Prepare for a Hurricane Now
Know your risk and make an emergency plan
In Florida, it's no secret that we are susceptible to hurricanes. While you can't prevent them, you can prepare by knowing what risks you face and having an emergency plan in place for your family or business. Learn more about how to plan and prepare for a disaster.
NOAA radio broadcast channels and Alert Polk registration
Communication is key in any emergency and knowing what information to pay attention to can make a difference.
- Register for Alert Polk
- NOAA Weather Radio Frequencies for Polk: 162.500 and 162.550 MHz
Special needs shelter pre-registration
If you or a loved one needs accommodations in a special needs shelter, you must pre-register. Visit our Special Needs page for more information.
Pet shelters
If you have a pet, don't forget to incorporate them into your emergency plan. Not all shelters are pet friendly. You need to know ahead of time, where you will go. Prepare a Hurricane Pet Plan.
Insurance documentation and other personal documents
Creating a digital document inventory will help you during and after a tropical storm or hurricane. Using your cell phone's built-in camera is an easy way to start the process. Don't forget identification cards and other important documents that you might need following a storm.
Prepare your home and yard
You don't want to wait until a hurricane is bearing down on your home to start removing unwanted vegetation. Do it before it's too late.
By waiting until the last minute to cut limbs and trim overgrown vegetation, you risk creating a larger hazard that might not be collected in time. Visit Waste and Recycling for more details.
Gather supplies and prepare your emergency kit
For hurricanes, it's recommended that you have a seven-day supply of food and water at the ready for everyone in your household. While that might seem like a daunting task, we've created a shopping list that can spread out that expense over several weeks.
7 Day Hurricane Food Supply for Family of 4
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Pop-Tarts, juice | Crackers, peanut butter, canned fruit, water and powdered drink mix | Ready-to-eat soup, crackers, water and powdered drink mix | Cookies |
| Day 2 | Dry cereal, juice | Ready to eat soup, crackers, water and powdered drink mix | Canned meat, canned vegetable, water, and powdered drink mix | Pretzels/chips |
| Day 3 | Breakfast bars, juice | Crackers, canned meat, apple sauce and powdered drink mix | Ready-to-eat soup, crackers, water and powdered drink mix | Any type of nuts |
| Day 4 | Pre-packaged fruit cups, juice | Ready-to-eat soup, crackers, water and powdered drink mix | Canned meat, canned vegetable, water and powdered drink mix | Dried fruit |
| Day 5 | Pop-Tarts, juice | Crackers, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, canned fruit, water and powdered drink mix | Ready-to-eat soup, crackers, water and powdered drink mix | Pretzels/chips |
| Day 6 | Dry cereal, juice | Ready-to-eat soup, crackers, water and powdered drink mix | Canned meat, canned vegetable, water and powdered drink mix | Cookies |
| Day 7 | Breakfast bars, juice | Crackers, canned meat, apple sauce and powdered drink mix | Ready-to-eat soup, crackers, water and powdered drink mix | Any type of nuts |
Shopping List for Hurricane Food Supplies
| Item | Quantity | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 28 gallons | |
| Juice | 4 jugs - 64 ounces | |
| Drink mix | 4 each | |
| Cereal | 2 boxes per family | |
| Pop-Tarts | 2 boxes - 16 each | |
| Breakfast bars | 2 boxes - 16 each | |
| Fruit cups | 1 container - 12 each | |
| Canned meats | 10 cans | |
| Canned vegetables | 8 cans - 15 ounces | |
| Canned soup | 8 cans - 18 ounces | |
| Canned fruit | 8 cans | |
| Apple sauce | 2 containers - 6 each | |
| Jelly / jam | 1 jar - 30 ounces | |
| Peanut butter | 2 jars - 40 ounces | |
| Crackers | 3 boxes - 16 ounces | |
| Cookies | 4 packages | |
| Pretzels / chips | 3 bags per family | |
| Nuts | 2 packages | |
| Dried fruit | 3 packages | |
Weekly Shopping List for Hurricane Food Supplies
| Item | ||
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Water/28 gallons | |
| Week 2 | Juice/4 jugs - 64 ounces | |
| Pretzels, chips / 3 family bags | ||
| Week 3 | Drink mix (liquid / powdered) 4 boxes | |
| Week 4 | Cereal / 2 family boxes | |
| Pop-Tarts / 2 boxes (16 each) | ||
| Fruit cups / 1 carton (12 each) | ||
| Week 5 | Breakfast bars / 2 boxes (16 each) | |
| Cookies / 4 packages | ||
| Week 6 | Canned meat / 5 cans | |
| Nuts / 1 container | ||
| Week 7 | Canned meat / 5 cans | |
| Nuts / 1 container | ||
| Week 8 | Canned vegetables / 8 cans (15 ounces) | |
| Canned soup / 8 cans (18 ounces) | ||
| Jelly / 1 jar (30 ounces) | ||
| Week 9 | ||
| Crackers / 3 boxes (16 ounces) | ||
| Week 10 | Apple sauce / 2 container (6 each) | |
| Peanut butter / 2 jars (40 ounces) | ||
| Dried fruit / 3 packages | ||
Pre-register for volunteer opportunities
Following a natural emergency, volunteers are needed for many positions in disaster response. If you would like to help others in your community, apply for Volunteer Opportunities here.
Hurricane Preparedness for Small Businesses
Your business needs to be prepared for unforeseen natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to minimize the impact of these events. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), almost 40 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors after a disaster. Now is the time to create a recovery plan, or re-evaluate your current plan, for how your business will continue if a hurricane strikes.
Make sure insurance policies are in place and all documents are updated. Review your policies to know what your insurance covers. Make sure you know:
- What the process is and timeframe for filing an insurance claim
- What you will do about the things that aren’t covered in the policy, and
- How long your business can exist if you aren’t operating.
Resources to help you plan:
- FloridaDisaster.biz is available to provide Florida business owners critical information to prepare, respond and recover from hurricanes and other disasters.
- Florida Emergency Networks were organized to assist state agencies and local governments with purchasing functions during emergencies.
- The Florida Division of Emergency Management Planning for Businesses is another resource.
Here are more tips to help you prepare for a hurricane:
- Protect your electronics
- Back up your data
- Protect the interior
- Have a communication plan in place, and
- Manage your supply chain.