Review the parts of your household plan that a storm could change: where you can go, how you will get there, and how people will contact each other.
This September 2026 revision focuses on a repeatable review. Use current official forecasts and local instructions for an approaching storm.
1. Check your local information
The National Weather Service hurricane planning guide recommends knowing your evacuation area, reviewing your family plan, checking equipment, and reviewing insurance coverage.
Find your local emergency management office and write its official website and contact number in your binder. Record how you will receive local alerts. Use the National Hurricane Center for current tropical cyclone information.
2. Write down your evacuation arrangements
Check your local evacuation zone and the instructions that apply to it. Record the official source and the date you checked. Identify transport and a destination you can confirm before travelling. Plan for pets, children, and any mobility or care needs.
Follow local evacuation instructions. A route printed months ago may be closed or unsafe during a specific storm. Keep a way to obtain current directions.
3. Check contacts and essential records
Call or message the people in your plan during an ordinary planning conversation. Confirm who can help with transport and who can act as an out-of-area contact.
Check the contact details for your insurer, pharmacy, and care providers. Keep the records you may need accessible to the appropriate person. Protect sensitive copies from water and unauthorized access.
4. Record practical needs
List the household tasks that need an answer before departure: who collects children, who carries essential supplies, and who checks on a person who needs assistance. Discuss medication storage or powered medical equipment with the responsible care provider when relevant.
Use a short review record. For example, a fictional household might write:
- Evacuation information: local office website checked today; zone recorded on the front page.
- Transport: Alex will drive; Morgan is the agreed backup.
- Pets: carrier location checked; destination's pet arrangements still need confirmation.
- Next action: confirm the destination and replace an old phone number.
5. Replace the working copies
Update the one-page emergency sheet. Remove obsolete pages from the copies people actually use. Check that an offline digital copy opens on the intended device.
Ask another household member to find the transport contact and official alert source. If either takes too long, move it to the first page.
If you are starting from scratch, use the emergency binder checklist. Hardcopy's sample pages show another way to organize the same household details.