and post-disaster.
- Set your refrigerator to its coldest setting, to keep perishables fresh in the event of power outage.
- Also, fill bathtubs and sinks with clean water for cooking, washing, and bathing in the event that your water supply is disrupted or contaminated.
Doing so ensures that you and your loved ones remain well-fed, hydrated, and healthy during a storm.
- Get Insured
- Check your homeowner's insurance policy to ensure that your house is adequately covered or speak to your insurance agent about options for coverage. During a hurricane there can be tremendous surges and flooding.
- Consider purchasing flood insurance to supplement your homeowner's insurance and protect your home and belongings from potential water damage.
- Hurricane Supply Kit
- In addition to stocking up on food and water, put together a hurricane supply kit to ensure you are equipped to face emergency scenarios during the storm. Your kit should contain items such as first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, prescription medications, and a battery-powered radio, amongst other things.
Do you have everything? Download our Hurricane Supply Kit Checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything.
- Family Emergency Plan
- Have a clear emergency and evacuation plan in case of a disaster and conduct drills to practice it with family members. Choose an easy meeting place in case of separation and know routes to safe locations such as shelters. Having this plan educates you and your family on safe evacuation practices and the resources available if you must leave home.
Make sure your family is safe today! For more resources on creating a Family Emergency Plan, click here.
- To-Go Bag
- Have a bag packed and ready to go that is waterproof.
- This bag should include important documents such as your passport, driver’s license, birth certificate, insurance, and medical papers. Also, cash on hand and credit cards, a cellphone with additional power bank, a change of clothing and shoes, and toiletries.
- Evacuations require you to move immediately! Having a bag packed with these items in advance gives you the ability to move quickly when the time comes.
For more information for what you should bring in the event of evacuation, download What to Bring to a Shelter.
Last Updated:
January 2, 2025
