How to Prepare for Hurricane Season on the East Coast: The Complete Coastal Homeowner's Checklist

Hurricane season prep on the East Coast runs from June 1 through November 30. If you live on the coast, the difference between a manageable storm and a destructive one is almost never the storm itself — it's how prepared the home and the household were when the storm arrived. Here's the complete coastal homeowner's checklist, organized by what to do this month, this week, and the day before landfall.

If you've owned a coastal home for any length of time, you already know that hurricane preparation is not a one-weekend project. It's a season-long rhythm that starts in May and ends in late November, with a small handful of high-stakes decisions compressed into the 48 hours before a storm makes landfall. Done well, the rhythm becomes routine and the storm becomes manageable. Done poorly, an otherwise survivable storm becomes the most expensive event of your life.

This article is the practical guide to hurricane season prep for coastal homeowners on the East Coast — from Maine to Florida and around the Gulf. It includes the four checklists you'll actually use, the insurance review that has to happen before June 1, the home-hardening upgrades worth the money, the supplies kit that's not optional, the evacuation decision framework, and what to do in the first 72 hours after the storm passes.

"The two biggest predictors of whether a coastal home comes through a hurricane intact are the year it was built and the homeowner's preparation. The first you can't change. The second is entirely in your hands."

Hurricane Prep: The Four-Phase Schedule

Effective hurricane prep on the East Coast is a four-phase process that starts months before the storm and continues for weeks after. Trying to do it all in 48 hours is the most common — and most expensive — mistake coastal homeowners make.

• Phase 1 — Pre-Season (May): Insurance review, document photos, supplies refresh, generator service, tree trimming, structural maintenance.
• Phase 2 — In-Season Standby (June–November): Monitor the National Hurricane Center, keep supplies fresh, stay current on insurance.
• Phase 3 — Storm Approaching (5 days out to landfall): Yard prep, fuel up, fill prescriptions, finalize evacuation decision, secure the structure.
• Phase 4 — Post-Storm (first 72 hours and beyond): Safety assessment, document damage for insurance, contact your carrier, manage power and water, watch for scams.

Phase 1: Pre-Season Prep (Do This in May)

The work done in May is what makes everything else easier. If you skip these tasks, you'll be doing them in panic mode three days before landfall, paying double for materials, and competing with every other homeowner on your street for the same plywood and bottled water.

Insurance Review (the single most important pre-season task)

• Pull your current homeowners policy and read it. Confirm your dwelling coverage matches the cost to rebuild your home today (not when you bought it). Construction costs have moved dramatically in the last five years.
• Confirm your hurricane/wind deductible. Coastal policies often have a separate, percentage-based wind deductible (typically 2–5% of dwelling coverage). On a $500,000 home, that's a $10,000–$25,000 out-of-pocket before insurance pays anything.
• Verify you have flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood carrier. Standard homeowners insurance does not cover flooding. New flood policies typically have a 30-day waiting period — you cannot buy one when a storm is approaching.
• Document your home and contents BEFORE the season. Walk every room with your phone, take video and photos, open closets and cabinets, and capture serial numbers on major electronics and appliances. Save the file to cloud storage. This single step has saved homeowners tens of thousands of dollars in claim disputes.
• Review your auto insurance for comprehensive coverage (this is what covers vehicle damage from storms, falling trees, and flooding).

Structural Inspection and Home Hardening

• Inspect the roof. Replace missing shingles, re-secure loose flashing, check the seal on roof penetrations.
• Confirm your garage door is rated for your wind zone. Garage door failures are one of the most common ways hurricanes destroy houses — once the door blows in, the wind pressurizes the garage and lifts the roof off.
• Inspect windows and doors. Confirm impact-rated glazing or have storm shutters/panels ready and labeled by opening.
• Inspect attic ventilation, soffits, and gable vents for water-intrusion points.
• Check the seal at every door threshold and replace weatherstripping if degraded.
• Service the generator (if you have one) — oil, filters, fuel stabilizer. Run it under load.
• Confirm the sump pump is working and has battery backup.

Yard and Tree Maintenance

• Trim trees. Remove dead limbs and any branches over the roof or power lines.
• Identify trees with structural concerns and have an arborist evaluate. A failing tree near the house is a $50,000+ liability in a hurricane.
• Take inventory of yard items that will need to be brought inside or secured: patio furniture, grills, planters, kids' toys, trash cans, bird feeders, hammocks.

Documents and Digital Backup

• Scan and back up to cloud storage: insurance policies, deeds, mortgage documents, vehicle titles, passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, medical records, vaccination records, recent tax returns, prescription information.
• Save digital copies of family photos and irreplaceable documents to multiple cloud locations.
• Create a single-page emergency contact list (insurance carrier, mortgage company, local utilities, family members) and save a copy on every household phone.

Phase 2: In-Season Standby (June through November)

Once the season starts, the work is mostly maintenance. Keep an eye on the National Hurricane Center's tropical outlook, especially when activity is forecast in the Atlantic or Gulf. Subscribe to your county's emergency alerts (most counties have free SMS or app-based alert systems — sign up before you need them).

Through the season, every six weeks or so:

• Refresh perishables in your supply kit (water, batteries, food).
• Test the generator briefly and confirm fuel levels.
• Check that storm shutters or panels are accessible and labeled.
• Walk the yard for new debris hazards.

Phase 3: When a Storm Is Approaching (5 Days Out to Landfall)

Once a tropical system enters the cone of concern for your area, the clock is running. The next checklist is structured by hours-out from likely landfall. Real impacts often arrive earlier than the eye, so build in margin.

Five Days Out

• Fuel up vehicles. Lines and shortages start within 48 hours of any serious forecast.
• Refill prescriptions. Two weeks of every critical medication is the standard target.
• Withdraw cash. ATMs and card readers go down in widespread power outages.
• Confirm evacuation route and destination. Make any hotel reservations now — they fill in hours.
• Pull the Go Bag out and confirm contents (see supply list below).
• Charge every battery in the house: phones, laptops, power banks, drill batteries, flashlights.

Three Days Out

• Bring in or secure all yard items. Trash cans, planters, patio furniture, grills, kids' toys.
• Trim any final tree limbs that have been on your list. Get debris off the property — town pickup may stop within 48 hours of forecast impact.
• Fill propane tanks (grills can become essential post-storm cooking).
• Top off generator fuel. Add fuel stabilizer to any reserves.
• Confirm prescriptions are filled and you have your medical supply.
• Move vehicles to higher ground if you're in a flood-prone area. Park away from large trees.
• Run all the laundry, run the dishwasher, take long showers. You may not have water or power for several days.

One to Two Days Out

• Install storm shutters or board windows.
• Brace the garage door if it's not impact-rated.
• Move outdoor air conditioning units to a sheltered position if your unit allows; otherwise strap and secure them.
• Photograph and video every room of your home, every exterior wall, the roof from a safe vantage, and the contents of every closet, cabinet, and garage. This is the single most valuable evidence in any subsequent insurance claim.
• Fill bathtubs and any large containers with water for sanitation use post-storm.
• Set refrigerator and freezer to coldest setting; freeze water bottles.
• Charge devices to 100%.
• Confirm a check-in protocol with family members or out-of-area contacts.

Hours Before Landfall

• Make the final evacuate-or-shelter decision. If you're in a mandatory evacuation zone, GO. Mandatory evacuations are not negotiable.
• If sheltering in place, identify your safe room (interior, no windows, lowest practical floor that isn't subject to flooding).
• Place all important documents and a battery-powered radio in the safe room.
• Turn refrigerator and freezer to coldest setting and keep them closed.
• Unplug non-essential electronics.
• Shut off propane tanks at the source if winds will reach destructive levels.

If you're weighing this against a bigger project or your home's resale value, there's more below.

The Coastal Homeowner's Hurricane Supply Kit

Most coastal jurisdictions recommend at least 7 days of supplies for true coastal homes (further inland, 3–5 days is the typical guidance). Here's the working list.

Water

• One gallon per person per day, 7 days minimum.
• Plus an additional supply for pets and sanitation.
• A water filter or purification tablets as backup.

Food