What a Hurricane Warning means

A Hurricane Warning means hurricane conditions are expected within your area within 24 hours. This is not a watch. This is not a "maybe." At this point, the storm will hit your area. The only question is exactly where and how strong.

The time for shopping, planning, and big decisions is over. The next 24 hours are about execution, final checks, and getting your family safe.

🚨 If you are under an evacuation order — LEAVE NOW. Do not wait. Evacuation orders exist because your area will experience storm surge, extreme flooding, or wind conditions that a structure cannot survive. No amount of preparation keeps you safe from 15 feet of storm surge. Your possessions can be replaced. You cannot.

Final shutter check — close every opening

Walk the entire perimeter of your home. Every window. Every door. Every opening.

All windows — shuttered and locked, wing nuts snug
All exterior doors — shuttered if applicable, deadbolted
All sliding glass doors — shuttered and pin-locked
Garage doors — hurricane-rated or braced with a vertical brace kit
Any skylight or roof opening — shuttered or covered
Pet doors — cover with plywood or remove and seal the opening

The garage door is your weakest point. Standard garage doors fail in major hurricane winds and when they fail, the resulting pressure change can lift your roof off. If you don't have a hurricane-rated garage door, brace it with a vertical door brace kit (available at Home Depot and Lowe's).

Testing portable generator outdoors before hurricane

Generator — fill, test, position

Fill generator with fresh fuel — add stabilizer if topping off stored fuel
Test-run the generator OUTDOORS — confirm it starts and runs cleanly
Position it at least 20 feet from any door or window — CO travels fast
Run your 12-gauge extension cord from generator to house — confirm length is adequate
Verify CO detectors are working and batteries are fresh — replace if any doubt

☠️ Never run a generator indoors, in a garage, or near any window or door. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless. It kills within minutes at generator exhaust concentrations. In 2022, at least 11 deaths from Hurricane Ian were caused by CO poisoning from generators run inside or too close to the home. This is preventable.

Secure valuables and electronics

Move electronics off the floor — water intrusion starts low
Unplug everything except essential devices — power surges when electricity returns can destroy electronics
Move irreplaceable items (photos, heirlooms) to interior rooms on high shelves
Wrap electronics you can't move in plastic bags — even partial water resistance helps

Medical equipment — final check

CPAP battery backup — fully charged and within reach of sleeping area
Power wheelchair / scooter — fully charged
Oxygen concentrator — have backup portable O2 available or arrange transport to medical shelter
Insulin — stored in a small cooler with ice or cooling packs
All medications — 72-hour supply accessible in go-bag or shelter room

Find your safe room

Your safe room is the interior room of your home with the fewest windows, on the lowest floor that is not in a flood zone, with the most structural walls between you and the outside.

Ideal safe rooms: interior bathroom, closet, or hallway on the lowest floor. Put mattresses, sleeping bags, or couch cushions against the walls for additional protection from debris.

Identify the safe room and tell every household member where it is
Stage supplies in or near the safe room: water, flashlights, phone chargers, medications
Put shoes in the safe room — you'll need them if you have to walk through debris
Bring a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio into the safe room
Keep a pair of work gloves in the safe room — for clearing debris to escape if needed

Check on your people

In the next few hours, do a final check-in with everyone in your network:

Confirm elderly neighbors or family members are safe and have what they need
Share your shelter-in-place address with an out-of-area contact
Establish a check-in time for after the storm passes
Make sure everyone knows: don't call 911 for property damage during the storm — they're responding to life-safety emergencies only

Dark storm clouds approaching before hurricane

When the storm hits — what to expect

During the storm, stay in your safe room. Do not go outside during the eye. The back eyewall is often worse than the front — winds shift direction and can be more intense. Wait for official all-clear from local emergency management before stepping outside.

Power will likely go out. Your home will creak and flex — this is normal. If you hear what sounds like a freight train (the classic description of a tornado embedded in the storm), get as low as possible immediately.