Hurricane Preparedness Checklist for Santa Rosa & Escambia County Homeowners

Before hurricane season begins

Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, with the Gulf Coast historically seeing its highest activity in August and September. The single biggest preparedness mistake we see is homeowners waiting until a storm is already forecast to handle things that needed weeks of lead time—flood insurance, roof repairs, and generator purchases all become urgent and hard to get once a storm is a few days out. Handle the items below well before June.

• Confirm your flood insurance is active—policies typically have a 30-day waiting period before coverage begins.
• Have your roof inspected and any known leaks or missing shingles repaired.
• Test your generator, if you have one, and confirm you have a safe fuel storage plan.
• Trim trees and remove dead limbs that could become projectiles in high wind.

Know your evacuation zone

Santa Rosa and Escambia County each publish evacuation zone maps searchable by address through their county emergency management offices. Coastal and low-lying areas, including much of Navarre Beach, Pensacola Beach, and waterfront Gulf Breeze, tend to fall into the earliest-evacuation zones given storm surge risk, while inland areas like Milton and Pace typically face lower evacuation priority but still deal with wind and flooding risk. Look this up before hurricane season, not while a storm warning is active and county websites are under heavy traffic.

Harden your home

Wind-driven rain finds any weakness in a home's envelope, so the goal of home hardening is closing those gaps before a storm arrives. This includes installing or confirming hurricane shutters or impact-rated windows, bracing your garage door (a common failure point that lets wind pressurize the whole structure), and sealing any gaps around vents, soffits, and roof penetrations. If your roof is aging or has already sustained minor damage, addressing it now is far cheaper than dealing with a full roof breach mid-storm; our emergency board-up and tarping team is available if a breach happens anyway.

5 days before a storm

• Photograph or video every room of your home and your major belongings for insurance documentation.
• Fill vehicles with fuel and stock up on water, non-perishable food, medications, and batteries.
• Move outdoor furniture, potted plants, and anything that could become a projectile into the garage or indoors.
• Charge phones, power banks, and any medical equipment that needs backup power.
• Review your evacuation plan and confirm where you will go if your zone is ordered to leave.

24 hours before landfall

• Bring in or secure anything still outside.
• Fill bathtubs with water for sanitation use if utilities are disrupted.
• Set your refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings in case of a power outage.
• Follow local evacuation orders promptly if issued for your zone—do not wait to see how bad it gets.
• Save our number, +1 850-366-1830, in your phone so it is easy to find if you need us afterward.

After the storm passes

Wait for local officials to confirm it is safe to go outside before assessing damage, and stay clear of downed power lines and standing water, which may be energized or contaminated. Photograph all damage before you begin any cleanup, and if your home has water intrusion, a breached roof, or storm damage of any kind, call promptly—the faster water is extracted and openings are secured, the less secondary damage from mold and continued weather exposure you will face. See our storm damage cleanup page for what that process looks like.