Hurricane Preparedness: Before, During & After

Why the Category Number Is Only Half the Story

Turn on any news broadcast when a hurricane is approaching the coast and the category number dominates the coverage. Category 3. Major hurricane. Category 4 intensification. The framing implies that the category tells you how dangerous the storm is for your family.

It doesn’t.

The Saffir-Simpson scale measures maximum sustained wind speed. It says nothing about storm surge, rainfall flooding, embedded tornadoes, or the specific geography of your neighborhood. Storm surge — the wall of ocean water driven ashore by the storm — is responsible for roughly half of all hurricane-related deaths. Wind tears apart buildings. Storm surge buries them underwater.

Effective hurricane preparedness means understanding the full threat picture, not just the category, and having the supplies, home hardening, and plans in place well before a storm ever enters the forecast.

Tropical Depression, Tropical Storm, Hurricane: What the Labels Mean

The National Hurricane Center classifies Atlantic systems on a scale of intensity. The distinctions matter for preparedness timing.

Tropical Depression — A disorganized cluster of thunderstorms with a defined circulation and maximum sustained winds below 39 mph. It can produce heavy rainfall and flooding before it ever strengthens. The NHC begins tracking depressions and issuing advisories at this stage.

Tropical Storm — Sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph. At this threshold the system receives a name. Tropical storms cause significant coastal erosion, flooding, and wind damage in their own right — they are not warm-up acts. Tropical Storm Allison (2001) flooded Houston with 35 inches of rainfall and caused 5 billion dollars in damage without ever becoming a hurricane.

Hurricane — Sustained winds of 74 mph or higher with a defined eye structure. Classified in five categories on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The transition from tropical storm to hurricane can occur rapidly — sometimes within a few hours — as a storm passes over warm water.

The practical takeaway: do not wait for the word “hurricane” to begin preparing. If a tropical storm is forecast for your area, begin your pre-storm checklist immediately.

Hurricane Season: When to Be Ready

The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Peak activity falls between mid-August and mid-October, with a statistical peak around September 10. Roughly 97 percent of Atlantic tropical storms and hurricanes form during this six-month window.

The Eastern Pacific season begins May 15. The Gulf of Mexico can spawn storms outside the official season dates, though this is uncommon.

The rule that protects you: All hurricane preparedness — supplies, home hardening, evacuation plans, insurance — must be complete by May 31. Not by June 1. Not when a storm enters the Gulf. By the end of May.

When a named storm is 72 hours from landfall on your coast, water has been cleared from store shelves for two days. Fuel lines stretch for blocks. Plywood is gone. The price you pay for waiting is not just inconvenience — it may mean leaving without critical supplies or being trapped without water for three to five days of post-storm outages.

The Saffir-Simpson Scale: All Five Categories

Category	Wind Speed	Storm Surge	Damage Summary
Cat 1	74 to 95 mph	4 to 5 ft	Roof, siding, gutter damage. Downed trees. Power out days to a week.
Cat 2	96 to 110 mph	6 to 8 ft	Major roof damage. Many trees snapped. Power out days to weeks.
Cat 3	111 to 129 mph	9 to 12 ft	Devastating damage to framed homes. Power out weeks to months.
Cat 4	130 to 156 mph	13 to 18 ft	Catastrophic structural damage. Long-term uninhabitable zones.
Cat 5	157 mph or higher	18 ft or higher	Total roof failure and wall collapse on many homes. Months to recover.

Category 1 — Do Not Dismiss It

A Category 1 is a real, damaging storm. Expect roof shingle and gutter losses, downed branches, and snapped smaller trees. Older and poorly maintained structures suffer significant damage. Power outages of three to seven days are typical. Storm surge of 4 to 5 feet threatens coastal property and low-lying land.

Hurricane Irene (2011) made landfall in North Carolina as a Category 1 and caused over 7 billion dollars in damage — most of it from inland flooding. The category number did not predict that impact.

Category 2 — Structural Risk Increases

Winds become destructive to structures not built to current codes. Shallow-rooted trees fail in large numbers, blocking roads and complicating evacuation and rescue. Power outages extend to several weeks. Mobile and manufactured homes should be evacuated regardless of location.

Category 3 — The Major Hurricane Threshold

Category 3 is the entry point for “major hurricane” classification. Well-built framed homes can suffer major damage at this intensity. Power and water may be unavailable for weeks. Storm surge of 9 to 12 feet can overtop seawalls and penetrate far inland across flat coastal terrain.

Hurricane Katrina made its final Louisiana landfall as a Category 3. The Category 5 level damage came from storm surge — up to 27 feet in some Mississippi coastal communities — not from the wind speed at landfall.

Category 4 — Catastrophic

Catastrophic damage is expected. Well-built homes lose most roof structure. Nearly all trees are snapped or uprooted. Power outages persist for weeks to months. Storm surge of 13 to 18 feet inundates everything within reach.

Category 5 — Maximum Intensity

Complete roof failure and wall collapse on many residential structures. Nearly all trees downed. Storm surge exceeds 18 feet over large areas. Affected zones may be uninhabitable for months.

Only four Category 5 landfalls have struck the continental United States: the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, Camille (1969), Andrew (1992), and Michael (2018). Category 5 intensity is relatively rare at landfall — but storm surge from Category 3 and 4 storms has killed far more people than any wind metric predicts.

Storm Surge: The Deadliest Part of a Hurricane

Storm surge is the ocean water driven ashore by a hurricane’s rotation, forward momentum, and reduced atmospheric pressure. It is not a wave — it is an inundation. The water arrives and stays, sometimes for hours, as the storm passes.

The National Hurricane Center estimates storm surge accounts for approximately half of all hurricane-related deaths. In the most destructive storms, it has been responsible for the majority.

Storm surge height is driven by factors independent of wind speed:

Coastal geometry: Funnel-shaped bays like Tampa Bay amplify surge dramatically. Water pushed toward the narrow end has nowhere to go but up.
Seafloor slope: A gradual underwater slope allows surge to travel farther inland than a steep slope.
Storm angle and speed: A storm making a near-perpendicular landfall concentrates surge. Slower storms pile up more water because they drive it longer before making landfall.
Storm size: A large storm generates surge over a wider stretch of coast than a compact one.

A Category 2 hurricane with the right geometry and a direct hit on a funnel bay can generate more surge than a Category 4 tracking parallel to the coast 50 miles offshore. This is why the NHC’s Potential Storm Surge Flooding maps — not the category number — determine your actual risk.

How to find your surge risk: The NHC publishes storm surge inundation maps by county at nhc.noaa.gov. Your county emergency management office maintains evacuation zones drawn directly from these models. Know your zone before a storm is ever named.

Evacuate or Shelter in Place: How to Make the Call

This is the decision where mistakes kill people. The framework is not complicated, but it requires committing before conditions deteriorate.

Evacuate If Any of These Apply

You are in Zone A or Zone B (the highest surge-risk evacuation zones for your county)
You live in a mobile home, manufactured home, or RV
You are on or near the waterfront or in a low-lying coastal area
You are within the projected storm surge inundation zone for the storm’s forecast track
Local officials have issued a voluntary or mandatory evacuation for your zone
A household member needs extra time to move safely (elderly, disabled, infants, pets requiring special transport)

Timing is critical: Leave during the voluntary evacuation window, not when the mandatory order arrives. Voluntary orders typically come 72 to 96 hours before landfall. Mandatory orders arrive 48 hours out — by which point highways are gridlocked, fuel stations are empty, and the stress of a rush evacuation multiplies the risk of accidents.

Shelter in Place If All of These Are True

Sheltering in place is appropriate only when all of the following are true simultaneously:

You are inland and outside the storm surge inundation zone
Your home is a solidly built structure (reinforced concrete, concrete block, or elevated above flood level)
The storm is forecast as Category 2 or weaker with no surge risk at your location
You have 14 days of food, water, and essential medications on hand

If you shelter in place for Category 3 or stronger, identify the interior room on your lowest safe floor — with no windows and no exterior walls if possible — as your storm safe room. Move supplies there before the eyewall arrives.

For a deeper breakdown of this decision, the bug out vs shelter in place guide walks through the decision framework for all disaster types.

Pre-Season Home Hardening (Complete Before June)

Home hardening is the structural preparation that determines whether your house is livable after the storm passes. It is not done in the 72-hour window before a storm — it is done in the off-season, when contractors are available, materials are in stock, and you have time to do it correctly.

Windows and Storm Shutters

Shutters are the most effective window protection. Options in order of effectiveness:

Accordion shutters — Permanently mounted, unfold and lock in under a minute. Highest performance, highest cost.
Roll-down shutters — Motorized or manual, mounted above each opening. Excellent performance with minimal deployment time.
Panel shutters — Aluminum or polycarbonate panels stored and installed before each storm. Effective when installed correctly; time-consuming for large homes.
Plywood — A last resort when shutters are unavailable. Use 5/8-inch exterior-grade plywood, anchor with screws (not nails) into framing every 18 inches. Do not use OSB.

Impact-resistant windows rated to your local wind code can eliminate the need for shutters. In high-risk areas, the cost is offset by insurance discounts and the reduced time to prepare before each storm.

Garage Doors

Garage doors are the largest structural opening on most homes and a frequent failure point in hurricane winds. A garage door failure allows wind to pressurize the interior, which can lift the roof off from inside.

If your garage door is not rated for hurricane winds (check the label on the inside of the door), install a bracing kit or replace the door before hurricane season. A braced or rated garage door significantly reduces the risk of catastrophic roof failure.

Roof Straps and Clips

The connection between your roof structure and your walls is the critical link in a hurricane. Older homes built before updated building codes may lack hurricane straps (metal clips connecting roof rafters to wall framing). A qualified contractor can add straps from inside the attic. In many wind-prone states, this also qualifies for a homeowner’s insurance discount that offsets the cost within a few years.

Entry Doors

Solid-core entry doors with three hinges and a deadbolt anchored into the door frame (not just the door jamb casing) perform far better than hollow-core doors with minimal hardware. Sliding glass doors are a significant vulnerability — add a pin or bar to prevent them from being forced open by wind or lifted off their tracks.

The 72-Hour Pre-Storm Checklist

When a storm enters the 72-hour warning window for your area, this is your execution window — not your planning window. Planning should already be done.

72 hours out:

Commit to the decision: evacuate or shelter in place. Do not delay.
If evacuating: load vehicles, top off the fuel tank, and leave now
Install storm shutters or board windows
Bring all outdoor items inside: furniture, grills, decorations, potted plants, umbrellas, garbage cans — anything that can become a projectile
Fill bathtubs using a WaterBOB liner or as backup flushing water
Move valuables to upper floors if flooding is a risk
Withdraw cash — ATMs and card readers go offline after storms
Fill all prescriptions
Charge all devices, battery banks, and portable power stations fully

48 hours out:

Final supply audit — confirm water, food, medications, and fuel are accounted for
Move vehicles to garage or away from large trees
Test battery-powered NOAA weather radio
Download offline maps (cell service disrupts during storms)
Unplug major appliances to protect against power surge damage
Turn refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings
Notify your out-of-area contact of your plan

24 hours out:

Final headcount — all people and pets accounted for and in location
Identify the safe room inside the home and move go-bag supplies there
Know the all-clear process: do not go outside until local emergency management confirms the storm has fully passed

What to Stockpile: The Hurricane Supply List

Hurricane supply lists often focus on a 72-hour kit. For any Category 3 or stronger storm, 72 hours is the minimum — not the target. Plan for 14 days without grid power, running water, or open stores.

Water

One gallon per person per day is the standard minimum — the emergency water storage baseline for drinking and basic sanitation. In hot, humid post-hurricane conditions, that number increases. A family of four needs 56 gallons for a 14-day window.

Storage options:

Commercial water storage containers (5 to 7 gallon BPA-free jugs)
WaterBOB bathtub liner (100 gallons, fills before the storm)
Sealed commercially bottled water rotated annually

Do not rely solely on bathtub water — it cannot be sanitized easily and is susceptible to contamination. Layer multiple storage methods.

Food

Stock shelf-stable, no-cook or minimal-cook items. Power outages make cooking on an electric range impossible. Items to prioritize:

Canned goods with pull-tab lids (no can opener required)
Peanut butter, crackers, nuts, dried fruit
Ready-to-eat meals (MREs or commercial pouches)
Shelf-stable protein bars and granola
Instant oatmeal (requires only hot water from a camp stove)
Hard candy and comfort foods for children

Rotate stock annually. Check expiration dates in April before each season opens.

Medications

Fill all prescriptions for a 30-day supply well before the season starts. Pharmacies in storm-affected areas close for days to weeks. Medications requiring refrigeration need a plan — a good-quality cooler with ice or a portable power station running a compact thermoelectric cooler.

Diabetics should have extra insulin storage solutions planned in advance. People on cardiac or neurological medications that cannot be missed need a 60-day supply staged before June.

Documents

Store physical copies of these documents in a waterproof, portable container — and have digital backups stored in cloud storage or on a USB drive:

Passports and government IDs
Insurance policies (homeowners, auto, health) and agent contact information
Property deed or lease agreement
Vehicle titles
Birth certificates and Social Security cards
Recent photos of the home’s interior and contents (for insurance claims)
Medication list with dosages and prescribing physicians

Cash

ATMs, card readers, and mobile payment systems do not function during extended power outages. Small bills are most useful. Aim for enough to cover fuel, hotel nights on an evacuation route, and incidental purchases for at least five days.

After the Storm: Re-Entry and the Hazards That Kill After Landfall

The storm passing does not mean the danger is over. The hours and days after a hurricane are responsible for a significant share of total storm fatalities — and most of these deaths are preventable.

The Eye Is Not the All-Clear

The eye of a hurricane brings a temporary lull. Winds drop, rain stops, blue sky may appear. This calm lasts approximately 20 to 45 minutes before the opposite eyewall — often the strongest part of the storm — arrives.

Going outside during the eye is a documented cause of hurricane deaths every season. Stay inside until your battery-powered NOAA weather radio or official local emergency management confirms the storm has completely passed your area.

Carbon Monoxide: The Leading Post-Storm Killer

Generator misuse kills more Americans after hurricanes than many people realize. CO poisoning from portable generators is the leading cause of post-hurricane deaths in the days immediately following landfall.

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless. It kills before most people recognize symptoms.

Generator rules — no exceptions:

Operate only outdoors, at least 20 feet from any window, door, or vent
Never run a generator inside a garage, even with the door open
Never run a generator inside the home under any circumstances
Install battery-operated CO detectors on every floor of the home
Never refuel a running generator

Set these rules before the storm so they are automatic when you are exhausted and stressed at 2am with no power. FEMA data from multiple hurricane seasons shows CO deaths spike in the 48 hours immediately after landfall — when people are tired and improvising.

Water Safety After the Storm

Municipal water systems in affected areas are frequently compromised after hurricanes. Boil-water advisories are common and can remain in effect for days to weeks. Until your local utility issues an official all-clear:

Use stored clean water for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth
Do not assume tap water is safe even if it appears clear
Treat suspect water by boiling for one full minute (or three minutes above 6,500 ft elevation)

Post-hurricane floodwater is not rainwater. It is a mixture of sewage overflow, agricultural runoff, industrial chemicals, fuel, and pathogens. Leptospirosis, hepatitis A, and E. coli are among the documented risks from floodwater contact. Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, and eye protection when wading through any flood-affected area. Wash thoroughly with clean water afterward.

Structural Re-Entry

Before entering any storm-damaged structure:

Check for visible structural damage: bowed walls, sagging roof sections, cracked foundation, collapsed ceilings
Smell for natural gas before entering. If you detect gas, do not enter — call your utility’s emergency line from outside and leave the area
Do not flip electrical breakers if there is visible water damage to the panel or if the panel is still wet. Contact an electrician first
Photograph all damage before beginning any cleanup — insurance documentation requires it
Contact your insurance company within 24 to 48 hours of the storm to file your claim

Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

Pre-Season (Before June 1)

72-Hour Storm Window

Evacuation/shelter decision made and committed — no waiting
Outdoor items brought inside or secured
Windows shuttered or boarded
Bathtub filled with backup water
All devices fully charged
Fuel tank topped off
Cash withdrawn

After the Storm

Stayed inside through the full storm passage — did not go out during the eye
Generator operated only outdoors, 20 feet or more from any opening
Boil-water advisory status confirmed before drinking tap water
Structural inspection completed before re-entry
Insurance damage documentation photographed
Insurance claim filed within 48 hours

The Foundation: Before the Storm Is Named

Every item on this page is more effective — and more affordable — done in the off-season than in the 72-hour sprint before landfall. A solid 72-hour emergency kit covers the baseline supplies. The bug out vs shelter in place decision framework helps you make the evacuation call with clarity rather than anxiety.

Hurricane season is not a surprise. It runs on the same calendar every year. The gap between the people who ride out Category 3 storms without major hardship and the ones who don’t is almost entirely built in the months before the storm arrives — not the hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long before a hurricane should you prepare?

All hurricane supplies and home hardening should be completed by May 31 — before the Atlantic season opens on June 1. Waiting until a named storm is in the forecast means competing with millions of other shoppers for water, fuel, and plywood. Build your preparedness infrastructure in the off-season when prices are normal and store shelves are full.

Should you evacuate or shelter in place for a hurricane?

Evacuate if you are in a Zone A or B evacuation area, live in a mobile or manufactured home, are within the projected storm surge inundation zone, or if local officials issue a mandatory order for your area. Sheltering in place is appropriate only for inland residents in solidly built structures who are outside the surge zone. When in doubt, evacuate — the decision to stay can only be reversed if the storm changes track, but a belated evacuation attempt after roads flood is far more dangerous than leaving early.