Hurricane Season Home Prep: The Coastal NC Checklist

Coastal Carolina living means hurricane season is just… the season. The difference between a stressful evacuation and a managed inconvenience is preparation done months early. Here’s the timeline that works.

Before the Season (June)

• Review insurance — flood insurance has a 30-day waiting period, so a September purchase doesn’t cover September
• Photograph every room and exterior wall for documentation
• Trim trees near the house; dead fronds become missiles
• Test generators and buy fuel stabilizer

When a Watch Is Issued (72-48 hours out)

• Water: one gallon per person per day, seven days minimum
• Fuel: fill all vehicles and gas cans
• Cash: ATMs and card readers die with the power grid
• Charge everything: phones, battery banks, radios
• Bring in or tie down everything in the yard

The 48-Hour Window

• Board or shutter windows (tape does nothing — skip it)
• Freezer to full: jugs of water fill air gaps and keep food frozen longer
• Bathtub filled for sanitation water
• Locate the manual can opener now, not during the outage

During and After

Shelter in an interior room away from windows during the eyewall. After: treat every downed line as live, document damage before cleanup, and expect the neighbor with the chainsaw to be the most popular person in the neighborhood.

Gear Worth Owning Year-Round