The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is gearing up to be an active one. Now's the time to prepare

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
·6 min read

Hurricane season is less than two months away, and now is a great time to take inventory of your supplies and make sure things like generators are running as expected.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be an active one, according to early predictions.

Last month, AccuWeather said this season could be an “explosive” one with the potential to break the all-time record of 30 named storms in a single season.

Based on similar weather patterns in prior years, Florida is among the states that could be especially vulnerable this year, along with Texas and the Carolinas.

Here are some tips to prepare for the 2024 hurricane season.

Checking your hurricane kit

Your hurricane kit is one of the most important aspects of storm prep. Why have a kit? Waiting until a hurricane is heading in your direction is a surefire way to forget something crucial, run out of time before you can get everything together or leave you in a position where you’re scavenging empty aisles at your local grocery store.

Preparing ahead of time allows you to procure all the items on your list. It also allows you to check your list twice too, ensuring you won’t miss anything.

Here are the absolute basics:

  • Non-perishable food (enough to last at least three days)

  • Water (enough to last at least three days)

  • First-aid kit (include any prescription medication you may need)

  • Personal hygiene items and sanitation items

  • Flashlights (have extra batteries on hand)

  • Battery-operated radio (again, have extra batteries)

  • Waterproof container with cash and important documents

  • Manual can opener

  • Lighter or matches

  • Books, magazines, games for recreation

  • Special needs items: pet supplies and baby supplies, if applicable

  • Cooler and ice packs

  • A plan for evacuation and for if family members are separated

A pro-tip for purchasing food and water is to be on the look out for buy one, get one deals. Use what you need now and save the rest for your hurricane supply kit.

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Be aware of important hurricane and storm-related alerts

Do you know the difference between a hurricane watch and a hurricane warning off the top of your head? If this isn’t your first hurricane season, chances are you do, but if it’s your first time or you simply need a refresher, brushing up on your hurricane knowledge is always a good idea.

Here are some important hurricane-related terms you’ll hear ad nauseum during hurricane season:

  • Tropical Storm Watch: Tropical storm conditions are possible in the area.

  • Hurricane Watch: Hurricane conditions are possible in the area. Watches are issued 48 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical storm-force winds.

  • Tropical Storm Warning: Tropical storm conditions are expected in the area.

  • Hurricane Warning: Hurricane conditions are expected in the area. Warnings are issued 36 hours in advance of tropical storm-force winds.

  • Eye: Clear, sometimes well-defined center of the storm with calmer conditions.

  • Eye Wall: Surrounding the eye contains some of the most severe weather of the storm with the highest wind speed and largest precipitation.

  • Rain Bands: Bands coming off the cyclone produce severe weather conditions such as heavy rain, wind and tornadoes.

  • Storm Surge: An often underestimated and deadly result of ocean water swelling as a result of a landfalling storm and quickly flooding coastal and sometimes areas further inland.

Take a look at your insurance policy

An incoming hurricane is not the time to realize you forgot to inform your insurance company about the new shed you built at the end of last year — or worse, finding out your coverage has lapsed.

Here are some things to consider when you check your home insurance policy:

  • Are you familiar with what your policy covers? In Florida, HO3 and HO6 policies cover most things you’re likely to encounter during a hurricane, but it’s always best to make sure you have a special case that isn’t covered. It’s also a good time to schedule any high-value items.

  • Do you have flood insurance? Do you need it? Flood insurance isn’t covered by home insurance, and flood zones can change. It’s always a good idea to annually check flood maps so you can make an informed decision.

  • Gather your insurance documents. Sure, you can usually get quick access to your home insurance documents online, but having physical copies is useful when the power goes out.

  • Don’t forget about your auto insurance. We always think about our homes first, but following these same steps for your car insurance is just as important.

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Put together or review your family emergency plan

Does your family know where you would go if you had to evacuate? If not, now is a great time to put together a family emergency plan, which helps ensure everyone is on the same page and doesn’t put anyone in a situation where they are having to make a guess in a dangerous situation.

Family emergency plans involve collecting crucial information and sharing it with everyone in your family so they all have access to it, formulating evacuation plans and more. If you’ve never written one, here are some ideas to get you started.

Collect important paperwork: Grabbing your home insurance documents isn’t the only thing you should gather. You’ll want to grab living wills, birth certificates, social security cards, important health-related documents and more.

Gather important contact information: Put together a contact list that you can send to all of your family that includes things like your family doctor, pharmacist, counselor and veterinarians. Also include phone numbers to local resources like the poison control center, animal poison control helpline and the disaster distress helpline so no one has to go looking if things take a turn for the worst.

Check up on your generator

If you have a gas generator that has been neglected, now is the time to pull it out and ensure it runs properly. Gas left in gas-powered engines for long periods will go stale and could prevent them from running.

Now is a great time to swap the oil and throw a little gas inside your generator to ensure it runs. If it’s been a while and still cranks, leave it running for a bit. You can add a fuel stabilizer to help increase the lifespan of the gas, but it’s best only to add a little.

For regular maintenance, make sure you crank your generator and let it run or a bit at least once a month. Doing this every time you mow your lawn is an easy way to keep up with the process. It can also be helpful to pick up an extra bit of oil and a spark plug, too, on the off chance that it goes out during a hurricane.

Prep your yard

If you haven’t already taken advantage of our cool spring weather to whip your yard back into shape after this past winter, then now is a great time to start. Trim up any overgrown bushes and keep your eyes peeled for fallen tree branches or other yard debris that could be dangerous if picked up by storm-force winds. Doing a little bit each weekend can ensure that your yard is tidy by the time hurricane season begins.

When does the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season start?

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Hurricane season is approaching. Now is the time to prepare