Hurricane Safety: What to Do Before, During, and After Landfall

If you keep one thing from this guide, make it this: when officials order an evacuation, go. Storm surge, not wind, is the number-one hurricane killer, and once the roads clog it cannot be outdriven. Everything else here is how to be ready before the storm, safe during it, and careful through the aftermath, which is often deadlier than the landfall itself.

Peak season, mid-August through October, is here. Quiet forecasts don't mean safe ones: NOAA's 2026 outlook called for a below-normal year, and Tropical Storm Bertha still made landfall on the Gulf Coast in July. That is why the National Hurricane Center keeps saying below-normal is not low-risk. The time to prepare is the weeks before a storm gets a name, not when the cone of uncertainty points at you.

Here's the phase-by-phase playbook.

Hurricane Safety Before Landfall

Preparation is a sequence of decisions, not a single shopping trip. Work through these in order.

Know the Difference: Watch vs. Warning

Forecasters issue alerts in two tiers, and the difference saves lives:

Alert	Issued When	What You Must Do
Hurricane Watch	Hurricane conditions possible within 48 hours	Review your plan, check supplies, secure outdoor items, know your zone
Hurricane Warning	Hurricane conditions expected within 36 hours	Finish preparations, fill fuel tanks, follow evacuation orders immediately

A watch is a heads-up. A warning is a deadline. If local officials order an evacuation, treat it as mandatory even where it's legally voluntary — storm surge is the leading cause of hurricane deaths, and it cannot be outdriven once the roads clog. The numbers put the threat in perspective: a Category 1 storm pushes 4–5 feet of surge ashore, a Category 3 about 9–12 feet, and a Category 4 or 5 anywhere from 13 feet to well over 18. Hurricane Katrina's surge reached roughly 28 feet along parts of the Mississippi coast in 2005. Wind you can shelter from; moving water, you cannot.

Write the Family Plan

Your plan answers four questions before anyone asks them:

1. Evacuate or shelter? Know your flood zone and whether your home is built to withstand the expected winds.
2. Where do we meet? Two locations: one in your neighborhood, one outside the hazard area.
3. How do we stay in touch? Designate one out-of-state contact. Local lines jam; long-distance calls often route around the damage.
4. What's the route? Map two exit routes to your destination — one inland, one coastal — and check them against the latest evacuation zone maps.

Build the Kit

Your hurricane kit is the difference between inconvenience and crisis. The power-outage survival guide covers the full outage scenario; here's what a hurricane-specific kit adds:

• Water: One gallon per person per day, for at least three days. A Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon Water Container stores 7 gallons in a rugged, tap-equipped jug that won't blow away like stacked bottles.
• Food: Three days of no-cook food. See our food and water storage guide for shelf-life rules.
• Radio: NOAA weather alerts don't need cell towers. The Kaito KA500 Emergency Radio runs on five power sources including solar, making it ideal for multi-day outages. If you want one radio to cover everyone, the Midland ER310 Emergency Radio is the best tested option for alert loudness.
• Power: A small power station like the EcoFlow RIVER 3 Portable Power Station keeps phones and medical devices charged through a multi-day outage.
• Purification: Inland flooding can contaminate tap water for weeks. The Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System filters 100,000 gallons and fits in a pocket.
• First aid: A stocked kit with bandages, antiseptic, and any prescription meds you take.

Fill Up Before the Wind Does

Gasoline and water are the two things that vanish first when a storm approaches. Fill vehicle tanks and approved fuel containers 72 hours before the forecast window opens. Cash is second — ATMs and card readers fail without power.

Hurricane Safety During Landfall

Once the warning is out, execution begins. Two scenarios: you sheltered in place, or you're riding out the storm after evacuating to a safe location.

Sheltering in Place

Move to a small interior room, bathroom, or hallway on the lowest floor — but not below ground. Basements flood first. Bring mattresses or blankets to shield against debris, and stay away from windows.

The Eyewall Is Not the End

The storm's eye passing overhead brings sudden calm. Do not go outside. The eyewall's back half carries winds that can match the front, and the lull often lasts only minutes. Stay sheltered until officials confirm the storm has fully passed.

Never Run Generators Indoors

This kills more people than the wind itself. Generators, grills, and camp stoves produce carbon monoxide — a colorless, odorless gas that can kill a family in under an hour. Rules that are not optional:

• Generators run outside only, at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents.
• Never run one in a garage, even with the door open.
• Install battery-powered CO detectors on every floor.
• Wait for the generator to cool before refueling; never refuel while running.

Windows: Tape Is Useless

Taping windows was a myth that cost thousands of panes and countless injuries. Hurricane-force debris shatters taped glass just as easily — it only creates larger, more dangerous shards. Boarding with plywood or shutting impact-rated shutters is the only real protection, and it must happen before the wind arrives. During the storm, stay away from every window, taped or not.

Hurricane Safety After Landfall

The storm ending is not the emergency ending. Floodwaters and downed infrastructure make the aftermath statistically deadlier than the landfall itself.

Floodwater Is Toxic

Do not wade, swim, or drive through floodwater. It's not just water — it's raw sewage, fuel, chemicals, and debris, and it hides live wires and sharp metal. "Turn around, don't drown" isn't a slogan; more hurricane deaths occur in the aftermath than during the wind event. Six inches of water stalls most vehicles; one foot floats them.

Treat Every Downed Line as Live

Storm crews will tell you: assume every wire on the ground is energized, even after utilities report the grid is down — backfeed and downed transmission lines can surprise you. Stay at least 30 feet away from downed lines and anything touching them. Report them to the utility, not on social media.

Food Safety in an Outage

The 4-hour rule: perishables in a powerless refrigerator last about four hours; a full freezer holds its temperature roughly 48 hours. After that, throw it out — food poisoning after a storm turns a bad week into a hospital visit. When in doubt, toss it. Your food and water storage guide has the full temperature tables.

Heat and Humidity After the Storm

The aftermath doesn't just flood — it sweats. With the grid down for days in late summer, survivors face 90°F-plus heat on top of the outage, and that combination is what turns a storm into a medical emergency for older adults in particular. Budget your backup power for cooling, not just lighting, and know the line where heat exhaustion becomes heat stroke: confusion, a body temperature over 104°F, or sweating that stops means call 911 and cool fast. Our heat exhaustion vs heat stroke guide covers the full first-aid steps and how to stay cool without AC.

The Water Emergency

If authorities issue a boil-water advisory, follow it until they lift it — contaminants take days to clear. For drinking water, boil first, then filter with a Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System if supplies are limited. Never assume tap water is safe just because it looks clear.

Insurance Claims Done Right

• Photograph everything before cleanup: damaged roof, water lines on walls, soaked contents.
• Document with video as you walk through the property; timestamps help.
• Make temporary repairs (tarp the roof, board windows) to prevent further damage — insurers expect it.
• File promptly, and keep a log of every call, adjuster visit, and receipt.
• Know your policy: standard homeowners policies exclude flood. Flood insurance is separate, with a 30-day waiting period — buy it in June, not in September.

Your Before-Landfall Checklist

Print this. Post it. Follow it.

• Know your evacuation zone and two routes out
• Hurricane kit stocked: water, food, radio, power, first aid
• Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon Water Container filled — 7 gallons per person per week
• Radio charged and tuned to NOAA: Midland ER310 Emergency Radio or Kaito KA500 Emergency Radio
• Backup power ready: EcoFlow RIVER 3 Portable Power Station charged to 100%
• Water filter packed: Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System
• Vehicle tanks full, cash on hand
• Documents in waterproof bag with photos backed up
• Yard secured: chairs, grills, and planters inside
• CO detectors tested, generator stored outside-only
• Emergency contact list shared with family
• Phone chargers, batteries, and your RunningSnail MD-090 Emergency Radio as a backup radio

The best hurricane safety plan is the one already executed before the warning goes up. Quiet forecast years still produce landfalls — Bertha proved that in July. August is the season's turning point, and the USGS's new readiness tools are free. Use them while you still have time to act.