How to prepare for a severe storm
When a big storm is forecast, sign up for local emergency alerts, charge every phone and power bank, fill containers with drinking water, and set flashlights, medicines and the go-bag together by your safe room. Bring in anything outside the wind could throw. Know your safe room, the lowest interior room away from windows, and leave early if officials tell you to evacuate.
Why it matters: The day before a storm is when the useful jobs are still easy and the stores still open.
In an emergency, call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, first. Reading a page is not training: take a certified class and practice on a manikin.
Steps
- Sign up for your area's emergency alerts and follow official forecasts.
- Charge phones, power banks and rechargeable flashlights.
- Fill clean containers with drinking water and refill any prescriptions due soon.
- Bring in or tie down outdoor furniture, planters and bins.
- Put flashlights, medicines, documents and your go-bag in one place near your safe room.
- Pick a safe room: an interior room with no windows on the lowest floor that will not flood; if officials order an evacuation, leave.
- Leave early if officials order an evacuation, and tell your trusted contact where you are going.
- Call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, only for emergencies, and take a certified class to practice first aid before the season starts.
Stop and call a professional if
- someone is hurt, trapped or in danger: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US
- you smell gas or see downed power lines after the storm: stay away and call the utility and 911
- you rely on powered medical equipment or need help evacuating: register with your local emergency office ahead of time
Common mistakes
- Waiting until the storm arrives to find the flashlight.
- Running a generator or grill indoors after the power fails.
- Driving through flooded roads to evacuate late.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to prepare for a severe storm
What to say
When a big storm is forecast, sign up for local emergency alerts, charge every phone and power bank, fill containers with drinking water, and set flashlights, medicines and the go-bag together by your safe room. Bring in anything outside the wind could throw. Know your safe room, the lowest interior room away from windows, and leave early if officials tell you to evacuate.
What to show
- Sign up for your area's emergency alerts and follow official forecasts.
- Charge phones, power banks and rechargeable flashlights.
- Fill clean containers with drinking water and refill any prescriptions due soon.
- Bring in or tie down outdoor furniture, planters and bins.
- Put flashlights, medicines, documents and your go-bag in one place near your safe room.
- Pick a safe room: an interior room with no windows on the lowest floor that will not flood; if officials order an evacuation, leave.
- Leave early if officials order an evacuation, and tell your trusted contact where you are going.
- Call your local emergency number, 911 in the US, only for emergencies, and take a certified class to practice first aid before the season starts.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if someone is hurt, trapped or in danger: call your local emergency number, 911 in the US.
Check question
Where is the best safe room in a severe storm?
Answer: An interior room with no windows on the lowest floor. Walls and no glass protect against flying debris.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US home emergency preparedness guidance, 2025. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .