Preparedness for Northeast Florida • Reviewed October 8, 2026
Your hurricane plan starts with a few clear steps.
If you are new to Florida, watching the tropics can feel overwhelming. I want you to have a useful place to start: check the official forecast, know your evacuation zone, prepare your household and decide where you would go if local officials tell you to leave.
From Amy Howell and the O.N.E. Florida Group team. A household planning resource; current NWS alerts and local emergency instructions take priority. Call 911 for an emergency.
Start with current official information
This page does not display a live storm status. Open the sources below each time you check conditions and read the issue time. An old screenshot can look current when it is not.
What could affect my address?
NWS Jacksonville forecasts and alerts explain local hazards. Check wind, flooding, coastal conditions and tornado information for your location.
What is happening in the tropics?
National Hurricane Center provides storm advisories, outlooks and forecast graphics. Read the hazards and key messages alongside the track.
Five things to do first
Work through this with everyone in your household. The checkboxes are for this visit; print your plan to keep a copy.
Find my evacuation zone through Florida Disaster · Find my county's official emergency-management office
Find your local instructions
Use the county where you are actually staying, including a temporary rental or hotel. On the official site, find alert registration, evacuation information and currently open shelters. A shelter listed in a planning guide is not necessarily open today.
St. Johns & Duval
St. Johns County Emergency Management
Duval / Jacksonville: JaxReady
Clay, Baker, Putnam or another Florida county: use the state's county directory to open your emergency-management office. If a county website is unavailable, use current official local broadcasts and Florida Disaster updates.
Know your zone. Know your home.
An evacuation zone helps officials communicate who needs to leave for a particular threat. A FEMA flood zone is a separate property-risk and insurance reference. Check both for the exact address; neither is a guarantee against flooding.
Follow evacuation orders for your location and housing type. Mobile or manufactured homes, unsafe structures, low-lying locations and households needing medical support require particular planning. Being outside an ordered zone does not establish that your building is safe.
Florida evacuation guidance · FEMA Flood Map Service Center
Make leaving practical before you need to leave
- Identify a destination outside the threatened area and confirm it can accommodate your household and pets.
- Arrange transport early if you do not drive. Ask county emergency management about assistance and special-needs registration before conditions deteriorate.
- Pack IDs, essential records, medications, chargers, clothing and pet carriers. Keep them accessible.
- Check official shelter openings and requirements before traveling. Confirm pet arrangements and medical services; do not assume every shelter provides them.
What the weather terms mean
Watch versus warning
A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible; it is generally issued 48 hours before anticipated tropical-storm-force winds. A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected, generally issued 36 hours before those winds. Preparations and evacuation may need to happen earlier. Read the specific alert and follow local instructions.
The forecast cone is not an impact boundary
The cone describes uncertainty in the storm center's track. Flooding, tornadoes and damaging winds can occur well outside it. Check local hazard forecasts even if your address is outside the cone.
NWS explanation of watches, warnings and the cone
A lower category does not mean a safe storm
The Saffir-Simpson category measures maximum sustained wind. It does not measure storm surge, rainfall flooding or tornado risk. There is no fixed surge height for each category. Use the current hazard-specific forecast and evacuation guidance.
Build a kit your household can actually use
Florida's supply checklist calls for at least seven days of food and water, with one gallon of water per person per day. Account separately for pets and individual medical or other needs.
Seven-day water baseline: 28 gallons for 4 people.
A planning baseline for people only. Add pet water and any extra needs. No personal information is sent.
Food, health & daily needs
Light, power & essentials
Download Florida's full disaster supply checklist. Ask your pharmacist or clinician about refills, storage and backup power for medical equipment.
Prepare the property before conditions worsen
Walk through the jobs that apply to your home: secure loose outdoor items, locate shutter hardware and instructions, charge devices, check flashlights and document rooms and belongings. Arrange help early for work you cannot do safely. Renters should ask the property manager who handles shutters and building preparation.
Keep insurance policy numbers and claims contacts available offline. Ask your insurance professional about hurricane deductibles, wind coverage, flood coverage and effective dates. Most homeowners and renters policies do not cover flood damage; NFIP policies generally have a 30-day waiting period, with exceptions. Do not assume a new policy can cover an approaching event.
NFIP coverage and waiting-period guidance
If you are moving or closing on a home
Talk with your agent, lender, insurer, mover and lodging provider about weather-related timing and property access. Ask who will secure an empty home and how you will receive updates. Verify changes in writing rather than assuming an inspection, closing or delivery will proceed as scheduled.
During and after the storm
Power and generator safety
Portable generators belong outdoors, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, with exhaust directed away from the home. Never operate one in a garage, even with the door open. Use battery-backed carbon monoxide alarms. Follow the manufacturer's instructions and shut down and cool the generator before refueling.
Food during an outage
With doors closed, a refrigerator generally keeps food safe for four hours; a full freezer for 48 hours and a half-full freezer for 24 hours. Use a thermometer and CDC's disposal guidance. Never taste food to decide whether it is safe.
Keep receiving official alerts, including overnight. Stay away from floodwater and downed power lines. Follow local boil-water notices and return instructions. Do not travel out to inspect damage until conditions and authorities permit it.
If you have damage, photograph it when safe, contact your insurer and keep receipts. Ask your insurer what documentation is needed before repairs or disposal. For an immediate threat to life, call 911.
Save this now. Share it with someone new to Florida.
My goal is to give you a clear starting point and the right places to get answers. Save this guide, print the checklist and talk through the plan with your household before you need it.
For relocation or property-planning questions, email Amy or call 808-258-1945. Use official emergency services for urgent safety decisions.
Preparedness guidance reviewed October 8, 2026. Linked forecasts, evacuation orders, shelter status and local notices change independently of this page. This resource is not a forecast, evacuation order or certification that a property is safe. Sources are linked beside the relevant guidance.