Everything Central Florida homeowners need before, during, and after a hurricane. Photo documentation walkthrough, supplies checklist, emergency contacts, roof preparation, and what to do in the first 48 hours after the storm passes. Free, no opt-in required to read.
The single most valuable hour you'll spend before a Florida hurricane is the one you spend documenting the condition of your home. Pre-storm photo and video documentation is what establishes — to your insurance company, to FEMA, to anyone who reviews a future claim — that the damage you eventually report came from this storm and not from years of normal wear.
Why this matters more than the supplies list. A Florida homeowner who arrives at their roof after a hurricane with no pre-storm photos is effectively asking their insurance company to take their word that the damage is new. Insurance carriers commonly request pre-loss documentation, and homeowners who have it consistently report smoother, less contentious claims. Homeowners who do not have it are often surprised by claim denials or partial settlements that hinge on the carrier's interpretation of "pre-existing" versus "storm-caused" damage.
The 10-room interior walkthrough. Take your phone and walk every room of your home. Open every drawer, every cabinet, every closet. Take a 10 to 20 second video of each space, narrating what's in it: "This is the living room. Sony 65-inch TV, leather sofa, glass coffee table. The ceiling looks fine, no stains. Hardwood floors, no visible damage." Talk like you're showing a friend around. You're creating a record that shows both the contents (for personal property claims) and the existing condition (for structural claims).
The exterior walkthrough. Photograph each side of the house from ground level — front, left, right, back. Get the roof in frame from each ground angle. Do not climb on the roof. Photograph all vehicles in the driveway, all outbuildings, the fence on every side, the pool cage if you have one, the air conditioning units, and any outdoor equipment that could be damaged or stolen. If there's already wear on the roof — missing granules, a slightly lifted shingle, an existing patch — photograph it explicitly. You want to be able to say "that damage was there before the storm" with evidence to back it up.
Save copies to the cloud. Your phone can be destroyed. Your computer can be flooded. Whatever you've documented locally is only useful if it survives. Turn on Google Photos auto-upload, iCloud Photos, Dropbox camera upload, or OneDrive — any one of them. If your phone is destroyed and you replace it, you log back in and your evidence is intact.
Photograph your paperwork too. Open your insurance app or your paper policy and screenshot the declarations page, the policy number, the hurricane deductible amount, your agent's contact information, and your mortgage company's information. Save these to the same cloud folder. After a storm, the last thing you want to do is dig through soggy filing cabinets to find your policy number.
Include the date. Hold up a piece of paper or your phone's home screen showing today's date in at least one exterior photo. A dated reference in the frame removes any ambiguity about when the documentation was created. Insurance adjusters notice this small touch.
This walkthrough takes about 60 minutes the first time. Repeat it once a year, ideally in late May before hurricane season begins.
Florida emergency management recommends a minimum 7-day supply of water and non-perishable food — longer than the federal 3-day recommendation — because Florida power and water restoration after a major hurricane often takes 5 to 10 days in affected areas. Plan for 1 gallon of water per person per day, plus extra for pets and cooking.
These items are easy to overlook and can prevent a small breach from becoming a structural loss while you wait for a licensed contractor to arrive.
These can stop a 4-inch hole from becoming $40,000 in interior water damage during the days between a storm and a licensed roofer's first available appointment.
Most Florida hurricane damage starts at the roof. The single biggest determinant of how a roof rides out a major storm is its condition before the storm — not the storm category. A roof with broken sealant bonds, loose flashing, or aging shingles will fail in a Category 1 event. A well-maintained roof of any age and material can carry a Category 3 with minimal damage. The steps below are what licensed Florida roofing contractors recommend before June 1.
Standard verified numbers. Save these in your phone now — looking them up during a storm wastes time and battery.
County phone numbers occasionally change. We link to each county's official Emergency Management page instead of hard-coding numbers — that way you always reach a current contact.
Florida shelter locations change with every storm depending on the category, the evacuation zones in effect, and which facilities are operational. We intentionally do not list specific shelter addresses on this page — by the time you read it during a storm watch, those addresses may be wrong. Use the official sources below, all of which are updated in real time.
Pet-friendly, special-needs, and general-population shelters have different processes. Visit your county Emergency Management website ahead of hurricane season to register if you have medical equipment, mobility limitations, or pets that need to come with you. Registration is usually free but is often required for special-needs shelter access.
If you live in a mobile home, an RV, or a home in evacuation zones A or B, always evacuate when ordered. No exceptions. These structures are not built to withstand Florida hurricane-force winds, and waiting until conditions worsen limits your evacuation routes.
Use Florida 511 for live evacuation route information.fl511.com and the FL511 app show real-time traffic, contraflow lane status, and gas availability along the major evacuation corridors.
Stay indoors, away from all windows and exterior doors.The strongest wind speeds in any hurricane are at the leading and trailing edges of the eye wall. Even Category 1 winds can drive debris through glass at velocities that cause serious injury.
Designate a safe room before the storm arrives. The best safe room is an interior room with no windows, on the lowest floor that will not flood. In single-story Florida homes, that's typically a center hallway, a windowless bathroom, or a closet under a stairwell. Place mattresses or thick blankets near the safe room to use as additional impact protection if the storm intensifies.
The "eye" of the hurricane is dangerous. When wind suddenly stops and the sky may even clear, it can feel like the storm is over. It is not. Calm conditions during the eye can last 15 to 60 minutes, and then 100+ mph winds return from the opposite direction. Do not go outside during the eye. Wait for local officials to confirm the storm has fully passed before leaving shelter.
If your roof starts to leak during the storm: place buckets to catch water, move valuables and electronics away from the leak, and photograph and video everything as it happens. Timestamped photos and videos of damage occurring in real time are extremely valuable for any future insurance documentation. Do not climb into the attic during the storm — if the roof has been compromised, attic temperatures and structural conditions can change rapidly.
If you see electrical sparks or smell gas: evacuate the home immediately and call 911 once you are at a safe distance. Do not try to identify the source.
Communication discipline. Keep one fully charged phone on Do Not Disturb for emergency calls only. Use group texts rather than individual calls to update family — they consume less battery and bandwidth and tend to deliver even when voice calls drop. Save SMS-based contact for short, factual updates.
Check yourself and your family for injuries first.Before assessing property, before anything else. If anyone needs medical care and 911 is overwhelmed, drive to the nearest hospital or urgent care if roads are passable. Document injuries with photos for any medical claim that follows.
Do not walk through standing water. Post-hurricane flooding routinely carries downed electrical lines, sewage, gasoline, chemicals, snakes, and debris. Even shallow water around a downed power line is an electrocution risk.
Do not turn power back on at the main breaker if water entered the home. Wait for a licensed electrician to verify safe. If your home took roof damage and water reached the wiring or panel, restoring power can cause a fire.
Document damage with photos and video before moving anything. Walk every room and every side of the exterior. Compare what you see now to the pre-storm documentation you made in Section 1. Note the date and time you are creating the post-storm documentation. If your roof shows visible damage, photograph it from the ground from multiple angles — do not climb on a storm-damaged roof.
Make only emergency repairs to prevent further damage.Tarp the roof if you have the supplies and can do so safely. Pump or sweep out interior water. Cover broken windows with plywood or plastic sheeting. Save every receipt — for tarps, lumber, fuel for pumps, anything you buy to mitigate damage. These costs are typically part of any later insurance claim.
Be cautious of door-knocking contractors. Storm- chasing contractors flood Florida storm zones within hours of a major event. Some are reputable. Many are not. Before signing any contract or letting any contractor on your roof, verify their Florida license number at myfloridalicense.com. The check takes 30 seconds. See Section 8 for specific red flags to watch for.
Insurance reporting timelines. Florida Statute 627.70132 sets specific reporting timelines for windstorm and hurricane claims. Deadlines and policy terms vary by insurance carrier and policy type. We do not advise on filing decisions or specific deadlines. For your specific deadlines, consult your insurance carrier directly or a licensed Florida public adjuster.
Every Florida hurricane is followed within hours by a wave of out-of-state and unlicensed contractors. The honest ones rebuild local communities. The dishonest ones leave thousands of homeowners with bad work, no warranty, and in some cases, criminal exposure for fraud committed in their name. Knowing the red flags before you hear the doorbell ring is the single best protection.
Alron Construction's Florida licenses are CCC1328819 | CGC1515789. We are a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business based in Cocoa, Florida, since 2008. Verify both license numbers yourself at myfloridalicense.com — that is the level of due diligence you should be applying to every contractor who knocks on your door after a hurricane.
Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Peak activity is typically mid-August through October. Preparation should be complete by May 31.
Photo and video documentation of every room and the exterior of your home. Pre-storm documentation is the single most important step for any future insurance claim — it establishes what condition your property was in before any damage occurred. Walk through every room with your phone camera, narrate the contents, and save copies to a cloud service like Google Photos or iCloud.
Florida emergency management recommends a minimum 7-day supply (longer than the federal 3-day recommendation) because Florida power and water restoration after a major hurricane often takes 5–10 days in affected areas. Plan for 1 gallon of water per person per day, plus extra for pets and cooking.
Follow your county emergency management orders. Mobile homes, RVs, and homes in evacuation zones A and B should always evacuate when ordered. For other residents, the decision depends on storm category, your home's construction, and your medical needs. Florida 511 provides real-time evacuation route information.
Visit your county Emergency Management website during a storm watch or warning. Shelter locations change with each storm based on category, evacuation zones, and which facilities are operating. The state shelter finder at floridadisaster.org also provides current information.
Check yourself and family for injuries first. Do not walk through standing water (electrical hazard). Do not turn on power at the breaker if water entered the home. Document any damage with photos and video before moving anything. Make only emergency repairs to prevent further damage and save all receipts. Verify any contractor's Florida license at myfloridalicense.com before signing anything.
Yes. Florida sees a surge of out-of-state and unlicensed contractors after every major storm. Florida Statute 489.147 prohibits contractors from offering to waive, discount, or absorb your insurance deductible — that is insurance fraud and a third-degree felony for the contractor. Verify any contractor's license at myfloridalicense.com (it takes 30 seconds) and never sign a contract on a door-knocker's first visit.
Florida Statute 627.70132 sets specific reporting timelines for windstorm and hurricane claims. Reporting deadlines and policy terms vary by insurance carrier and policy type. We are not attorneys or public adjusters and do not advise on filing decisions. For your specific deadlines, consult your insurance carrier directly or a licensed Florida public adjuster.
Alron Construction, LLC: Licensed Florida Roofing Contractor (CCC1328819) and Certified General Contractor (CGC1515789). Office: 300 N Cocoa Blvd, Cocoa, FL 32922. Call (321) 639-0911 for a free, photo-documented roof inspection. Serving Brevard, Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties since 2008. A+ BBB rated, 244+ verified Google reviews, veteran-owned (SDVOSB).
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