MyPlann's hurricane scenario is built around a core assumption: you are sheltering in place. That is not a statement about what you should always do — there are absolutely situations where evacuation is the right and only safe choice. But evacuation is harder, slower, more dangerous, and less available than most people assume when a major storm is bearing down.
Highways turn into parking lots. Gas stations run dry hours before the storm arrives. Hotels fill up or close. People get caught on the road in deteriorating conditions. And when it's over, returning home can be blocked by road closures, debris, or official access restrictions for days or weeks. A household that is prepared to shelter in place and outlast the aftermath is often in a stronger position than one counting on an evacuation that never quite goes as planned.
We prepare for the worst and plan to stay. If you ultimately do evacuate, a household stocked for 30 days of shelter-in-place has everything needed for a go-bag and then some. The preparation isn't wasted — it's just used differently.
Geography changes everything — three real storms, three very different aftermaths
A hurricane in Mississippi, New Jersey, and Florida are three genuinely different emergencies. The wind categories overlap. The aftermath does not. These three real events shaped what we know about what actually fails, when, and for how long.
Gulf Coast
Katrina
August 2005 · Category 3 at landfall
Without power
3 million across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama
Storm surge
Up to 28 feet in Mississippi — among the highest ever recorded in the U.S.
Long-term displacement
500,000 people had not returned home four months later
The lesson: A Category 3 storm produced Category 5 surge. The surge — not the wind — drove 80% of New Orleans underwater. Toxic floodwater containing sewage, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals took 43 days to pump out. Infrastructure recovery took 18 months. The Gulf Coast lesson is that surge is not predictable from the category number alone, and it is the thing that kills.
Northeast Coast
Sandy
October 2012 · Post-tropical at landfall
Without power
8.5 million across the mid-Atlantic and Northeast
Outage duration
Shore communities averaged 23 days. Long Island: up to 14 days. Lower Manhattan: 10 days.
Fuel crisis
Most stations had fuel but no power to run the pumps. When a working station was found and posted on Twitter, hundreds of cars descended within hours — lines stretching miles, waits of 3–4 hours.
The lesson: Sandy had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone at landfall. It still knocked out power to nearly 9 million people and left shore communities dark for an average of 23 days. October in the Northeast means cold — hypothermia became a real concern for elderly residents. The fuel situation was instructive in a different way than most people remember: stations had fuel but no power to run the pumps. When a working station was found and someone posted it on Twitter, hundreds of cars would converge within hours. Lines stretched for miles. The calendar matters as much as the storm — and so does whether your generator has fuel before the power goes out, not after.
Florida Peninsula
Ian
September 2022 · Category 4 at landfall
Without power
2.7 million at peak. Most restored within 2 weeks statewide — hardest-hit areas uninhabitable.
Water system
Lee County's water main broke entirely — no running water at all, not just unsafe water.
Physical isolation
Sanibel Causeway and Pine Island bridge collapsed. Islands cut off from the mainland for days.
The lesson: Florida has the best-hardened electric grid of any hurricane-prone state. Utilities spent billions on infrastructure. There were 44,000 line workers on standby. It still left communities without water, bridges destroyed, and islands entirely cut off. FEMA extended housing assistance two years later. Even the best-prepared state infrastructure fails badly enough that households need to be fully self-sufficient for weeks.
📍 A note on geography
MyPlann knows that hurricane risk in coastal Mississippi looks nothing like hurricane risk in coastal New Jersey. We use your zip code to look up your FEMA flood zone and coastal distance automatically — and those data points shape your readiness recommendations. A household in FEMA Zone AE two miles from the Gulf gets a very different picture than a household in Zone X forty miles from the Atlantic. Where we have location data, we use it. Where we don't, we ask.
What fails, and when
The storm is typically over in 12 to 24 hours. What follows is measured in days and weeks. The households that do best are the ones who prepared for the aftermath, not just the storm itself.
Storm makes landfall
Power goes out — immediately
Grid power fails within minutes to hours. Everything stops: refrigeration, air conditioning, lighting, charging, medical devices, well pumps. Based on Katrina, Sandy, and Ian, the honest planning range for a direct hit is 1 to 4 weeks without power. Two weeks is a reasonable baseline. Some households wait longer.
Hours 0–48
Roads blocked, stores closed, fuel gone
Debris, flooding, and downed trees make travel difficult or impossible immediately after the storm. Most gas stations have fuel but no power to run their pumps — making them useless regardless of what's in the tank. The few stations with generator power become instant magnets: when someone posts a working station on social media, lines form within minutes and stretch for miles. Stores are either closed, inaccessible, or cleaned out within the first day or two.
Days 1–2
The refrigerator buys you a day. The freezer buys you two.
A closed, full refrigerator will keep food safe for most of the first day — longer if your house stays cool. By 24 to 36 hours in summer heat you're making judgment calls on individual items. By 48 hours it's largely done. The freezer is more forgiving: a full freezer holds for roughly 48 hours, a half-full one closer to 24. Use what you have in those first two days, then you're entirely on shelf-stable supplies. Every household that hasn't stocked those discovers the gap at the moment they can do nothing about it.
Days 2–7
Water becomes the next problem
Municipal water systems depend on electric pumping stations. Water pressure drops or disappears within days of a major storm. Boil water advisories are standard after hurricanes even when pressure holds — and as Ian showed in Lee County, the water main itself can simply break. Households on wells lose water the moment power fails. Stored water is not an optional backup.
Days 3–14
Heat — or cold — becomes dangerous
In Gulf Coast and Florida climates, a house without air conditioning in late summer is genuinely dangerous for the elderly, infants, and anyone with cardiovascular or respiratory conditions. In the Northeast, Sandy's October timing meant the opposite — households without heat during cold nights faced hypothermia risk. Know which direction your season cuts and plan for it specifically.
Week 2 and beyond
The long haul — and what it reveals
By week two, households with deep preparation are managing. Those without it are in crisis. Sandy produced armed confrontations at gas stations and organized looting severe enough to require National Guard deployment on Long Island. Households that planned for three days and found themselves on day fourteen had no good options. Those who planned for thirty days did.
What to prepare — the six pillars
FEMA's one gallon per person per day is a minimum for a temperate climate. In subtropical heat during active storm cleanup, that number rises to two gallons or more. Add pets, sanitation if sewage fails, and cooking, and a two-week supply requires serious storage planning.
Supply targets
- Two gallons per person per day in Gulf Coast and Florida climates — one gallon is insufficient when it's 95°F and you're clearing debris
- Stored water for your full planning target — commercial jugs, WaterBOB bathtub liners (fill before the storm), or dedicated food-grade containers
- Water filter rated for bacteria and protozoa — for tap water under a boil advisory or when pressure returns but quality is uncertain
- Unscented household bleach — eight drops per gallon to treat water of uncertain safety
- Extra water for pets — a medium dog needs roughly half a gallon per day in heat
Sanitation when water is limited
- Toilet bucket and compostable bag liners if sewage pressure is lost
- Hand sanitizer and moist towelettes for hygiene without running water
- Baby wipes in quantity — become an essential personal hygiene item quickly during extended outages
The refrigerator and freezer provide a bonus window in the first 48 hours — use it, but don't count it. Your actual food supply begins when power goes out. A household stocked with 14 to 30 days of shelf-stable food is in a genuinely different situation than one relying on whatever is left in the pantry after the storm passes.
Shelf-stable priorities
- Canned proteins — tuna, salmon, chicken, sardines, beans, chickpeas, lentils
- Canned soups and stews — complete meals, no preparation beyond opening
- Peanut butter and nut butters — calorie-dense, no refrigeration, long shelf life
- Crackers, shelf-stable bread, rice cakes — carbohydrate base without refrigeration
- Instant oatmeal, dried pasta, white rice — require only hot water
- Dried fruit, jerky, nuts, granola bars — snacks that sustain energy during physical cleanup work
- Comfort food — coffee, tea, hot cocoa, familiar snacks — these matter more than people expect after days of disruption
No-power cooking
- Propane camp stove with extra canisters — outdoor use only, never inside or in a garage
- Manual can opener — the most overlooked item in hurricane preparedness
- Cast iron cookware — works on any heat source
- Waterproof matches and lighter as backup ignition
A generator is the single most impactful purchase for hurricane preparedness — but only if you have fuel stored before the storm, because fuel will be unavailable afterward. Sandy and Ian both produced severe fuel crises lasting days. Carbon monoxide from generators is one of the leading causes of death in hurricane aftermaths — generators run outside only, never in an attached garage, and never near windows or vents.
Power strategy
- Portable generator sized for critical loads only: refrigerator, fans, phone charging, medical devices, lights — you do not need to power the whole house
- Stored fuel — enough for your planning duration with fuel stabilizer if storing more than 30 days, in approved containers stored away from living areas
- Solar generator or large lithium battery bank — silent backup when fuel runs out, ideal for phones, lights, CPAP, fans
- Spare heavy-duty extension cords rated for outdoor use
Lighting
- LED lanterns per living area, with plenty of spare batteries
- Headlamps per household member — essential for hands-free work after dark
- Glow sticks for children — non-flammable, reassuring, no battery management
Heat management — Gulf Coast & Florida
- Battery-powered fans — critical for elderly and medically vulnerable in summer heat
- Know your nearest county cooling center — most open them free after major storms
- Block ice in a well-insulated cooler — lasts significantly longer than cubed ice
Cold management — Northeast
- Sleeping bags rated for overnight temperatures in your region in October and November
- Propane space heater with proper ventilation protocols — understand CO risks before indoor use
- Extra blankets, thermal underlayers, and hand warmers per household member
Pharmacies close before storms and reopen slowly afterward. Roads may be impassable for days. Refrigerated medications face the same power-loss problem as your food. This is one of the highest-stakes gaps in standard hurricane preparedness, and one of the most solvable if addressed before the season starts.
Prescription medications
- At minimum 30 days of supply above your current fill for every household member — 90 days is meaningfully better
- Refrigerated medications — insulin, biologics — need a dedicated plan: a medical-grade insulated case, a cooler with block ice, or generator priority for a small refrigerator
- Written list of all medications, dosages, prescribers, and pharmacy contacts in a waterproof container with your documents
Over-the-counter supply
- Fever reducers — both acetaminophen and ibuprofen in quantity
- Antidiarrheal medications — waterborne illness risk rises significantly after storms
- Antibiotic ointment and wound care — cuts from debris are a primary post-storm injury
- Sunscreen and insect repellent — standing water brings mosquitoes; outdoor cleanup brings extended sun exposure
Power-dependent medical devices
- Register with your local utility's medical priority program before storm season
- Battery backup units for CPAP machines — available commercially, should be charged and tested before storms
- For oxygen concentrators and high-draw devices: size your generator specifically for these loads and verify compatibility
Physical preparation has to happen before storm season — not when a storm is 36 hours out and hardware stores are sold out of plywood. The most important structural protections are inexpensive when done in advance and unavailable when the storm is approaching.
Before storm season
- Hurricane shutters or pre-cut plywood, measured, labeled, and stored for every window and glass door
- Roof inspection — loose shingles and poor flashing are the most common entry points for catastrophic water damage
- Trees and large branches trimmed away from the roofline
- Garage door braced or wind-rated — garage doors fail frequently and the resulting pressure loss can bring the roof
- Know how to shut off gas, electricity, and water at the main
- Sump pump tested if you have a basement or below-grade area
When a storm is approaching (36–72 hours out)
- Shutters or plywood installed on all windows and glass doors
- All outdoor furniture, grills, potted plants, and loose items brought inside or secured
- Bathtubs filled using WaterBOB liners if available — adds meaningful emergency water reserve
- All vehicles filled with fuel and parked away from trees
- All important documents moved to a waterproof container in an interior room
- Freezer packed full — a full freezer holds cold far longer than a half-empty one
After Katrina, cell service was out across the Gulf Coast for days. After Sandy, over 2 million telecom customers lost service. After Ian, large areas of southwest Florida lost communications entirely. Knowing what is happening, which roads are open, and when utilities will be restored is important — and the assumption that you'll get that from your phone is not reliable after a major storm.
Communication supplies
- Battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio — receives official emergency broadcasts when the grid and cell towers are both down
- Large power bank, fully charged before the storm, capable of multiple phone charges
- Car charger as backup — your vehicle's 12V outlet works as a phone charger when the grid is out
- Written contact list on paper — phone numbers for family, neighbors, local emergency management, your utility, and your pharmacy
- Paper local maps — GPS apps require data, and cell service may be unavailable
When evacuation is the only right answer
Shelter-in-place is the default for most households in most storms — but it is not the right answer if you are in a FEMA Zone A or AE flood area and a major surge is forecast, or if local authorities issue a mandatory evacuation order for your zone. Storm surge is the leading cause of hurricane deaths, and no amount of preparation makes it safe to shelter in a surge zone during a significant storm. Know your flood zone before storm season, not during it. If your zone is ordered to evacuate, go.
📍 MyPlann Location Personalization
Your risk is specific to where you live
MyPlann uses your zip code to automatically look up your FEMA flood zone designation and coastal distance. These two data points meaningfully change your preparation profile — a household in Zone AE three miles from the Gulf has fundamentally different priorities than one in Zone X forty miles inland, even in the same storm.
FEMA Flood Zone
Looked up from FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer. Zone A and AE indicate high flood risk; Zone X indicates minimal risk. Shapes your water storage targets and surge-related recommendations.
Coastal Distance
Calculated from your zip code to the nearest coastline. Households within five miles of the coast face materially different storm surge exposure than those further inland — even within the same county.
Auto-filled Suggestions
Relevant fields in the hurricane questionnaire are pre-filled where location data is available, with a source badge showing where it came from. You can always override any suggestion.
Supply Scaling
All supply targets scale to your household size and questionnaire answers — number of people and pets, power-dependent medical equipment, and your target planning duration.
Built-in Assumptions & Limitations
- This scenario assumes a major hurricane — Category 4 or higher — making direct or near landfall in or near your region. The framework applies at lower categories too, with somewhat less urgency.
- Shelter-in-place is the default planning frame. Evacuation is acknowledged and go-bag preparation substantially overlaps with shelter-in-place readiness, but the scenario is optimized for staying home and outlasting the aftermath.
- Power outages are modeled as lasting 7–30 days for a direct hit. The actual timeline varies by storm intensity, distance from landfall, and local utility infrastructure. Florida utilities generally restore faster; rural areas everywhere restore slower.
- Municipal water is assumed to be potentially disrupted within 2–7 days. Well water with electric pumps is assumed to fail immediately upon power loss.
- Flood zone data is sourced from FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer based on your zip code — an approximation. For evacuation decisions, your county's official evacuation zone map is the authoritative reference.
- The geographic profiles reflect the documented aftermath of Katrina 2005, Sandy 2012, and Ian 2022. These are illustrative reference points, not predictions for any specific storm.
- Natural gas is generally less disrupted by hurricanes than electricity but is assumed shut off if structural damage to your home occurs.
Plan for 30 days. Hope for 10. Be ready for anything in between.
MyPlann uses your location, flood zone, and household profile to build a hurricane readiness picture that reflects where you actually live — not a generic checklist that assumes the same storm for everyone.