What to Do When There Is a Hurricane | United States Emergency Safety Guide

If a hurricane threatens your location in the United States, find out whether you are in an evacuation zone, follow local officials’ instructions, and leave early if an evacuation order applies. If you are outside an evacuation area and have a suitable safe building, prepare to shelter away from windows while monitoring official National Weather Service warnings. Do not drive through floodwater or wait until the hurricane’s winds make the road unsafe.

The decision is not simply “How strong is the hurricane?” A coastal home may be threatened by storm surge, a community farther inland by rainfall flooding, and an upper-floor apartment by damaging wind. Even when the storm’s centre misses your town, dangerous waves, tornadoes, rain or prolonged power outages may still affect you. The best action depends on your address, available exits and the actual hazard—not the hurricane’s name or the number in a headline.

This guide is for residents and visitors in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, the Carolinas, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, the Gulf Coast, the Atlantic states and other US locations affected by tropical cyclones. For current events, use the National Hurricane Center, your National Weather Service local forecast office, and local emergency management. This is an emergency-action guide, not a live hurricane warning.

Quick answer: what to do first

Check your official evacuation zone and local orders. If told to evacuate, leave on the specified route while it remains safe; protect life before possessions.
Check both water and wind warnings. A storm surge warning, flash-flood warning, extreme-wind warning or tornado warning may require different immediate actions.
If staying in a suitable building: move away from windows, skylights and glass doors; shelter in a small interior area on a low floor that is not exposed to flooding.
Never enter a flooded road. Turn around instead of trying to estimate the depth; roads and bridges may be washed out underneath.
Keep essentials accessible: medicine, identification, drinking water, a charged phone, a flashlight, basic food and supplies for children, pets or disabilities.
Do not go outside during a brief calm. The eye may pass and severe winds can resume from another direction.
After the storm: avoid floodwater, fallen lines and unstable buildings; use generators outdoors, well away from openings.
For immediate threats to life in the United States, call 911. Do not use emergency lines merely to ask when stores will reopen.

Official operational starting points are the NWS actions when a hurricane threatens and NHC hurricane-hazard guidance.

Make the evacuation decision before you check your luggage

The most consequential question is whether your home may become inaccessible or unsafe from water. If it is within an official evacuation zone, listen to the county or local authority with jurisdiction. A wind-resistant building may still be unsafe against storm surge, river flooding or an inability to reach medical care. Do not use the number of storeys, the age of your building or a neighbour’s confidence as a substitute for local evacuation mapping.

Where an evacuation is ordered, leave as soon as directed rather than waiting until the first trees fall or fuel stations close. Identify the authorised route and the destination first. Do not assume that a route shown in a navigation app remains open; official road closures and emergency routes override ordinary journey planning.

An evacuation destination does not have to be hundreds of miles away. It must be outside the threatened zone and capable of safely accommodating you. Local authorities may recommend moving inland, going to a friend or relative, or using a designated shelter. Confirm availability, pet rules, medical accommodations and transport before you set out.

If you have no car, arrange transport early through local emergency management or trusted support networks. For someone dependent on dialysis, oxygen, electricity-powered medical equipment or refrigeration of medicine, an ordinary shelter may not be suitable. Discuss your needs with your medical team and local responders before the hurricane reaches the coast.

Understand what the hurricane forecast does—and does not—tell you

The National Hurricane Center tracks the storm and issues forecasts, advisories and watches or warnings. Your local NWS office turns the regional forecast into warnings and advice for a particular area. County and local emergency managers decide evacuations and manage access. Those jobs are related but are not interchangeable. A forecast map is not itself a road-opening instruction.

A hurricane’s category describes maximum sustained winds near its centre. It does not measure the height of every storm surge, the rain that will fall in your county or whether a river will overflow. A weaker or slower-moving system can still produce deadly flooding. A tropical storm can pose severe water risks too.

The familiar forecast cone is often misunderstood. It principally communicates uncertainty about the forecast location of the storm’s centre, not a boundary outside which all hazards disappear. NHC has added wind-risk information to some graphical products; read the legend and the attached advisory rather than inferring that the white cone is the full danger area. See NHC’s explanation of the cone.

What the reader needs is the forecast plus the local impact and evacuation information. Ask: Is my home in a surge zone? Is the nearest road flood-prone? Will my building be safe in very high winds? Are local shelters opening, and when will buses stop operating?

Hurricane Watch, Hurricane Warning and Storm Surge Warning

A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible in the specified area, while a hurricane warning means they are expected. Both deserve attention, but a warning indicates a more immediate threat. Because unsafe travel can begin before the hurricane’s centre arrives, preparations must not wait until the last forecast hour.

Storm surge watches and warnings separately concern life-threatening seawater inundation moving inland from the coast. A Storm Surge Warning generally addresses danger within about 36 hours, sometimes earlier when protective actions must start sooner; a Storm Surge Watch generally concerns the possibility within about 48 hours. Check the official NHC storm-surge warning graphic and local evacuation orders.

A flash-flood warning can involve fast freshwater flooding far from the coast. A tornado warning requires immediate action against a different hazard, typically in an interior ground-floor refuge or designated safe room, provided that room is not in an active flood hazard. An extreme wind warning can require immediate protection in the most secure interior space available.

Read the actual text attached to each warning. Two homes only a short distance apart may receive different instructions because one is beside a tidal creek and the other is on higher ground.

Why storm surge can be more dangerous than the wind

Storm surge is seawater driven inland by a storm. The dangerous water can enter bays, estuaries and coastal neighbourhoods, and high waves can accompany the flooding. Bridges and access roads may flood even where individual houses have not yet been inundated. Surge is not the same as rainfall and is not limited to the point where the hurricane’s centre crosses the coast.

A road leading away from a home can disappear beneath water earlier than the house itself becomes flooded. This is one reason evacuation orders are made before people can personally see the danger. People sometimes focus on whether windows are boarded up and overlook the more fundamental question: will the building or route be surrounded by water?

Do not go to a beach, pier or seawall to watch the event. Do not attempt to cross moving water on foot. A retaining wall, barrier island dune or past experience of a previous hurricane cannot prove that the next surge will be harmless.

The NHC explains the combined threats of surge, rain, wind, rip currents and tornadoes. If local authorities order coastal evacuation, leaving early is a protective action, not evidence that your building is necessarily going to collapse.

Inland flooding is a separate hurricane emergency

Heavy rainfall can affect inland counties after a storm weakens or changes its track. Streams, ditches, culverts and river systems can rise rapidly. Flooding may persist after the hurricane has moved away, because water continues travelling through a watershed. An inland resident who hears that the storm has lost hurricane strength should not assume flooding danger has ended.

Never use the appearance of a road to decide whether to cross. Floodwater hides washed-out pavement, sharp debris and strong currents. The better decision is to turn around and find a verified dry route. Barriers and closed-road signs are not optional suggestions.

If you are already in a building where floodwater is rising and safe evacuation at ground level is no longer possible, move to higher safe levels, call emergency services and communicate your exact location. Avoid a sealed attic without a way out. If the building is becoming inundated to dangerous levels, follow official guidance regarding roof-level refuge and rescue signalling, rather than trying to swim to another building.

Children should not play beside swollen streams or on submerged playgrounds. Adults should not walk into water to retrieve a car, inspect a bridge or take photographs. A household’s most useful flood preparation is usually an earlier evacuation decision, not a heroic late crossing.

If you are not ordered to evacuate: how to shelter from dangerous wind

Shelter only if the building is appropriate and your location is not exposed to an evacuation-level water threat. During the strongest wind, use a small interior room, closet or hallway with few or no windows. Put as many walls between you and the outside as practicable. Avoid skylights, exterior doors and large glass areas.

A ground-level interior room is often preferable for wind, but not if floodwater is entering it. The wind response and flood response may conflict: one favours a lower interior refuge, the other higher ground. That is why storm-surge evacuation should occur before conditions deteriorate. If caught by both threats, follow emergency-service instructions based on your actual situation.

Bring necessary medication, charged devices, drinking water, footwear and a flashlight to your sheltering area. Do not use elevators if building power is unreliable or an emergency announcement directs otherwise. If a tornado warning occurs within the hurricane, move to the best available tornado refuge that is not threatened by flooding.

Do not open windows to “equalise pressure.” Do not stand by a sliding glass door to look at the storm. If a large branch crashes onto the building, assess whether moving to a different interior area can be done safely and follow directions from responders.

The eye of the hurricane is not the all-clear

Some hurricanes have an eye where winds diminish temporarily. A person might hear less rain, see clearer sky or notice that the trees are no longer moving violently. That calm does not mean the danger is over. The other side of the eyewall may arrive with strong wind from a different direction.

Stay in the safe area until authorities and official weather bulletins indicate that the immediate dangerous conditions have passed. Do not go outside to repair a window, inspect your roof or remove tree branches during a lull. Do not send children to look for pets outdoors.

The NWS specifically notes this danger in its hurricane-action instructions. A useful household rule is: we do not let the weather outside the window overrule the official warning still on the phone or radio.

Prepare a hurricane go bag without turning packing into a delay

A go bag is only useful if you can carry it while helping children or older relatives. Choose essentials that support health, identification, communication and travel. Pack before the hurricane enters the final approach; do not start repacking wardrobes after the evacuation order arrives.

Essential prescription medicines, prescription lists, glasses and medical devices.
IDs, insurance contacts, important documents and necessary keys protected from water.
Drinking water, suitable ready-to-eat food and items needed by infants.
Phone, charger, power bank, flashlight, batteries and a radio that can receive official information.
Cash if available, basic hygiene supplies, a change of clothing and suitable footwear.
Pet carriers or leads, food and vaccination records if your destination requires them.
A written list of family contacts and your planned destination, not solely phone contacts.
Disability, pregnancy or chronic-care essentials that would be difficult to replace during travel.

A family’s departure time is a life-safety resource. If the car must be loaded, do so when the route is open and weather is still manageable. Do not postpone departure to finish protecting property that can be insured or replaced.

What should you do about windows, trees and loose objects?

If you have time and it is safe, secure outdoor furniture, bins and other lightweight items that could become airborne. Install properly designed shutters or other approved window protection according to local guidance. Check whether branches overhang the property, but do not attempt dangerous last-minute tree work as winds strengthen.

Move irreplaceable paperwork and electrical equipment away from areas likely to flood if this does not delay evacuation. Charge devices and fill drinking-water containers ahead of time. Photograph property and record insurance information before the storm when it can be done calmly.

Do not climb a roof to inspect shingles once dangerous winds begin. Do not stand on ladders to hang shutters after an evacuation order. Protective work is only valuable while it can be completed without placing people in greater danger.

Owners of businesses should consider employee safety, payroll access, essential records and safe reopening, but no employee should be told to cross floodwater to secure stock. A sensible shutdown plan reduces the chance that workers are left in the building after transport stops.

Medicines, electricity and people with additional needs

Some people cannot safely wait through a prolonged outage at home. A household member may use a ventilator, oxygen concentrator, powered wheelchair charger, refrigerated medication or other essential equipment. Identify the backup power plan and appropriate medical facility or shelter well before the storm. Ask local emergency management about accessible evacuation assistance.

For older adults, plan around actual mobility, not assumptions. Can the person walk down stairs if the lift fails? Will they hear a phone alert? Do they need help lifting a mobility device into a car? A plan that depends on a relative arriving during hurricane-force wind is not a reliable plan.

For pregnant people, young children and patients undergoing active treatment, speak to the relevant healthcare team about evacuation timing and supplies. If urgent medical help is required during the storm, call 911, explain the situation and understand that high winds, water or road closures may delay responders.

Do not stop prescribed medication or change dosages simply because hot weather or an outage is expected. Obtain medical advice about the safest way to store medicines and replace any compromised supply.

Pets, shelters and temporary accommodation

Public emergency shelters do not all have the same rules for animals. Some designate pet-friendly areas; some require carriers or separate arrangements. Check local government information while you still have time to change plans. Keep pets securely contained in unfamiliar areas, with identification and any required supplies.

If travelling to family or a hotel, confirm that the accommodation is outside the threatened area, has space for all household members and accepts your animals. A hotel just across a bay may still be in the same surge evacuation zone.

Do not leave a pet tied outdoors during the hurricane. But do not place a person in life-threatening danger by returning through a flooded or closed road to retrieve an animal after evacuation. Share the animal’s location with professional responders if help is needed.

For service animals, communicate the need to shelter staff and use the applicable rules and assistance arrangements. People should not have to choose between critical mobility or medical assistance and receiving a clear evacuation instruction.

If you live in an apartment or high-rise

Tall buildings can be exposed to stronger winds on upper floors, while lower floors may face flooding. Residents need the building-specific emergency plan rather than the assumption that “higher is safer” or “lower is safer” in every case. Ask management what happens during a surge evacuation order and how stairwells and power systems will be managed.

If the building is in an evacuation zone, follow the applicable order even if you live far above ground level. Wind, loss of electricity, fire protection failures and inaccessibility may make a high floor unsuitable despite being above floodwater.

If you remain in a safe building outside an evacuation zone, identify an interior refuge and bring water, medication and communication supplies there. Know the alternative if a glass facade or roof system is damaged. Do not rely on elevators during an emergency or assume the lobby will remain an open exit.

Visitors in hotels should ask front-desk staff about the hotel’s evacuation area and arrangements. An airline cancellation does not tell you whether the hotel is safe; it only reports transport disruption.

If you are driving or travelling when conditions worsen

Hurricane travel decisions are best made before the heavy rain and wind arrive. Check official road status and evacuation-route instructions. Allow for slow traffic, refuelling and the mobility needs of passengers. Do not follow shortcuts through small coastal roads merely because a mapping app reports a shorter journey.

If a road is flooded or a bridge is closed, turn around. Do not cross barriers. Avoid driving beneath damaged trees or near wires, and do not stop for photographs. If conditions become unsafe before you reach a destination, seek an appropriate refuge without attempting a desperate final drive through a storm.

Airports, rail operators and ferry companies may suspend services before dangerous weather reaches your immediate location. Check the operator directly and prioritize a safe place to stay. Rebook tickets only after you and your family are secure.

People working delivery or transport jobs should not be pressured to continue routes through closures. A missed shift or late shipment does not justify risking a vehicle crossing or a pedestrian entering floodwater.

What if the hurricane brings a tornado warning?

Hurricanes can generate tornadoes, sometimes with limited visual warning. A tornado warning is not the same as the hurricane’s broader wind warning. If it applies to your location, take immediate cover in the safest accessible interior area.

Use a purpose-built safe room or a small windowless interior room on the lowest safe level, keeping clear of flooding. Shield your head and neck. Avoid exterior windows and large-span halls. Do not go outside to find the funnel. A tornado may be hidden in bands of rain.

See eduKateSG’s US tornado-action guide for the distinct shelter choice. The critical principle is not to apply one universal instruction to every hazard: the local building and immediate warning determine the action.

Storm warnings and social media: how to choose reliable information

The National Hurricane Center publishes tropical cyclone forecasts, but a screenshot may omit the issue time, advisory number or legend. Check the official site instead of circulating a cropped map. Your local NWS office provides geographically specific watches and warnings. Local government decides which zones must evacuate.

If a forecast model shows a dramatic possible track, do not mistake it for the official forecast. A single computer scenario is not an evacuation order. Likewise, a low category number is not permission to ignore a storm-surge warning.

For a useful family update, write: the source, the time, the affected area, the requested action and the next expected update. For example, “County emergency management has ordered Zone A to leave; our route is the published inland road; we are leaving now.” Avoid passing along dramatic anonymous predictions.

Have more than one method to receive alerts: phone emergency notifications, NOAA Weather Radio if available, local radio, television and official social accounts. Power and mobile coverage may fail during severe weather.

When floodwater begins entering the house

This scenario is precisely why early evacuation matters. If it is possible to leave before water surrounds the house, follow the current evacuation direction. If floodwater is already moving and the route is no longer safe, do not attempt to wade or drive through it simply to reach the preferred shelter.

Move to a higher safe level and contact 911 if you face immediate danger. Tell the dispatcher your exact street address, building level, number of occupants and whether anyone needs medical assistance. Avoid a windowless attic with no exterior exit, since rising water can trap people there.

Keep children and dependent adults together. Avoid contact with floodwater and do not touch wet electrical equipment. If a building shifts, collapses or makes serious structural noises, follow the safest immediate direction from emergency responders, recognising that no generalized article can assess the stability of a particular structure.

A roof can become a last-resort refuge in severe flooding when no safer alternative exists; this is an extreme emergency, not a preselected plan for staying through a predicted surge. Signal your location and follow rescue instructions.

Power outage: the danger that begins after the main storm

A hurricane may damage electricity networks for days, leaving homes without lighting, cooling, communications or refrigeration. Keep a flashlight and charged power bank ready. Use safe battery lighting rather than candles when possible, particularly where structural damage or gas leaks are possible.

Portable fuel generators produce carbon monoxide, an invisible and potentially fatal gas. Never operate one inside a home, garage, shed or near an opening. The NWS advises operating portable generators outdoors and more than 20 feet from doors, windows and garages. Use carbon-monoxide alarms where available and follow manufacturer’s electrical and placement instructions.

Do not connect a generator to household wiring in a manner that can backfeed power into utility lines. Improper connections can injure utility workers and occupants. Have qualified professionals set up any transfer equipment.

If the house grows dangerously hot during a prolonged outage, consider a safe cooling location and local public-health advice. Infants, older adults and people with chronic illnesses may be particularly vulnerable. A hurricane does not stop being a health emergency when the wind falls.

Drinking water, food and flood contamination

Follow official drinking-water notices. A municipal boil-water advisory should be treated seriously, but boiling does not remove many chemical contaminants. If authorities suspect chemical contamination, use an alternative safe water source rather than assuming boiling is enough.

Food that contacted floodwater should be discarded under public-health guidance. Food refrigeration is also disrupted by outages; check official food-safety instructions before keeping perishables. Avoid touching sewage-contaminated surfaces with unprotected hands and keep children away from floodwater and debris.

Do not drink from a flooded well until it has been assessed and appropriately treated or tested under local health guidance. Clean water is often more valuable than additional packaged snacks during the first days of recovery.

Use the NWS flood-recovery guide as a starting point for water, food, buildings and electrical safety. Local health departments may issue more specific instructions for your community.

After a hurricane: the correct order of decisions

Do not return to an evacuated area until local officials permit access. The hurricane’s centre being far away is not the same as a safe road network, stable bridges, clean drinking water or restored emergency services.

When re-entry is allowed, inspect from a safe position for structural movement, hanging debris, fallen wires and damaged trees. If you smell gas, leave immediately and contact emergency services or the utility provider as directed. Do not enter a building that appears unstable.

Document damage from a safe place, contact insurers and keep records of necessary repairs and purchases. Do not run electrical equipment that has been under water without qualified inspection. Avoid exhausted, unsupervised cleanup work during oppressive heat.

The NWS hurricane-after guidance emphasises avoiding floodwater, managing generators safely and keeping informed. The danger has shifted, not vanished.

Why cleanup can become a second emergency

Storm recovery may involve lifting waterlogged furniture, climbing ladders, cutting damaged limbs, removing mud or travelling across debris-covered roads. These activities can cause falls, electrocution, heat illness and other injuries. The pressure to make a home usable quickly can push people into unsafe work.

Set priorities: safe access, medical care, clean water, electricity assessment, food, temporary shelter and then property restoration. Hire qualified workers for high-risk electrical, structural and tree tasks. Do not perform complicated repairs simply because a neighbour has an improvised method.

Workers and volunteers should rest, drink safe water and avoid doing strenuous work in extreme heat. If local authorities are organising debris collection, follow their directions rather than piling material where it can obstruct emergency vehicles or drains.

A useful test before any task is: “Does this action make the household safer today, or am I trying to return the house to normal while danger is still present?”

Families with children: a script that is clear without being frightening

Young children need a familiar sequence, not detailed meteorology. Explain in advance: “If our area is told to leave, we go together to our safe place. We bring our small bags. We do not go back for toys. We listen to the officials.”

Give each child a small responsibility appropriate to age, such as carrying a personal comfort object that has already been packed. An adult remains responsible for medicine, documents and the departure decision. A child’s fear should be acknowledged without suggesting they can control the hurricane.

Keep an identification and contact method for younger children, using sensible privacy precautions. For separated families, establish one out-of-area contact who can receive simple status messages. Avoid making children call repeatedly when phone networks are congested.

After the storm, avoid exposing children to contaminated water, unsafe houses and debris clean-up. Explain changes in school or housing arrangements in concrete terms, including where the family will sleep and who will provide care.

A family plan for disability, language and communication barriers

Not every person can climb evacuation stairs, carry a bag or hear a siren. A functional plan names the specific assistance needed and who provides it. For someone using a wheelchair, verify accessible transport and a safe destination. For someone with a hearing impairment, ensure warnings arrive through an accessible channel. For limited English proficiency, locate local multilingual emergency instructions before a storm.

Coordinate with trusted neighbours or community organisations where appropriate, but do not rely on help arriving at the last minute when roads are already dangerous. Some local emergency managers provide registration or access-and-functional-needs programmes; confirm what actually exists for your county rather than assuming a national service will automatically dispatch transport.

Keep a concise medical information sheet and relevant equipment instructions where caregivers can find them. The purpose is continuity of essential care, not a large paperwork exercise.

Worked example 1: a coastal family in Louisiana

Imagine a family living in a coastal parish that receives an evacuation order ahead of a hurricane. Their house has hurricane shutters and appears structurally strong, but the local surge maps show that access roads and surrounding land may flood. They decide not to treat the shutters as protection from water.

The family packs essential medication, documents, water and a pet carrier. They check the official evacuation route and travel to an agreed inland destination while road conditions remain manageable. They send one short arrival message to relatives. Later, the county closes some bridges, but the family is already outside the high-risk zone.

This is a fictional teaching scenario, not a report of an actual hurricane. The controlling insight is that surge exposure and the evacuation order matter more than how well the windows are boarded up.

Worked example 2: an inland household in North Carolina

A household far from the coast is not under a coastal evacuation order. It has a suitable substantial home but lies near a stream that rose during a previous storm. They check local NWS rain and flood warnings rather than focusing solely on the hurricane’s category.

Before the storm, they identify a dry inland route, move essential supplies away from the flood-prone basement and keep a phone charged. When a flash-flood warning affects their area, they do not drive to a shop over a low-water bridge. If conditions later require evacuation, they follow local directions before the route floods.

Again the situation is fictional. The important transfer is that inland water can outlast coastal wind. A family may need to change plans after the hurricane’s official wind classification has weakened.

Worked example 3: a visitor in a Florida high-rise hotel

A visitor sees news that the hurricane may pass to the west and concludes the hotel is safe. Hotel management, however, states that the property is within an evacuation zone and guests must leave. The visitor should follow the local order, not the perceived location of the track line on television.

They take their passport, medicine and essentials, seek an approved destination and rebook travel later. They do not wait for the airline to decide whether to fly. If the building had been outside the evacuation zone and officials directed sheltering, an interior refuge away from exposed glass would have been the relevant plan.

The lesson: weather forecast, building-specific risk and official action instruction are different layers. Safe decisions align all three rather than selecting whichever appears most convenient.

Worked example 4: a caregiver managing a power-dependent device

Imagine a resident who depends on an electricity-powered medical device. They are outside the mapped surge zone, but their doctor warns that interruption of power may compromise essential care. A family member asks whether the house needs to be under a government evacuation order before relocating.

It does not. They consult the healthcare provider, arrange an appropriate powered destination and transport in advance, and carry device instructions, medication and contact details. The decision arises from medical vulnerability plus the outage risk, not only the public evacuation zone.

This example also shows why a generic “shelter at home” rule can be insufficient. Household capabilities differ even when two addresses face similar weather.

Common hurricane mistakes and how to correct them

“The storm is only Category 1, so the water cannot be serious.” Category is a wind measure; follow surge and flood warnings separately.
“My house is sturdy, therefore I should stay.” A strong building cannot guarantee safe access, medical continuity or protection from surge.
“I’m outside the cone, so nothing can happen here.” Dangerous conditions extend beyond the forecast centre’s track.
“The sky is clear; we can go outside.” The eye can create temporary calm before violent winds resume.
“The road looks shallow enough.” Floodwater may hide washed-out pavement and strong current. Turn around.
“I can use my generator in the garage with the door open.” No: carbon monoxide can accumulate and kill.
“The hurricane has passed, so the river has peaked.” Inland flooding can continue later.
“The shelter will definitely accept any animal or equipment.” Confirm local arrangements before departure.
“I should wait for everyone else’s decision.” Your address, vulnerabilities and official evacuation instructions control your plan.

Frequently asked questions

Should I evacuate for every hurricane in the United States?

Not every address receives an evacuation order. Check your local official evacuation zone, water exposure, building safety, essential medical needs and the instructions of county or municipal officials. If an evacuation order applies, leave early.

Is a hurricane’s category enough to decide if a home is safe?

No. Category describes wind, not storm-surge flooding, rainfall flooding or the condition of your access roads. A lower-category storm can still create life-threatening water hazards.

If a storm surge warning is issued, should I go upstairs?

Do not substitute going upstairs for a timely official evacuation. Move out of the surge area when ordered while travel is safe. If trapped by rising water after access has been lost, seek higher safe refuge and emergency assistance.

What is the US emergency number during a hurricane?

911 for immediate life-threatening danger, serious injury, fire or urgent rescue. Use official non-emergency lines and websites for general closure or shelter questions.

Can I drive through water if I know the road?

No. Floodwater conceals physical damage and current; familiarity with the road before it flooded does not make it passable now.

Can I use a camping stove or barbecue indoors after an outage?

No. Fuel-burning outdoor cooking equipment creates carbon-monoxide and fire risks when used inside or in partially enclosed spaces. Follow safe cooking and generator instructions.

How will I know it is safe to return?

Wait for explicit local re-entry clearance, then assess building, electrical, water and road conditions. A television report that the storm has moved away is not permission to enter a closed evacuation zone.

Do I need a hurricane plan if I live far inland?

Yes, where tropical-cyclone rain, wind or tornadoes may affect you. Inland households often need flood and outage plans rather than coastal storm-surge evacuation.

Official sources and useful reading

Editorial review: 4 November 2026. This article is general safety education, not a real-time hurricane advisory. Always follow official forecasts, local evacuation orders, building-specific instructions and emergency responders for your actual location.