Hurricane Preparation Timeline: 7 Days, 72 Hours, 24 Hours

Most storm damage that people could have prevented happens in the last 24 hours, when there is no time left. Working backwards from landfall is the way to avoid that.

Seven days out

• Read your policy. Find your hurricane deductible, your coverage limits, and whether you have flood insurance. Most Florida homeowners policies exclude flood, and flood is the damage that costs the most.
• Photograph everything. Every room, every closet, the exterior, the roof if you can see it, serial numbers on electronics. See Document Your Home Before the Storm.
• Check your supplies against a real list, not your memory. See What Actually Belongs in a Hurricane Supply Kit.
• Refill prescriptions early. Pharmacies run out and close.

72 hours out

• Decide now whether you will evacuate, and where you would go. Do not make this decision in wind and rain. Know your zone — Know Your Evacuation Zone.
• Fill vehicles with fuel. Stations lose power and run dry.
• Withdraw some cash. Card readers and ATMs fail when power and networks go down.
• Charge everything — phones, power banks, medical devices, laptops.
• Clear the yard. Anything loose becomes a projectile: furniture, grills, planters, toys, bins.

24 hours out

• Freeze water. Containers of frozen water keep a freezer cold and become drinking water.
• Turn your fridge and freezer to the coldest setting. It buys time if the power goes.
• Fill bathtubs and buckets if a boil-water notice is likely — for flushing, not drinking.
• Move valuables up. Off the floor, away from windows, upstairs if you have one.
• Charge your phone and text, don't call, once the storm arrives — texts get through when voice networks are saturated.
• Keep your phone charged and monitor only official sources. In Florida that is the National Hurricane Center and your county emergency management office.