Florida hurricane prep guide: Emergency kit, evacuation zone, shelters, emergency contacts

Tracking The Tropics: 2024 Hurricane Season Preview

Prepare, don't panic. The FOX 35 Storm Team discusses what you need to know ahead of the start of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Why are forecasters predicting an active season? What changes have been made to the cone? What can you do now to protect your family and home?

Officials are encouraging residents to prepare as Florida appears to be in the path of a potential tropical storm or hurricane. Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine is expected to rapidly strengthen into a hurricane – possibly a major hurricane – in the Gulf of Mexico – and Florida is in the storm's potential path.

Gov. Ron DeSantis put more than 40 counties under a state of emergency ahead of the potential system, and encouraged residents to prepare their emergency kits early ahead of any potential impacts.

Here's your guide to building a hurricane emergency kit, where to find your emergency numbers and evacuation zones, as well as shelter information, if counties decide to open those amid the storm.

What to have in your hurricane emergency kit?

According to Ready. Gov, here are some of the essentials to include in your emergency kit:

Food and water to last several days (one gallon per person per day; non-perishable foods to last for several days)
NOAA Weather Radio (battery powered or crank)
Flashlight, additional batteries
First aid kit, critical medications to last several days
Cellphone, chargers, and fully-charged battery packs
Cash
Important documents (insurance, medical cards; copies of birth certificates, social security cards; pet vaccination, ownership records)
Important phone numbers (family, emergency contacts, emergency county contacts)
Weather-resistant clothing (jackets, hats, umbrella, boots, etc.)

FloridaDisaster.org also has an emergency checklist, which has been embedded below.

What is my Florida evacuation zone? Here's how to find it.

If you live in a low-lying area that's prone to flooding, in a mobile home, or an unsafe structure, those areas may be ordered to evacuate during a hurricane, either part of a voluntary evacuation or a mandatory evacuation.

Here is how to find out if you live in an evacuation zone, and what your zone is:

Visit https://www.floridadisaster.org/knowyourzone/ and click the "Know Your Zone" link.
Type in your address and see if it is located within a colored evacuation zone (these are flood zones)
Zone A is typically the most vulnerable, though there are 21 different zone designations among various counties in Florida