Hurricane Preparedness Checklist + Kit List

Build your hurricane survival pack

A hurricane survival pack is a 72-hour kit that keeps your household self-sufficient while utilities are out and help is on the way. Tap each item as you check it off. Your progress is saved on this device.

Your 7-day hurricane timeline

Ready.gov notes that storm surge has historically been the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths in the United States, and that you may not have access to supplies for days or even weeks after a hurricane. This timeline puts the preparation in order, so it is done before the storm arrives.

1. 1

   72 hours before landfall

   Fuel every vehicle, fully charge all devices, request early prescription refills, confirm your evacuation routes and your out-of-state contact, and review your family emergency plan with everyone in the household.

2. 2

   48 hours before landfall

   Board windows if you are in a surge zone, secure outdoor furniture and loose objects, make a final grocery run for perishables, and fill ice chests so refrigerator food lasts longer into the outage.

3. 3

   24 hours before landfall

   Fill bathtubs and sinks with water for flushing and cleaning, move valuables to upper floors, park your car on high ground, position the survival pack by your exit, and charge every backup battery one more time.

4. 4

   During the storm

   Stay inside an interior room on the lowest non-flooded floor, keep WEA alerts and a NOAA weather radio on, never use candles for light, do not open the refrigerator unless you have to, and stay away from windows until the all-clear.

5. 5

   24 to 72 hours after the storm

   Photograph all damage before you move anything for insurance. Avoid downed power lines and standing water which can be energized. Do not return to evacuated areas until local authorities reopen them, and boil tap water until the utility confirms it is safe.

Your family emergency plan for hurricanes

A family emergency plan turns a stressful hour of decisions into a list of things you already agreed on. For hurricanes specifically, four elements matter more than anything else.

Wireless emergency alerts (WEA) for hurricanes

Wireless Emergency Alerts are short, text-like messages pushed to compatible phones in the affected area. FEMA says they are free, do not count toward your texting limits, are not affected by network congestion, and arrive with a unique tone and vibration. The National Weather Service uses WEA for its most critical warnings, including hurricane, storm surge, tornado, and the most dangerous flash flood warnings, and state and local officials use it when people need to evacuate.

You do not need to sign up for WEA, but alerts can be switched off in phone settings, so it is worth verifying:

• iPhone: Settings → Notifications → scroll to Government Alerts and enable every category.
• Android: Settings → Notifications → Wireless Emergency Alerts and enable every category.

WEA tells you a hurricane warning exists for your area. BeAware tells you what it means for your address, which utilities are out near you in real time, and what historical risks apply to your specific property. Both working together is the pattern we recommend.

Evacuate or shelter in place?

Start with your evacuation zone and follow local officials. If you live in a mandatory evacuation zone and they tell you to leave, leave immediately. Do not judge the danger by category alone: the National Hurricane Center warns that hurricanes of all categories can produce deadly storm surge, which requires evacuating from areas vulnerable to it. If you are outside the evacuation zone and officials have not told you to leave, sheltering at home with a stocked survival pack may be your plan: take refuge in an interior room for high winds, and never climb into a closed attic to escape rising water.

Category, for reference, rates only maximum sustained wind speed and its expected wind damage; it does not account for storm surge, rainfall flooding, or tornadoes (our flood guide covers the rain and the rising water):

Hurricane preparedness FAQ

Sources

The safety guidance on this page follows these sources. Where our wording differs from theirs, theirs is correct.

• Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches, Warnings, Advisories and Outlooks — National Weather Service

  Supports: the watch versus warning definitions. NWS: a hurricane watch means hurricane conditions "are possible within your area" and NHC issues it "48 hours before it anticipates tropical storm-force winds"; a hurricane warning means they "are expected" and is issued "36 hours in advance of tropical storm-force winds".

• Hurricanes — Ready.gov

  Supports: the timeline intro ("Historically, storm surge is the leading cause of hurricane-related deaths in the United States"), the supply advice ("You may not have access to these supplies for days or even weeks after a hurricane"), the evacuation guidance ("Follow the instructions from local emergency managers"; "If you live in a mandatory evacuation zone and local officials tell you to evacuate, do so immediately"), keeping document copies "in a secure password-protected digital space", and WEA requiring "no sign up".

• Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale — National Hurricane Center

  Supports: the category table (wind ranges and the damage and outage wording for each category), that the scale "does not take into account other potentially deadly hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding, and tornadoes", and that "Hurricanes of all categories can produce deadly storm surge".

• Wireless Emergency Alerts — FEMA

  Supports: the WEA explainer: "WEAs are not affected by network congestion"; "WEA messages are free and will not count towards texting limits on your wireless plan"; "WEAs have a unique tone and vibration, both repeated twice."

• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) — Federal Communications Commission

  Supports: who sends WEA and what it covers: "Authorized national, state or local government authorities send alerts regarding public safety emergencies – such as severe weather, missing children, or the need to evacuate"; and "Consumers do not need to sign up for this service."

• Weather warnings on the go! (Wireless Emergency Alerts) — National Weather Service

  Supports: which NWS warnings go out as WEA: "Warnings for Tsunamis, Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm (only when the damage threat is destructive), Flash Flood (only when the damage threat is considerable or catastrophic), Hurricane, Typhoon, Storm Surge, Extreme Wind, Dust Storm and Snow Squall."

• NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards — National Weather Service

  Supports: the weather-radio item: NWR is "a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office" and "broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week."

• Prepare Your Pets for Disasters — Ready.gov

  Supports: the pet-shelter warning: "Many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside."

Deep dives from our article library

These pair well with hurricane preparation. Each goes deeper on a single part of the plan than space allows above.

How to Create a Family Emergency Communication Plan

How to build a family communication plan for when your household is scattered and cell service is spotty.

Essential Documents Checklist for Family Emergencies

A checklist of the documents to copy, protect, and pack in your evacuation go bag.

Medicine Storage Guide for Emergencies

How to store medications for an emergency, through a long outage and an evacuation.

Emergency Food Distribution Systems for Communities

How communities organize food distribution during and after a major disaster.

Complete Hurricane Home Protection Guide

The pillar guide for hardening a house before landfall: windows, roof, doors, and the order to do the work in.

Hurricane Evacuation Checklist: What to Pack in 30 Minutes

When the order comes you will not have time to think. What to grab, in what order, and what to leave behind.