Hurricane prep checklist for your home

The checklist

This is a home and paperwork checklist, not a full emergency plan. For supplies and evacuation, start with Ready.gov's hurricane page. Here are the home items we can back with official sources.

1. Know the season dates.
2. Clear drains and gutters.
3. Decide on opening protection and keep the paperwork.
4. Check your wind mitigation form.
5. Look up your flood zone.
6. Know the claim rules and numbers.
7. Know who you can call, and when.

1 and 2: season dates, drains and gutters

The National Hurricane Center says the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with the peak on September 10 and most activity between mid-August and mid-October. Storms sometimes occur outside those dates.

Ready.gov advises clearing drains and gutters before a storm.

3: opening protection and paperwork

Ready.gov advises considering hurricane shutters. If you rely on shutters, keep documentation. On the state's wind mitigation form (OIR-B1-1802), shutter systems with no documentation get the lowest rating, Level N. Documentation is needed to get a higher level.

Whether your address is in a wind-borne debris region where protection is required depends on the site. The form points to the ASCE Hazard Tool (ascehazardtool.org) for the wind speed at an address. Our guides on impact windows vs shutters and the wind-borne debris region go further.

4: your wind mitigation form

The Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form is valid for up to five years if there have been no material changes to the structure and no inaccuracies are found on the form. The current version was updated effective April 1, 2026. Credits and discounts are set by each insurer, and the form itself says some items may not qualify. We cannot give a percentage.

Since October 1, 2023, Florida insurers must post on their websites information about the hurricane mitigation discounts available to policyholders (Section 627.0629(1)). Our guide on the wind mitigation inspection explains who may sign the form.

5: your flood zone

Manatee County offers ForeRunner property flood risk profiles (manateecountyfl.withforerunner.com) and a Land Development Interactive Map with a FEMA Flood layer. The county says the map is for general reference only. You can also email the Floodplain Management Section at Flood@mymanatee.org. See our guide to the flood zone lookup.

6: claim rules and numbers

Florida law (Section 627.70132) requires notice of an initial or reopened claim within 1 year of the date of loss and a supplemental claim within 18 months. Insurers must acknowledge a claim within 7 calendar days (Section 627.70131). The Florida Department of Financial Services Insurance Consumer Helpline is 1.877.693.5236. Read our claim deadline guide.

My Safe Florida Home is a state program for inspections and grants. Its own pages disagree on whether it is open, so check mysafeflhome.com before you count on it. See our guide.

Wind speed and wind-borne debris regions

The state's wind mitigation form places a home in one of three wind regions using ASCE 7-22 wind speeds: Region 1 is at least 140 mph, Region 2 is 130 to 139 mph, and Region 3 is under 130 mph. The Florida Building Commission's June 2025 report says the 2023 code defines a wind-borne debris region as at least 140 mph, or 130 mph within 1 mile of the mean high water line where an Exposure D condition exists. Exposure D means flat terrain with water upwind for at least 5,000 feet.

The same report says the 2023 definition also designates some inland areas near lakes and waterways, with design wind speeds of 130 to 140 mph, as wind-borne debris regions. We did not find the wind speeds for Manatee or Sarasota County, so look up your own address with the ASCE Hazard Tool. This is the one item on the list where the answer is different for every house.

7: who to call, and when

Hildebrand does home restoration after storm or other damage, and impact windows and doors. We are open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, closed weekends. We have no emergency or after-hours service, and calls outside hours are answered the next business day. In an emergency, call 911, and call your insurer's claim line for the claim.

After a storm, we document the damage and coordinate the construction scope with your adjuster, then rebuild to code. We do not negotiate your claim. See storm damage repair steps.

Questions homeowners ask