Hurricane Preparation Checklist for Florida Homeowners

Florida hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. That is six months of risk — but most homeowners only think about it when a named storm appears on the radar. By then, hardware stores are sold out of plywood, gas lines are three hours long, and the 30-day NFIP flood insurance waiting period has definitely already passed.

This checklist is built around three phases: what to do well before any storm threatens, what to do when you have 48–72 hours, and what to do in the 24 hours before landfall. There is also a post-storm section that most guides skip. I work with buyers and sellers across Tampa Bay, St. Pete, and Central Florida — and the homeowners who handle storm season well are the ones who have done the boring work in April and May, not October.

For a deeper look at insurance — the three-layer coverage model, hurricane deductibles as a percentage of insured value, Citizens depopulation mechanics, and NFIP vs. private flood — read the companion post: Hurricane Insurance Guide for Florida Homeowners at /blog/hurricane-insurance-guide-florida.

Year-Round Preparation (Do This Now, Before Any Storm Is Forecast)

The tasks in this section are low-urgency until they are not. Every one of these is easier and cheaper when you are not in storm mode.

• Buy flood insurance now. NFIP policies have a 30-day waiting period from purchase to coverage. If a storm is named, it is already too late. Even if you are in Zone X, flooding from inland rain events is common across Hillsborough, Orange, and Osceola counties.
• Get a wind mitigation inspection. Florida-licensed inspectors complete the OIR-B1-1802 form that your insurer uses to calculate discounts. A single roof credit can reduce your wind premium by $200–$1,500 per year. The inspection costs $75–$150.
• Apply for My Safe Florida Home. The state program offers free wind mitigation inspections and matching grants up to $10,000 for improvements like impact windows, hurricane shutters, and roof reinforcement. Eligibility: home built before January 1, 2008, insured value $700,000 or less. The 2025–2026 allocation of $280 million is first-come, first-served — apply at mysafefloridahomeprogram.org.
• Know your evacuation zone. Hillsborough County uses zones A through F. Pinellas uses A through F as well, and because Pinellas is a peninsula, Zone A can trigger mandatory evacuation for moderate storms. Look up your address at floridadisaster.org or your county emergency management site.
• Document your home. Walk every room with your phone camera. Open closets, photograph electronics serial numbers, and photograph your exterior. Store the video in a cloud backup, not just on a local hard drive that could be water-damaged. This documentation is the foundation of any insurance claim.
• Build your 7-day supply kit. Florida emergency management recommends seven days of supplies, not the federal three-day minimum, because major storms can knock out power and road access for extended periods. See the supply list in the next section.
• Identify a non-local out-of-state contact. Cell networks overload during evacuations. Having one out-of-state person as a family check-in hub is a standard Red Cross recommendation — they can relay messages when local networks are saturated.

The 7-Day Supply List

These are the items to have before the season starts. Do not wait until June to build your kit. Buying a case of water in May is not dramatic — it is just sensible.

• Water: one gallon per person per day for seven days. Add one gallon per day per pet. A family of four needs 28+ gallons.
• Non-perishable food for seven days: canned goods, protein bars, peanut butter, crackers. Manual can opener.
• Prescription medications: a seven-day supply ahead of refill time. Note that pharmacies may close or run out during a storm event.
• Battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio — the National Hurricane Center broadcasts continuous storm track updates. A charged cell phone is not a substitute for this.
• Flashlights and extra batteries (or a rechargeable lantern with a USB charging port).
• First aid kit: bandages, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, pain reliever, thermometer.
• Cash. ATMs and card readers fail during power outages.
• Important documents in a waterproof pouch: insurance declarations pages, vehicle titles, mortgage paperwork, passports, medication lists. A digital backup in cloud storage adds redundancy.
• Phone chargers and a power bank. Charge every device as soon as a storm watch is issued.
• Fuel for generators and vehicles. Generators run on gasoline; keep spare containers filled and treated with fuel stabilizer during the off-season so they are ready.

72 Hours Out: When the Watch Is Issued

A hurricane watch means sustained winds of 74 mph or higher are possible within 48 hours. This is when you shift from preparation to execution. Your April-through-May work should already be done; now you are running through a checklist, not starting from scratch.

1. Fill your vehicle with gas. Lines at pumps can be two to four hours long within 24 hours of a warning. Fill now.
2. Withdraw cash from an ATM.
3. Charge all devices and power banks to 100%.
4. Bring in everything from outside that could become a projectile. Patio furniture, potted plants, grills, outdoor toys, trampolines, wind chimes — in 100+ mph winds, a plastic chair becomes a missile. Move what you can into the garage. What cannot be moved, tie down or weigh with sandbags.
5. Start installing storm shutters or plywood over windows and glass doors. Accordion shutters take minutes. Plywood takes hours. Do not leave this for the 24-hour window.
6. Confirm your evacuation zone and the nearest shelter. In Tampa Bay, look at Hillsborough County Emergency Management (hcfl.gov) or Pinellas County Emergency Management (pinellas.gov). In Central Florida, Orange County Emergency Management (ocfl.net) and Osceola County Emergency Management publish real-time shelter status.
7. Check on elderly neighbors. Assisted living facilities and nursing homes have their own evacuation protocols, but many older homeowners make the decision to shelter in place on their own — a check-in call matters.
8. Top off your 7-day supply kit if anything is low.
9. If you have a generator, test it now. Run it for 20 minutes to confirm it starts and runs clean.

24 Hours Out: When the Warning Is Issued

A hurricane warning means sustained winds are expected within 36 hours. If your evacuation zone has been called, leave now — not when the rain starts. Storm surge kills more people than wind, and once roads flood, the option to leave is gone.

1. If your zone is under a mandatory evacuation order, leave. Do not wait to see how the track shifts. Zone A in Pinellas County can flood with as little as a Category 1 landfall depending on track angle and surge timing.
2. Finish all shutter and window protection. Every opening covered.
3. Fill the bathtub with water. Power outages sometimes disrupt municipal water service; tub water is for flushing toilets, not drinking.
4. Unplug major appliances. Surge damage can occur when power is restored, not just during the storm.
5. Secure or park vehicles in a garage or elevated parking structure if possible. Do not park under trees.
6. Put your document pouch, medications, and at least three days of supplies in a bag that goes with you if you evacuate.
7. Check Duke Energy, Tampa Electric (TECO), or your utility for outage reporting procedures. Duke Energy's outage map is at outagemap.duke-energy.com. Bookmark it on your phone now.
8. Turn your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings. A full freezer holds temperature for 48 hours when sealed; a half-full one holds for 24 hours.
9. Locate your breaker panel. Know which breaker controls which zone. If flooding enters the home, cut power to that zone before it reaches electrical outlets.

“Storm surge is not movie flooding that rises slowly over days. In a major hurricane, surge can move inland two to three miles in minutes. If your zone is called, the time to leave is when the roads are still passable.”

Post-Storm: The 48 Hours After Landfall

This is the section most hurricane preparation guides skip. Statistically, more injuries occur in the 48 hours after a storm than during it — chainsaw accidents, generator carbon monoxide poisoning, and downed power line contact are the main culprits.

• Do not run a generator indoors or in a garage. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of storm-related deaths after a hurricane passes. Generators must be at least 20 feet from any door, window, or vent.
• Do not touch downed power lines. Report them to your utility immediately. A line on the ground may still be energized.
• Do not drive through flooded roads. Six inches of moving water can knock an adult off their feet. Twelve inches can carry a small car. Hillsborough and Pinellas both have Turn Around, Don't Drown signage at flood-prone crossings for this reason.
• Wait for official all-clear before returning home if evacuated. Re-entering too early puts you in danger and strains first responder resources.
• Document all damage before cleanup. Photograph everything with timestamps. Do not throw away damaged items before an insurance adjuster inspects — your carrier may require documentation of all damaged property.
• File your insurance claim immediately. Most carriers operate 24-hour claims lines during storm season. Early filers often get inspectors dispatched sooner. The standard citizens.com claims line during storm season can handle wind claims; flood claims go through the NFIP or your private flood carrier separately.
• Check your water supply. Municipal water systems sometimes issue boil-water notices after major flooding. Do not drink tap water until your utility issues an all-clear.
• Watch for structural issues before re-entering a damaged home: cracks in the foundation, shifted roof line, strong gas smell, or visible electrical damage. If in doubt, do not enter.

Florida-Specific Resources

Bookmark these before storm season, not during:

• National Hurricane Center — nhc.noaa.gov — the authoritative source for storm tracks, watches, and warnings. Not the local TV station.
• FloridaDisaster.org — the Florida Division of Emergency Management's public portal. Shelter locator, evacuation zone lookup, and real-time storm briefings.
• Hillsborough County Emergency Management — hcfl.gov/residents/public-safety/emergency-management — zone lookup, shelter information, and storm-specific updates.
• Pinellas County Emergency Management — pinellas.gov/residents/emergency-management — mandatory evacuation zone tracker and online shelter dashboard.
• Orange County Emergency Management — ocfl.net/residents/emergency-management — Central Florida's primary emergency hub for Orlando-area residents.
• Duke Energy outage map — outagemap.duke-energy.com — covers Central Florida. Check before calling; most outage reports are auto-populated from smart meter data.
• Tampa Electric (TECO) outage map — fpl.com (FPL serves parts of Hillsborough) and tampaelectric.com — know which utility serves your address.
• Citizens Property Insurance claims — 866-411-2742 — available 24/7 during storm season for wind coverage questions.
• My Safe Florida Home program — mysafefloridahomeprogram.org — grant applications, inspection scheduling, and eligibility verification.

Wind Mitigation and Insurance: The Financial Angle

Hurricane preparation is not just about safety — it has a direct impact on your insurance costs. Florida law under Statute 627.0629 requires insurers to offer actuarially sound premium credits for wind-loss reduction features. The most common credits involve roof covering, roof deck attachment, roof-to-wall connection (hurricane straps vs. toe nails), opening protection (impact glass or shutters), and roof shape.

A wind mitigation inspection documents which credits your home qualifies for. If your home has hurricane straps and impact-rated windows but your insurer does not have a current OIR-B1-1802 form on file, you are likely overpaying. The inspection pays for itself within the first year of premium savings in most cases.

The My Safe Florida Home program takes this further by partially funding the improvements themselves — up to $10,000 in state matching grants for roof reinforcement, impact windows, and shutters. Homes built before 2008 that are within wind-borne debris regions (most of the Tampa Bay peninsula and coastal Orange County) are most likely to benefit. Apply early; funding runs out before demand does.

For the full breakdown of Florida's three-layer storm coverage model — how wind policies, flood policies, and Citizens depopulation interact — see the Hurricane Insurance Guide for Florida Homeowners at /blog/hurricane-insurance-guide-florida.