Hurricane Damage? Call Now.

Know your plan

• Look up your evacuation zone (links above) and decide where you’d go: friends or family inland, a hotel, or a shelter as a last resort.
• Sign up for county alerts and set a NOAA Weather Radio to KEC-86 (162.400 MHz).
• Plan for pets: carriers, food, leashes, vaccination records.
• If anyone in your home has medical needs, check the special needs registry and shelter pages above.

Document your home (for insurance records)

• Take dated photos and video of your roof (from the ground), exterior, every room, and valuables. Store copies in the cloud.
• Put policy copies, IDs, deeds, prescriptions list and other key documents in a waterproof bag.

Protect the house

• Bring in or tie down patio furniture, grills, trash cans and anything that can blow away.
• Clean gutters and downspouts so water can drain.
• Install shutters or pre-cut plywood over windows and glass doors if you have them.
• Trim dead or overhanging branches only if there’s time to do it safely; don’t leave cut debris loose in the yard.
• If your attic is safely accessible, note what kind of roof-to-wall connections (straps or clips) you have; it’s useful later.
• Move vehicles to higher ground or into a garage.

Supplies (plan for at least 7 days)

• Water: 1 gallon per person per day, for at least 7 days. Plus water for pets.
• Non-perishable food, manual can opener, baby and pet supplies.
• Refill prescriptions; pack a first-aid kit.
• Flashlights, extra batteries, battery or hand-crank radio, phone chargers and power banks.
• Cash (ATMs and card readers may be down) and a full tank of gas.
• Generator? Plan to run it outdoors only, far from doors, windows and vents. Never in a home or garage. Have a battery carbon monoxide alarm.

• If officials order your zone to evacuate, leave. Don’t wait.
• If you’re sheltering at home, stay inside in an interior room away from windows and doors, on the lowest floor that isn’t at risk of flooding.
• Don’t go outside during the calm of the eye. The wind returns quickly from the other direction.
• Never go up on the roof during the storm, for any reason.
• Stay out of floodwater. Turn around, don’t drown: a few inches of moving water can knock you down, and a foot can carry away a car.
• Keep your weather radio on and your phone charged; text instead of calling so lines stay open for emergencies.

• Wait for the all-clear from local officials before going out or returning home.
• Stay away from downed power lines and standing water; report lines to your utility.
• Carbon monoxide kills: generators, grills and camp stoves stay outside, away from windows.
• Don’t enter a structure that looks unsafe. Stay off the roof.
• Document damage before cleanup: wide and close-up photos and video of the roof, exterior, debris and any interior leaks or ceiling stains.
• Make temporary repairs only if it’s safe (from inside: move belongings, catch leaks), and keep every receipt.
• Contact your insurance company promptly and write down your claim number and adjuster’s contact information.
• Watch out for storm chasers. Verify any contractor’s license at myfloridalicense.com, ask for a written, itemized estimate, and don’t sign anything under pressure, especially a document that signs over your insurance benefits.
• During a declared state of emergency, Florida law lets you cancel a residential roof repair or replacement contract within 10 days of signing or by the official start date, whichever comes first (s. 489.147, Fla. Stat.).
• Need your roof checked? Call (941) 226-4000 (answered 24/7) for a free storm-damage roof inspection.