Severe Weather Preparedness Checklist

Most of what protects you in a severe storm is done on a calm day: knowing how you'll be warned, where you'll go, and what you'll need if the power is out for days. This checklist pulls together the preparations that apply to nearly every kind of severe weather, from a summer thunderstorm to a hurricane. Work through it once, then revisit it at the start of each storm season.

1. Set up more than one way to get warnings

Alerts fail in predictable ways: phones die, power goes out, people sleep through notifications, and outdoor sirens can't be heard indoors. Use at least two independent methods:

• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA). Make sure emergency and public safety alerts are turned on in your phone's notification settings. WEA automatically sends Tornado Warnings, Flash Flood Warnings, Extreme Wind Warnings, and the most dangerous Severe Thunderstorm Warnings to phones in the warned area.
• NOAA Weather Radio. A weather radio with battery backup and "SAME" programming sounds an alarm only for alerts in the counties you choose, including overnight and during power outages. It's the most reliable way to be woken up by a warning.
• Local TV or radio for detailed coverage during a major event.
• Apps like RadarBug for situational awareness: seeing where storms and warnings are relative to you, and lightning nearby. Keep your phone charged and know whether your app's notifications get through silent or do-not-disturb modes.

2. Know where you'll go

• Tornadoes and severe storms: pick the shelter spot in your home (basement, or an interior room on the lowest floor) and at work or school. If you live in a mobile home, identify the nearest sturdy building or community shelter and how long it takes to get there. See Tornado Safety.
• Hurricanes: look up your evacuation zone, which is based on storm surge risk, not wind. Decide in advance where you'd go (friends inland, a hotel, a public shelter) and which route you'd take. Many people who don't need to evacuate do so anyway, which clogs roads for those who must. Knowing your zone helps you make the right call.
• Flooding: know whether your home or regular routes include low spots, underpasses, or creek crossings that flood. See Flash Flooding Explained.
• Family plan: agree on a meeting place and an out-of-area contact everyone checks in with, since local phone lines often jam while long-distance calls and texts still get through.

3. Build an emergency kit

Store your kit somewhere easy to grab, ideally in or near your shelter spot. A good baseline for each household:

• Water: one gallon per person per day, for at least three days. For hurricanes, plan on a week or more.
• Food: at least a three-day supply of food that doesn't need cooking or refrigeration, plus a manual can opener.
• Light and power: flashlights (not candles), extra batteries, and charged power banks for phones.
• Information: a battery or hand-crank weather radio.
• Health: a first-aid kit, at least a week of prescription medications, spare glasses, and any medical supplies you rely on, such as hearing aid batteries or supplies for a CPAP machine.
• Documents: copies of IDs, insurance policies, and medical information in a waterproof bag, plus photos of them on your phone or in cloud storage.
• Cash in small bills, since card readers and ATMs don't work without power.
• Protection: sturdy shoes, work gloves, and helmets for tornado shelter; a whistle to signal for help; dust masks.
• For others: baby supplies, pet food, leashes and carriers, and pet medications.

Check the kit every six months. Replace water and food before they expire, test flashlights and radios, and update medications.

4. Prepare your home

• Trim dead branches and trees that could fall on the house.
• Know how to shut off electricity, gas, and water at the main switches and valves.
• Photograph or video each room for insurance, and review your policy. Standard homeowners' insurance usually doesn't cover flood damage; flood insurance is separate and generally takes 30 days to take effect.
• In hurricane country, have window protection (shutters or pre-cut plywood) ready before the season starts. Tape on windows doesn't help.
• Install a battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide detector, especially if you plan to use a generator.

5. When a storm is coming

Different hazards give different lead times. Use whatever warning time you have:

• Days ahead (hurricanes, major winter storms, an outlook of an enhanced or higher severe risk): refill prescriptions, top up supplies, fill vehicle gas tanks, get cash, and check on neighbors who may need help.
• Hours ahead (a watch is issued): charge phones and power banks, bring in or tie down outdoor furniture and anything that could become a projectile, park cars in the garage if hail is possible, and make sure your shelter space is clear.
• Minutes ahead (a warning is issued): act immediately. Go to shelter for tornadoes and severe storms, move to higher ground for flash floods, and follow evacuation orders.

6. Power outages

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for about 4 hours; a full freezer for about 48 hours (24 if half full). When in doubt, throw it out.
• Unplug sensitive electronics to protect them from surges when power returns.
• In heat, go somewhere with air conditioning if your home gets dangerously hot; in cold, layer up and close off unused rooms. See Heat Safety and Winter Weather Explained.
• If someone in your household relies on powered medical equipment, tell your utility company and plan for backup power or a place to go.

7. Generator safety

Carbon monoxide poisoning from generators kills people after nearly every major storm. The gas is invisible and odorless, and it can build to deadly levels within minutes.

• Never run a generator indoors, including in a garage, basement, or shed, even with the doors or windows open.
• Place it outdoors at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away from windows, doors, and vents.
• Never connect a generator to your home's wiring without a proper transfer switch installed by an electrician. Backfeeding the power lines can kill utility workers.
• Let it cool before refueling, and store fuel away from the house.
• If anyone feels dizzy, nauseated, or weak, get to fresh air immediately and call 911.

8. After the storm

• Stay away from downed power lines and anything touching them. Assume every line is live.
• Don't walk or drive through floodwater.
• If you smell gas, leave immediately and call the gas company from a safe distance.
• Document damage with photos before cleanup, and contact your insurer promptly.
• Be wary of contractors who show up unsolicited; check licenses and references.