Get a simple, 10-day plan to prepare for a hurricane.

A Simple 10-Day Plan to Prepare for a Hurricane

Imagine you’re staring at the television screen in horror: a major hurricane has just been forecast to hit your area in days. People are already flocking to the stores to stockpile food, water, and wood. Are you and your family prepared? Would you have to leave home in a mad dash to stock up before the storm hits?

No one wants to go through the stress of last-minute preparations for an emergency. In this post, I’m going to give you an easy, 10-day plan to prepare your home and family for a hurricane long before one ever hits.

Preparing for a hurricane is more involved than preparing for severe storms or preparing for a power outage, although some steps do overlap. And, the best time to prepare for a hurricane is when there isn’t one in the forecast.

So, let’s get started.

The Increasing Frequency of Hurricanes

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2020 was a record-breaking year for hurricanes. Last year we had 30 named storms, 11 which hit the United States.

Image courtesy NOAA.

So what’s in store for us this year? More of the same. According to an analysis by Colorado State University, we will have an above-average hurricane season in 2021.

Researchers are predicting 18 named storms (the average is 14) this year. Eight of these will be hurricanes, and four of them will be major hurricanes, which are classified as Category 3 or higher. The entire continental U.S. coastline has a 69% chance of getting hit with a major hurricane this season.

The Increasing Risk of Severe Hurricanes

Thanks to climate change, there is also an increased risk that we’ll experience a severe hurricane. In August 2020, NPR interviewed Chauncia Willis, a longtime emergency manager and CEO of the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management. She stressed that storms are becoming larger, more severe, and moving at a more rapid rate than they used to.

In a May 2020 interview with The New York Times, James P. Kossin, a researcher with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, confirmed this. Kossin co-authored a 2020 study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In this study, researchers found that since 1979, warming has increased the likelihood of a hurricane developing into a Category 3 or higher by 8% each decade.

Even if you don’t live on the coast, you still need to prepare for a hurricane. The reason is because after a hurricane hits it often barrels its way through land-locked states. It can spread hurricane or tropical-force winds hundreds of miles inland, and drop a foot of rain or more, causing dangerous floods or landslides. So, you folks in land-locked states are not off the hook.

How to Prepare for a Hurricane in 10 Days

If you’re anything like me, you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the numerous things you have to do to get ready for a natural disaster like a hurricane. What do you really need? Where are you supposed to start?

Preparing for hurricane season doesn’t have to be stressful or overwhelming. Personally, I find it easier to divvy these big projects up into a simple, day-by-day plan. This way, all you have to worry about is doing one prep a day.

Day 1: Plan Your Evacuation Route

If you live in a coastal area, you might need to evacuate when a major hurricane is on its way. Do you know your local hurricane evacuation route? Where would you go if you had to evacuate?

Keep in mind that hurricanes can and do cause significant damage far inland due to flooding and high winds. Even if you live in a land-locked state, you still need to plan an evacuation route. This is especially important if you live in a flood zone.

How to Identify Evacuation Route and Flood Risk

To prepare for a hurricane today, identify the evacuation route you’ll take if you have to evacuate. Most coastal states have at-risk areas separated in zones, and they will issue evacuation orders based on these zones. For example, the following states have their coastal areas mapped into zones:

Even if you don’t live directly on the coast, you could still be at risk of flooding. To analyze your flood risk, enter your address into FEMA’s Flood Map tool. Figure out how you’ll get out if a local river starts to flood.

All coastal states have designated evacuation routes, and you need to identify the route that’s closest to your home. To find this route, Google “Evacuation routes + your state’s name.”

You also need to figure out where you can go if you’re forced to evacuate. Will you need to use a public shelter? Is there a family member or friend who lives inland who’d be willing to provide shelter for your family during a storm? If so, reach out and ask if you can come to their home in an emergency.

If you have pets, make sure you find accommodations that will accept them as well.

Day 2: Download Emergency Apps

There are many emergency apps that can help you stay on top of the storm and let others know you’re safe when the power is out.

FEMA

The FEMA app (for iOS and Android) sends you real-time emergency alerts from the National Weather Service, as well as five other locations that you designate. The app can also help you locate open emergency shelters and disaster recovery shelters, and register for disaster assistance.

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross’s Hurricane app (for iOS and Android) allows you to track a hurricane, provides tips and strategies to prepare your home, and let others know you’re safe.

Day 3: Organize a First Aid Kit

Our comprehensive first aid kit
We keep our first aid kit in a ready-to-go EMT jump bag.

Do you have a complete first aid kit for your home? Are your first aid supplies in a bag or box that you can easily grab and take with you?

Many families keep band-aids and alcohol on-hand. However, all too often these essential supplies are stored loose on a shelf or scattered throughout the house. So, your job today is to assemble all your first-aid supplies, take stock of what you have and what you need, and purchase whatever you’re lacking. This article by the American Red Cross has a useful list of what should be in a family first aid kit.

I take first aid pretty seriously, so our kit is hefty. In addition to basic first aid supplies like band-aids and gauze, it includes items such as:

Day 4: Locate Your Home’s Water, Electric, and Gas Shut-Off Valve

If you were forced to evacuate right now, would you know how to turn off your home’s water, electricity, and gas?

Today, your only task is to locate your home’s water, gas, and electric shut-off valves and learn how to turn each of them off. You’ll likely need a crescent wrench to shut off your home’s gas line. So, make sure you have one that works for this task, and keep it stored right next to the valve it’s needed for.

For added peace of mind, make sure that everyone in your family (including older children) know where these valves and shutoffs are located. Show them how to safely shut off the water, electricity, and gas lines.

Day 5: Inventory Your Home

If your home is damaged or destroyed in the hurricane, you’re going to have to file an insurance claim. And, your insurance company is going to want to a list of everything that was inside your home.

Would you be able to provide them a complete list of your possessions from memory? Probably not. This is why you need an up-to-date home inventory, stored in a secure location. This inventory list will help your claim get settled faster, and ensure that you receive the compensation you’re entitled to from your insurance company.

Now, I know this seems like a daunting task. However, thanks to technology it doesn’t have to be.

Use your phone’s video camera and walk slowly through your home, room by room, talking about the items in each room. Make sure you record items of special value or significance, jewelry and artwork, and include serial numbers, brands or model numbers, and the year you purchased each item. Don’t forget to go through your garage, attic, basement, or storage shed as well.

You can also take a low-tech approach and write items down using pencil and paper.

Make sure you download your video or pictures onto an external hard drive. Store it in a waterproof bag in another location, like a safety deposit box.

Day 6: Create an Emergency Kit

Every family should keep an emergency kit fully stocked and ready to go at a moment’s notice. Your emergency kit needs to contain everything your family will need to survive for a minimum of three days on your own. These items should also be stored in one or two waterproof plastic containers that can easily be picked up.

So, today’s to-do is to assemble a family emergency kit. Your kit should contain the following items:

  • At least 1 gallon of water per person, per day
  • At least 3 days of food for each person in your family, including pets
  • Small camp stove and fuel (we love the fuel-free Solo Titan, and Coleman makes a great little propane stove)
  • Waterproof matches and lighter
  • First aid kit, including extra face masks, extra prescription medications, and hand sanitizer
  • Flashlights or headlamps, one for each person, including extra batteries
  • Emergency lantern
  • Emergency blankets
  • A can opener (if canned food is in your kit)
  • Hand-crank emergency radio
  • A change of clothing for everyone in your family
  • Infant items, if necessary, including diapers, formula, and wipes
  • Basic personal hygiene items including toilet paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, wet wipes, feminine hygiene items, deodorant, floss, etc.
  • Important documents like insurance policy paperwork, bank account numbers, passports, wills and deeds, titles, birth certificates, sentimental photographs, stored in a waterproof pouch or container
  • Cash
  • Heavy-duty contractor bags (has multiple uses including hurricane clean up, rain poncho, or a tarp)
  • State and local paper maps
  • Small toys, books, or games for children
  • Pet items like pet food, collar, leash, waste bags, chew toy

Nice-to-Have Additions

To up your preparedness game, add the following nice-to-have emergency items to your kit:

You should also take steps to start building a long-term food pantry. Having plenty of food on-hand ensures that your family will have enough to eat if services are disrupted for days or weeks following a hurricane.

Day 7: Buy Boards for Windows

We all know what happens when a hurricane is on its way: people head to the grocery store to stock up on food, and then to the home improvement store to stock up on wood. Everything you really need to prepare is usually gone within hours.

Save yourself the worry and stress by purchasing the wood you need for your windows before a hurricane is on the horizon. Measure your windows, and go buy the wood today.

Day 8: Create an Emergency Contact List

When a hurricane hits, power often goes out and mobile networks are overloaded. Sometimes, cell service is non-existent during and after a storm. Without power or a solar charger, you won’t have a way to charge your cell phone, or access contact information.

This is why you need a paper copy of every important phone number your family needs.

  • Relatives
  • Family friends
  • Doctors
  • Insurance companies
  • Utility companies

Day 9: Create a Family Communication Plan

Your job today is to create a comprehensive family communication plan so that you can stay in touch with others during and after the hurricane. You also need to identify an out-of-state family member or friend who can serve as a point-of-contact for everyone and help relay information.

Start by visiting Ready.gov, which provides an easy step-by-step process to help you create a family communication plan.

Day 10: Enter Emergency Contact Numbers Into Every Phone

Once you create your family communication plan, make sure teens and adult children have emergency contacts entered in their phone. In addition, write these numbers on a card they can keep in their wallet.

Go over your family communication plan with them, and make sure everyone understands how you’ll contact each other during an emergency. Remember, networks are often down or overloaded during a hurricane, and a text will often go through when a voice call want.

What to Do When a Hurricane Is Forecast

Hopefully, you already went through the 10-day plan and have done what you need to do to prepare for a hurricane. However, things get serious when one is forecast for your area. Before a hurricane hits, make sure you do the following:

Secure Outdoor Objects

Go outside and secure everything that could become a flying missile in high winds. This includes chairs, tables, lawn ornaments, toys, bird feeders, flags, potted plants, and garden tools. Put these items in the garage, or tie them to something sturdy.

If you have a boat or trailer, secure these items to the ground.

Get Fuel

For general preparedness, it’s a good idea to keep your car’s gas tank at least half full at all times. However, the moment a hurricane is forecast anywhere near your region, go fill up your car with fuel. You should also fill up your gas cans so you have fuel on-hand to power your generator, if you have one. A 5,000 watt generator will consume 18 gallons of gas in 24 hours (running constantly).

If you have backup solar chargers, set these out in the sun so they’re fully charged before storm clouds roll in.

Set Refrigerator and Freezer to Coldest Setting

As soon as you know a storm is coming, set your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest setting. If the power goes out, this will help the food stay colder a little bit longer.

Unplug All Unnecessary Electronics

Unplug every electronic device that you don’t absolutely need. This is especially important when the power goes out. Unplugging devices will help lesson the strain on the grid when the power comes back on. It also eliminates the risk of damage from fluctuating power surges.

Stockpile Water

Start stockpiling water before the storm gets here. Fill whatever you can with tap water, including:

  • Buckets
  • Clean, empty water bottles, milk jugs, or soda bottles
  • Cooking pots
  • Bathtubs

Keep in mind that water stored in unsanitary containers (like the bathtub) can’t be used for drinking unless you have a water purifier. However, you can use this water for washing hands, bathing, and flushing toilets.

Last Word

Here in Tennessee, we face a risk from hurricanes due to flooding. Hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast states often come right up through the southeast, dumping torrential amounts of rain. Our homestead is on a creek, and a short distance away from a major river, so flooding from hurricanes is a big concern.

With an active hurricane season on the way, it’s smart to spend time now preparing for such an event. Hopefully, you’ll never need it. However, your preparations could help your family stay more comfortable during a storm, or even save someone’s life.

Similar Posts