Checklists

Not every hurricane situation requires the same preparation.

Your home, vehicle, family, evacuation plans, medical needs, and location all affect what needs to happen before a storm.

That’s why Hurricane Bug Out divides preparedness into several practical checklists.

The best time to prepare isn’t when a hurricane is three days away.

Use this master checklist at the beginning of hurricane season to establish your basic readiness.

Your Plan

• Know whether you live in an evacuation zone
• Understand your flood risk
• Know where you would evacuate
• Choose at least one alternate destination
• Identify your primary evacuation route
• Identify alternate routes
• Create a family communication plan
• Determine how pets will evacuate with you
• Consider medical or accessibility requirements

Your Home

• Inspect hurricane shutters or protection systems
• Locate necessary installation hardware
• Test flashlights and lanterns
• Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Inspect backup power equipment
• Review generator safety procedures if applicable
• Identify outdoor items that will need to be secured
• Review food and water storage

Your Vehicle

• Check tires
• Inspect the spare tire
• Test the battery
• Check fluids
• Inspect windshield wipers
• Check roadside equipment
• Confirm your vehicle charger works
• Update your vehicle emergency kit

Your Supplies

• Drinking water
• Shelf-stable food
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• Power banks
• First aid supplies
• Prescription medications
• Hygiene supplies
• Weather radio
• Pet supplies
• Emergency cash
• Basic tools

Your Information

• Update emergency contacts
• Review insurance information
• Organize important documents
• Store appropriate backup copies
• Download useful offline maps
• Save important local emergency resources
• Make sure emergency alerts are enabled

Do this work early and hurricane preparation becomes dramatically easier when a storm actually threatens.

A tropical system appearing on the map doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to evacuate.

It does mean it’s time to check your readiness.

Start with the things that become difficult to obtain later:

• Review the latest official forecast
• Check your current supplies
• Refill prescription medications when appropriate
• Begin charging power banks
• Charge rechargeable lights
• Test backup power equipment
• Check fuel level
• Purchase missing supplies
• Check water supply
• Review evacuation plans
• Contact family members
• Check pet supplies
• Review work and school plans
• Begin watching local emergency information

The objective at this stage isn’t panic buying.

It’s identifying gaps before everyone else discovers the same gaps.

As confidence in the forecast increases, preparation should become more deliberate.

Home

• Begin securing outdoor items
• Prepare hurricane protection systems
• Check refrigerators and freezers
• Prepare coolers
• Charge electronics
• Prepare backup lighting
• Confirm backup power readiness

Vehicle

• Fuel up
• Check tire pressure
• Load appropriate vehicle emergency gear
• Confirm navigation routes
• Download offline maps
• Charge vehicle electronics

Family

• Confirm everyone’s location
• Review the communication plan
• Confirm evacuation destination
• Check medications
• Prepare clothing
• Prepare pet supplies

Information

• Monitor official forecasts
• Monitor evacuation information
• Check school and business closures
• Watch for local emergency instructions

This is also the point when you should be thinking seriously about your decision deadline.

Don’t wait until conditions become dangerous to decide what you’re going to do.

If your area remains threatened, move from general preparation toward final readiness.

• Complete exterior home preparation
• Finish hurricane shutters or protection
• Finish laundry
• Charge every essential device
• Freeze appropriate water containers or ice packs
• Prepare food that may be useful during an outage
• Fill appropriate water containers
• Pack evacuation bags
• Load nonperishable vehicle supplies
• Gather important documents
• Prepare medications
• Prepare pet carriers and supplies
• Confirm destination and route
• Check fuel again
• Photograph or video property condition when appropriate

If you’re likely to evacuate, your goal should now be simple:

Be ready to leave without having to pack from scratch.

At this stage, conditions can begin deteriorating well before the storm’s center arrives.

If you’re evacuating, you ideally shouldn’t still be deciding what to bring.

If you’re staying, your household should be moving toward shelter mode.

Final Readiness

• Follow local emergency instructions
• Complete final home preparation
• Bring remaining outdoor objects inside
• Confirm everyone has necessary medications
• Fill water bottles
• Prepare easy-to-eat food
• Place flashlights where they’re easy to reach
• Keep phones charging
• Keep shoes nearby
• Keep important documents protected
• Keep pets indoors and controlled
• Move vehicles to the safest appropriate location
• Stay informed through reliable sources

Avoid unnecessary travel as weather conditions deteriorate.

Before leaving, stop for a moment and run through one final list.

People

• Everyone accounted for
• Medications packed
• Phones packed
• Identification packed
• Appropriate clothing packed

Pets

• Pets accounted for
• Carriers or restraints
• Food
• Water
• Medications
• Records

Vehicle

• Fuel
• Keys
• Water
• Food
• First aid
• Chargers
• Navigation
• Roadside equipment

Documents

• Identification
• Insurance information
• Vehicle documents
• Medical information
• Destination information
• Emergency contacts

Home

• Windows and doors secured
• Outdoor objects secured
• Final photos taken if appropriate
• Appliances and utilities addressed as appropriate
• Doors locked

Then leave.

Once you’ve made the decision to evacuate, don’t lose valuable time repeatedly reopening bags and second-guessing the plan.

Bugging in requires its own final check.

Before conditions become dangerous:

• Everyone is inside
• Pets are inside
• Emergency supplies are accessible
• Flashlights are distributed
• Phones are charged
• Power banks are charged
• Drinking water is accessible
• Food requires minimal preparation
• Medications are accessible
• Shoes are nearby
• First aid supplies are accessible
• Weather information is available
• Interior safe area is identified
• Generator equipment remains outside and safely positioned for proper use when conditions permit

Then stay inside and avoid unnecessary exposure to deteriorating conditions.

Preparedness doesn’t end when the wind stops.

The first few days after a hurricane can bring:

• Power outages
• Extreme heat
• Flooding
• Blocked roads
• Fuel shortages
• Limited cellular service
• Closed businesses
• Unsafe water
• Debris
• Delayed emergency services

Your post-storm priorities should include:

• Check everyone for injuries
• Continue monitoring official information
• Avoid downed power lines
• Avoid floodwater
• Conserve battery power
• Conserve fuel
• Monitor drinking water safety
• Use generators safely outdoors and away from openings
• Photograph damage when safe
• Contact family when communications permit
• Avoid unnecessary driving
• Watch for heat-related problems
• Begin cleanup only when conditions are safe

Recovery is part of hurricane preparedness too.

Every household is different.

Use the Hurricane Bug Out checklists as your foundation, then add items specific to your situation.

You may need additional sections for:

• Infants
• Children
• Older family members
• Disabilities
• Medical equipment
• Prescription medications
• Pets
• Boats
• RVs
• Businesses
• Rental properties
• Condos
• Apartments
• Generators
• Electric vehicles

Your checklist should reflect your actual life.

A checklist that gets used is more valuable than a perfect checklist that sits forgotten in a folder.

Don’t rely entirely on a checklist stored on your phone.

Print your core hurricane checklists.

Keep copies with your emergency supplies.

Use a marker or pen and physically check things off.

After each storm season, update them.

Ask:

What did we forget?

What did we pack but never need?

What took too long?

What should we have done earlier?

That’s how a generic hurricane checklist becomes your hurricane plan.

• Essentials Kit
  Start with the core supplies every household should have.
• Bug Out Bags
  Build a practical grab-and-go kit for evacuation.
• Bug In Preparation
  Prepare to remain safely at home during and after the storm.
• Vehicle Preparation
  Get your vehicle, fuel, supplies, and travel gear ready.
• Home Preparation
  Protect your home and prepare for extended outages.
• Power & Lighting
  Plan for outages with dependable lighting and backup power.
• Communications
  Stay connected when cellular service and power become unreliable.
• Family & Pets
  Include children, older adults, pets, and household needs in your plan.

The biggest advantage you can give yourself during hurricane season is time.

Every task completed today is one less decision you’ll have to make when the forecast cone is pointed toward home.

Start with the basics.

Work through the lists.

Fix the gaps.

Then keep everything updated throughout hurricane season.

When the pressure rises, don’t rely on memory. Rely on your checklist.

Hurricane Bug Out : From Prep to Recovery, We’ve Got You Covered