Hurricane Preparation: 72-Hour Prep, Shelter in Place, and Evacuation

The Hurricane Timeline

Hurricanes provide warning that most disasters do not. The issue is that this warning is routinely wasted. People wait for the mandatory evacuation order, then try to leave at the same time as everyone else, and find gridlocked highways with no hotel rooms available for 300 miles.

The prepper approach: decide and act before the masses decide.

72-Hour Checklist: What to Do in Order

Day 3 (72+ Hours Before Landfall)

1. Monitor the track and intensity forecast. NHC (nhc.noaa.gov) is the authoritative source.
2. Decide your response category: Are you in a surge zone? Check your county's surge zone map — not the NHC map, your county's official map.
3. Fill your gas tank. Gas supplies run out 36-48 hours before a major hurricane landfall.
4. Withdraw cash — $500+ in small bills. ATMs will be offline for days post-storm.
5. Fill all prescriptions. Pharmacies close before landfall and may not reopen for days.
6. Stock food and water: 7 days minimum for shelter-in-place. 1 gallon per person per day.
7. Charge everything: Phones, laptops, backup batteries, headlamps.

Day 2 (48 Hours Before Landfall)

1. Make your shelter/evacuate decision. This is the time to decide — not tomorrow.
2. If evacuating: Leave now. Today. Not tomorrow. Every hour of delay multiplies your evacuation time as others join the roads.
3. Board windows if you have plywood cut to fit (pre-cut boards are the preparation; cutting during a storm warning is too late). Hurricane shutters are better.
4. Clear the yard of everything that can become a projectile: furniture, grills, decorations, potted plants.
5. Fill your bathtub with the WaterBOB or without — municipal water pressure fails.
6. Document your property: Walk through every room taking video of your belongings. Email the video to yourself so it is cloud-backed.
7. Test your generator. If it doesn't start now, you need to know that now.

Day 1 (24 Hours Before Landfall)

1. Final decision on shelter/evacuate. If you haven't left and you're in a surge zone, leave now.
2. If sheltering: identify your interior shelter room (fewest windows, lowest floor above surge risk)
3. Secure all exterior doors — deadbolts, garage door bracing bars, and additional locks
4. Fill every available container with water
5. Charge phones and batteries one final time
6. Turn refrigerator and freezer to maximum cold
7. Monitor NHC updates every 3 hours for track changes

Shelter in Place: What to Expect

Category 1-2 Storms

Well-built homes in non-surge zones can shelter Category 1-2 storms safely. You will lose power (plan for 3-7 days without electricity), experience heavy rain and wind noise, and may have minor structural damage (fences, shingles).

Interior shelter room: A bathroom or closet on the lowest livable floor, away from windows. Bring a mattress for protection from debris. Stay here during peak winds.

Category 3-4 Storms

Significant structural risk to older or poorly-built homes. Surge risk can extend further inland than typical surge maps show. If your home was built before 2000 or has not been upgraded to current wind standards, reconsider the evacuation decision for any Category 3+.

Signs of structural failure during the storm: Cracking sounds from the roof, visible flex in walls, water intrusion through the walls rather than windows. If these occur, move to the most protected interior location.

The Eye and the Eye Wall

The calmest part of a major hurricane is the eye — winds drop to near calm, the sky may clear, and the storm appears to have passed. Do not go outside during the eye. The opposite eye wall arrives within 20-60 minutes with winds as strong as the initial eye wall.

Evacuation: Doing It Right

When to Leave

Any mandatory evacuation order means leave. Mobile homes and manufactured homes mean leave for any Category 1+. Storm surge zone means leave before the surge zone evacuation order (which typically comes 24-36 hours before landfall — traffic is already impossible by then).

The Evacuation Route

Know your county's designated evacuation routes before hurricane season. Have paper maps. Your phone GPS will be congested and potentially unavailable.

Destination planning:

• Have a primary destination (friends or family inland, hotel booked far in advance)
• Have a secondary destination 100+ miles further if primary fills
• Never assume you can find a hotel on the fly — they sell out days before landfall

What to Take

Non-negotiables:

• All medications and medical equipment
• Important documents (see identity-documents-bob.mdx)
• Cash
• Phone chargers
• 3-day supply of food and water (you may be stuck in traffic for 12-24 hours)
• Pet supplies if applicable (most evacuation shelters do not accept pets)
• Extra clothes for 7 days

Post-Storm Re-Entry

Do not return until authorized. Re-entry is restricted after major storms for real safety reasons: downed power lines, contaminated water, structural damage not visible externally, gas leaks.

When returning:

1. Walk the exterior of your home before entering — look for foundation cracks, tilted walls, roof damage
2. Smell for gas before entering — if you smell gas, do not enter
3. Check for standing water in the crawl space before entering
4. Do not use the electrical system until an electrician clears it if the home was flooded
5. Assume tap water is contaminated until official clearance — boil or use stored water
6. Photograph all damage before any cleanup for insurance purposes