How to prepare for this year’s hurricane season

Preparation is key to improving your community's recovery from tropical threats. But to prepare effectively, it’s important to look back at the successes and failures of previous hurricane seasons.

Our team has supported response and recovery efforts for major hurricanes including Harvey, Helene, Ian, Ida, Irma, Maria, and Michael. Based on these experiences, we’ve distilled key considerations and lessons learned from recent storms.

Here are some of the most important insights we've gained—and how they can strengthen your hurricane preparedness efforts.

Prepare for all storm-related hazards

The point of landfall gets most of the attention during a hurricane. But hazards don’t stop at the coast when the storm hits, as witnessed with Hurricane Helene in 2024. Other hazards include:

• Storm surge: Storm surge remains one of the deadliest hurricane hazards, particularly for low-lying coastal and tidal communities. Recent storms have shown that surge impacts can extend inland along rivers, bays, and estuaries, cutting off evacuation routes and isolating neighborhoods faster than expected. These events reinforce the need for early, clear evacuation messaging tied to surge forecasts; maintaining and updating evacuation zones; and accounting for compound flooding when surge coincides with heavy rain.
• Storm debris: Debris from downed trees, damaged structures, and landslides has consistently delayed response and recovery from recent hurricanes by blocking roads, damaging utilities, and limiting access to isolated communities. This highlights the need for pre-disaster debris management plans and pre-procured contracts.
• Flooding: Helene’s inland destruction showed that a “hurricane” can become a catastrophic riverine flooding event hundreds of miles from the coast. Days of heavy rain (often on top of already saturated ground) can turn small creeks into destructive rivers, wash out roads and bridges, and cripple water and wastewater systems, power, and communications.
• High winds and tornadoes: Just like flooding rain, strong winds can hit areas far from the coastline, long after the storm has come ashore. A clear example of this was during Hurricane Isaias in 2020, when the storm initiated a large tropical cyclone outbreak that caused destruction across the eastern United States.

The key message to take away is that hurricane impacts can go far beyond the coastlines and it’s important to have local, regional, and statewide plans in place to anticipate dangerous conditions.

Communicate early and often with all residents, including inland communities, about preparedness expectations such as maintaining a hurricane kit with food, clean drinking water, and other essentials. Evacuation routes should also be communicated clearly so residents are prepared to act if conditions require it.

Pre-disaster documentation is key

Adequate pre-disaster documentation can speed up reimbursement after the hurricane and help your community get enough funding to make repairs. Proper documentation of pre-disaster conditions as well as records of preparation and response expenditures are critical in documenting the damage and the costs to give a clear and data-informed request for assistance.

Some key components of pre-disaster documentation include:

• Conducting routine pre-disaster site inspections.
• Documenting facility baselines via site photos and videos.
• Retaining up-to-date maintenance records.
• Keeping inspection, assignments, and documents organized.

Review these 8 best practices for pre-disaster documentation for additional insight into this topic.

Build local capacity

Ensure you have adequate staff and resource planning in place to respond to a storm and help your community recover swiftly from any damage. Conduct training early to make sure staff are ready for their roles and responsibilities. Exercise your plans to validate them and determine gaps and adjustments. If needed, consult with disaster recovery experts in advance to lead training that will help speed recovery after a storm hits.

In some cases, employees that don’t traditionally see themselves as responders may be needed. It’s best to be over-prepared by training staff in several areas, including:

• Pre-disaster planning – FEMA documentation
• FEMA Public Assistance Program
  • Categories of work
  • FEMA funding
  • Special considerations
• Damage analysis
• Damage documentation
• Insurance and risk management