The 48-Hour Storm Checklist

Everything in this block gets harder by the hour. Do it first, in one run if you can.

• Water: one gallon per person per day, at least three days' worth.WhyPets count too. Store-bought cases or refilled food-safe containers both work.
• Food that needs no cooking, several days deep.WhyThink can opener, not camp stove. Add anything child- or pet-specific.
• Prescriptions topped up, about a week ahead if you can.WhyAsk the pharmacy about an early refill; many insurers allow it when a storm threatens or an emergency is declared.
• Cash in small bills.WhyCard readers and ATMs need the same power and network everything else does.
• Fill the car. Fill a spare gas can if a generator is part of your plan.WhyGas stations pump with electricity; lines form early and close abruptly.
• Weather radio checked, batteries for it and the flashlights.WhyOne battery or hand-crank radio keeps official updates flowing with the grid down.
• Pet logistics: food, meds, carrier, leash, records in one spot.WhyShelters and hotels that accept pets usually want vaccination records.
• Check on the people who might need a hand.WhyAn elderly parent, a neighbor alone, anyone medically dependent. One call now beats a wellness check later.

Free, indoors, and worth more than almost anything at the store.

• Walk the house with your phone: photograph or film every room, closets open, plus the exterior.WhyAfter a storm, the claim moves at the speed of your documentation. Ten minutes, tonight.
• Insurance policy, IDs, and key documents copied to cloud storage, originals in a waterproof bag.WhyPolicy numbers and the agent's phone number somewhere that survives a wet house.
• Look up your evacuation zone and agree on the family plan.WhyDestination, backup destination, route, and what goes in the car. Your county or parish emergency management site lists zones.
• Put the plan in the group chat.WhyWhere you'd go, who checks on whom, and an out-of-area contact everyone can text if local lines jam.
• Download offline maps for your area and your route.WhyNavigation apps degrade exactly when you need them.

Outside work first, while it's safe to be outside at all.

• Bring in or tie down everything loose: furniture, trash cans, planters, toys, the grill.WhyIn hurricane wind, yard objects become projectiles aimed at windows, yours and the neighbors'.
• If you have shutters or pre-cut panels, put them up now.WhyNot a from-scratch project in the final day; if you're improvising, prioritize the biggest openings and don't work at height in rising wind.
• Clear gutters, downspouts, and the storm drain at the curb.WhyA blocked drain floods a street; ten minutes with gloves helps the whole block.
• Fridge and freezer to the coldest settings; freeze water bottles in every empty space.WhyA full freezer holds its cold far longer, and the bottles become drinking water later.
• Fill the bathtub and spare containers with water for washing and flushing.WhyThis water is for sanitation, not drinking. Drinking water is the bottled kind from the first block.
• Park the car somewhere smart: garage if you have one, otherwise away from trees and likely flooding.WhyHigher ground beats convenience.
• Pick the room you'd ride it out in: interior, lowest floor, no windows.WhyA closet, hallway, or bathroom in the middle of the house. Put water, the radio, and flashlights in it now.

• Charge everything: phones, battery banks, laptops, spare batteries into the radio.WhyTreat every outlet as if it stops working tonight.
• Run the dishwasher and laundry now if you're staying.WhyThe last easy window for water and power chores.
• Go-bag and documents bag by the door, even if you expect to stay.WhyMedicines, chargers, cash, papers, a change of clothes. Deciding later is fine; packing later isn't.
• Radio on, phone alerts on, and follow what officials say from here.WhyIf an evacuation order comes for your zone, the plan from the second block is already made. Go early beats go late.

• Wait for the official all-clear before going out.WhyDowned lines, gas leaks, and weakened trees do their worst in the first hours after. Treat every downed line as live.
• Photograph all damage before touching anything.WhySame phone, same habit as before the storm. Document first, then make temporary repairs to prevent more damage, and keep receipts.
• Call the insurer early; claims are often handled in the order they arrive.WhyThe policy copy and photo inventory from the second block are exactly what they'll ask for.
• Food safety after an outage: an unopened fridge holds safe roughly four hours; a full freezer, a day or two.WhyWhen in doubt, throw it out. The frozen water bottles buy time and become drinking water.
• Knock on the doors you called two days ago.WhyThe first help on any street is the street.

This page is general preparedness guidance, not safety, medical, or insurance advice, and it never overrides your local officials. Class facts on this page (the water planning figure, generator carbon monoxide rule, food-safety windows, flood-water rule) follow published federal preparedness guidance and are logged in our verification file; see how our recommendations work. Check marks are saved on this device only.