Hurricane Preparedness Checklist Generator & Cost Calculator
Answer a few questions about your household and get a printable checklist built for a Pensacola hurricane — then see what it will cost before the stores run out.
1. Build my checklist
2. Estimate the cost
A Pensacola hurricane preparedness timeline
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before June 1 | Review insurance (wind, flood, hurricane deductible). Buy flood insurance now — NFIP policies usually take 30 days to start. Trim trees, check the roof, buy shutters or cut plywood and label each piece. |
| Storm in the 7-day outlook | Check your zone. Refill prescriptions. Top up water, food and batteries. Make sure the car is serviced. |
| 5 days out | Fill gas tanks and generator fuel cans. Get cash. Photograph and video your home inside and out. |
| Watch issued (~48 h) | Put up shutters, bring in outdoor items, move boats, secure important papers in a waterproof bag. Decide where you will go. |
| Warning issued (~36 h) | If ordered to evacuate, go. Otherwise finish preparations, freeze water, fill bathtubs, charge everything, set fridge to coldest setting. |
| Tropical-storm winds arrive | Stay inside, away from windows. Do not drive. Keep the NOAA radio on for tornado and extreme wind warnings. |
Protecting a Pensacola home
Most homes built in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties since the early 2000s fall under Florida Building Code wind requirements; in this area design wind speeds generally run from roughly 140 to 160 mph or more depending on how close you are to the coast. Older homes benefit most from:
- Opening protection — rated shutters or impact glass on every window, slider and garage door. A breached opening lets wind pressurize the house and lift the roof.
- Roof-to-wall connections — hurricane clips or straps. A wind mitigation inspection documents these and can significantly lower the wind portion of your insurance premium.
- Secondary water barrier — sealed roof decking keeps rain out when shingles blow off, the most common damage in Sally and Ivan.
Florida's My Safe Florida Home program has offered free wind-mitigation inspections and matching grants for qualifying homeowners when funded.
Don't forget the paperwork
A ten-minute video walk-through of every room, closet, appliance and the roof is the single most valuable thing you can do for a future insurance claim. Upload it to cloud storage before the storm. Then use our storm damage log afterwards.