How to Prepare Your Home for a Hurricane
A real hurricane plan covers four things: protecting your windows, knowing your evacuation route before you need it, understanding your storm surge risk, and deciding in advance whether you’ll shelter in place or leave. None of these steps require expensive gear, and most can be done in a weekend.
This guide walks through each piece using current guidance from the CDC and Ready.gov, plus a simple decision checklist you can use when a storm is approaching.
The Two Warnings You Need to Know
Before anything else, learn the difference between these two alerts, since they determine how much time you have left to prepare.
- Hurricane watch: Hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 mph or higher) are possible. Watches are typically announced 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected.
- Hurricane warning: Hurricane conditions are expected. Warnings are typically issued 36 hours ahead, giving less time to finish preparations.
If local officials order an evacuation, don’t wait to see how bad the storm looks. Even a sturdy, well-built house is not a reason to risk staying. And if you’re driving during or after a storm, never enter a flooded road — a vehicle can be swept away or stall in as little as 6 inches of moving water.
Protecting Your Windows
Broken windows let wind and water into your home, which is how a lot of hurricane damage happens. You have two real options:
- Storm shutters — the more reliable, reusable option if you live in a storm-prone area.
- Plywood — a lower-cost second option. Use 5/8-inch exterior-grade or marine plywood, cut to fit each window, and have it ready before the season starts rather than during a warning, when stores sell out fast.
Taping windows does not prevent them from breaking and is not a substitute for shutters or plywood.
While you’re outside, walk your yard and bring in or secure anything that could become a projectile in high wind — bikes, patio furniture, grills, propane tanks, and loose building materials.
Building Your Evacuation Route
Don’t wait until a warning is issued to figure out where you’re going. Work out your route now:
- Find out if you live in a designated hurricane evacuation zone through your local or county emergency management office.
- Map a primary route and a backup route inland, since the most obvious road is often the most congested one when everyone leaves at the same time.
- Locate the nearest shelter and at least one alternate, in case the first is full or closed.
- If you don’t own a car, arrange ahead of time with family, friends, or your local emergency management agency for a ride out.
- If you have pets, pre-identify a pet-friendly shelter, hotel, or relative’s home, since many public shelters have restrictions on animals.
For a broader look at building a full household evacuation and communication plan, including special-needs inventories and document backup, see Blueprint Prepared’s Home Preparedness coverage.
Understanding Storm Surge
Storm surge is ocean water pushed onshore by a storm’s winds, on top of the normal tide. It’s one of the most dangerous parts of a hurricane, and it can travel miles inland along bays, rivers, and estuaries, meaning you don’t have to live directly on the coast to be at risk.
To check your risk, look up your address using your state or county’s hurricane evacuation zone map, often searchable as “your county name, know your zone,” or through your local emergency management website. These maps are updated by local officials and are more accurate for your specific address than any general guide can be.
Shelter Options: Evacuate or Stay Home
Always follow instructions from local officials first. If you’re not under an evacuation order, use this basic decision path.
If you need to evacuate
- Grab your emergency kit and only what you truly need: phone, chargers, medications, ID, cash.
- Unplug appliances. If you have time, turn off the gas, electricity, and water.
- Follow the routes emergency workers recommend, even with traffic. Other roads may be flooded or blocked.
- Contact local emergency management about pet-friendly accommodations if needed.
If you’re staying home
- Keep your emergency kit somewhere easy to reach.
- Stay inside, even if it looks calm. The eye of the storm can create a false lull before conditions worsen again.
- Stay away from windows. A room with no windows, or a closet, is safer.
- Be ready to leave if officials order it or your home is damaged.
Useful details to confirm about Hurricane Preparedness
- Storm shutters or cut-to-fit plywood ready for every window
- Emergency supply kit packed, including medications and important documents
- Clean containers filled with drinking water, plus sinks and tubs filled for washing
- Car fueled and moved under cover or into the garage
- Carbon monoxide detector battery checked
- Evacuation route and backup route mapped, with shelter locations identified
- Emergency contact numbers written down and saved in every phone
- Plan in place for pets, older family members, or anyone with a disability or medical need
For guidance on building or checking your water and food reserves specifically, see Blueprint Prepared’s Emergency Food & Water coverage. If you may need to evacuate on short notice, a packed 72-hour kit is worth having ready before hurricane season starts.
Who should discuss Hurricane Preparedness first
Some households need extra lead time to prepare:
- Older adults or people with disabilities: Contact your doctor’s office, public health department, or local police non-emergency line ahead of time to discuss evacuation assistance if you won’t be able to leave quickly on your own.
- Anyone on regular medication: Keep a supply on hand and talk with your prescribing clinician about what to do if you’re unable to refill a prescription during a storm. Don’t stop or change any medication on your own.
- Renters and mobile home residents: Mobile and manufactured homes are not safe shelter in hurricane-force winds, regardless of tie-downs. Plan to evacuate.
- Homeowners: Review your insurance policy before hurricane season. Flood damage is often excluded from standard homeowner’s policies, so it’s worth confirming what your specific policy covers.
Blueprint Prepared’s Medical Disclaimer explains the limits of the health-related information in our preparedness content.
Questions studies have not settled about Hurricane Preparedness
Hurricane behavior varies by storm, and local evacuation zones, shelter locations, and infrastructure differ by county and state. The guidance above reflects general federal preparedness recommendations from the CDC and Ready.gov. It is not a substitute for orders and information from your local emergency management office, which will always have more specific and current information for your address.
Questions readers ask about Hurricane Preparedness
How far in advance should I board up my windows?
Ideally before hurricane season starts, so you’re not competing for plywood or shutter installation during a warning. If a watch is issued, aim to have windows covered before conditions start to deteriorate.
Does tape on windows help during a hurricane?
No. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking and is not a recommended substitute for storm shutters or plywood.
How do I know if I live in a storm surge evacuation zone?
Check with your local or county emergency management office, which maintains evacuation zone maps for your specific address. These are more reliable than any general online estimate.
Should I stay home if I’m not under a mandatory evacuation order?
That depends on your home’s construction, your location relative to storm surge risk, and current guidance from local officials. If conditions are dangerous for driving, staying home may be safer than leaving late. Always follow instructions from local authorities rather than guessing.
Educational Disclaimer
This article is for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for guidance from local emergency management officials, the National Weather Service, or a qualified professional. It does not provide medical advice, and nothing here should be used to start, stop, or change any medication or treatment without talking to a qualified clinician. Always follow instructions issued by local authorities during an actual storm.