Taking a look at the 2025 hurricane season forecast
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will bring months of danger for millions of Americans.
- The 2025 hurricane season is predicted to be dangerous, and preparation is crucial.
- Residents should review and update their emergency plans, including evacuation routes and contact information.
- Important preparations include securing homes, clearing debris, and having access to essential supplies like food, water and first aid kits.
The best time to have started your preparation for hurricane season was weeks in advance of June. The second best time is right now.
Early forecasts say the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will bring months of danger for millions of Americans, and the time to get ready for them is before the storms roll in.
Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the most dangerous storms can intensify quickly and unexpectedly, so fully preparing households should be top-of-mind for residents well before storms start forming.
Here’s a one-stop guide to hurricane safety, including tips for preparing your home, making a hurricane readiness kit, making a first-aid kit, saving official help hotlines and even some tips for readying your pets before the storms.
Run through your emergency plan with your family to spot what needs updating
Now is the perfect time to run through your emergency plan with your family for a couple of reasons. First, it’s better to have an emergency plan ingrained in muscle memory rather than relying on actual memory.
Running through the plan will also bring up opportunities to update it. Did someone’s phone number change since last year? Do you need to include someone new in the plan? This will all come up naturally.
It’s also a good opportunity to make sure that external details like evacuation routes, shelters and evacuation zones haven’t changed since last year.
What should I have in a hurricane supplies kit?
Emergency evacuations: What to keep in your go bag
In case of an emergency, here’s some essentials to keep in a go bag.
Problem Solved
A hurricane supplies kit should consist of everything you and your family need to survive for several days in the case of an emergency. It tends to consist of everyday household basics like food, water, first aid kits, batteries, flashlights and anything else needed to get by.
Create an inventory of your hurricane supplies, and if you have a kit leftover from last year, make sure you double-check what you have. For the items already in your kit, ensure nothing is damaged, expired or in need of replacing. Ensure that batteries and flashlights are still working, and start making a list of anything you might need to add this year.
Common supplies emergency officials and forecasters said you should have in your emergency kit include:
- Water, one gallon for each person per day
- Non-perishable food
- Two-week supply of medications
- Batteries (Check if they work and test them in advance.)
- Flashlight
- Cash
- A go-bag with essential supplies in case you need to leave quickly
- A first-aid kit (See what should be in this with the list below)
- Portable cellphone chargers
- Battery-operated radio
- List of emergency phone numbers, including those for family members
- Copy of your insurance policy
➤ Florida law allows early prescription refills under certain emergency conditions, hurricanes included
Here are a few sites offering disaster supply checklists:
Take care of your pets during a hurricane
Crafting preparedness kits to keep our homes and families safe is one thing, but what about our pets? How can we make sure they’re included in plans, and, if we have to evacuate, that they can be taken to safety as well?
Here are some tips.
- Do not leave pets at home, especially if you live in an evacuation area.
- Even if they survive the storm, they might flee a damaged home and be lost in the chaos. Or they could be trapped inside without food, water or supervision.
- Vaccinate your pet. If you haven’t already done so, get those shots now. Infectious diseases can become a big threat after a disaster.
- Get your pet an ID tag. If a pet becomes lost or escapes during the confusion of an evacuation, proper identification will increase the chances of a safe return home. The tag should include your cellphone number and, if space allows, the number of an out-of-town contact. Consider having your pet tattooed or microchipped.
- Get a pet carrier. You will need a pet carrier or cage for each dog, cat, bird or small animal. It must be big enough for each pet to stand up and turn around comfortably.
It might be difficult, if not impossible, to find shelter for your animals in the midst of a disaster, so plan ahead.
- Check shelter openings. Pay attention to news broadcasts and social media to find out where your county’s pet-friendly shelter is and when it will open.
- Pre-register. Many pet-friendly shelters require pre-registration. Make sure you have your pet’s paperwork.
- Bring supplies. You’ll need a sturdy crate, bed, leash and food for your pet, along with supplies for yourself. Shelters do not provide supplies.
Prepare survival kit for your pet for hurricane season:
- Medications and medical records (in a waterproof container)
- A leash
- A collar or harness for each pet
- Non-spill food and water dishes
- 14-day supply of food, water in nonbreakable containers
- A manual can opener
- Grooming supplies
- Your pet’s blanket and a favorite toy
- Cleanser and disinfectant to handle wastes
- Newspapers or litter, paper towels and plastic bags
A first-aid kit should prepared before hurricane season. Here’s what to pack.
Stores will be mobbed just before a storm and closed for days after. Keep a two-week supply of prescription drugs. Your first-aid kit should include:
- Medical supplies
- First-aid handbook
- Insect repellent sprays
- Citronella candles, insect bite lotion
- Petroleum jelly for relieving itching
- Ointments for burns, cuts
- Antiseptic solution
- Sunscreen
- Extra over-the-counter medicine (for colds, allergies, cough)
- Aspirin, acetaminophen, antacid
- Children’s medicines
- Diarrhea medication
- Feminine hygiene items
- Incontinence supplies
- Rubbing alcohol
- Iodine
- Disinfectant
- Wet wipes
- Moist towelette packets
- Medic Alert tags
- Thermometer
- Hypoallergenic adhesive tape
- Cotton-tipped swabs
- Sterile rolls
- Adhesive bandages
- Sterile gauze pads
- Roller bandages
- Tweezers
- Needles
- Adhesive tape
- Safety pins
- Latex gloves
Follow these water and ice tips when getting ready for hurricane season
Access to clean water is paramount to weathering a storm, but water lines could be compromised or impacted by hurricanes. Here are some tips to ensure you have clean water, and what you should know as you prepare.
- You should store enough water for 1 gallon of drinking water per person per day, for one-week minimum (a two-person household would need 14 gallons). Try to also have access to another 1 gallon per person/per day of water for washing hands, flushing toilets and for pets.
- Without air conditioning, your body is susceptible to heat stroke and dehydration. Have extra water for infants, youngsters, nursing mothers and the elderly.
- You can buy 5- and 10-gallon water bottles, but they’re hard to move. Or sanitize a large garbage can with lid to store drinking water. Pour 1 cup of regular, unscented household bleach to 30 gallons of water; let stand overnight, drain and rinse well. Fill with tap water and replace lid. Buy long-handled ladle; keep paper cups nearby. Freezing jugs of water also helps keep foods frozen and provides chilled drinking water.
- For household use, sanitize bathtub by scrubbing well, rinsing with 1 cup bleach in tub of water. Let stand overnight; drain; refill. Use for flushing toilet, but if necessary, for washing.
- Keep water clean! Contaminated water can cause diarrhea, leading to dehydration. If drinking water is compromised, use for washing up or flushing toilets. After a storm, do not use tap water for drinking unless you boil it for 3 minutes first or use purifying methods.
- Wait until your utility or local government says water is safe to drink.
- Make ice ahead of time
- Freeze bags of water in case you need ice later. Make sure you lay them flat so there’s still room in the freezer. You can store already made ice cubes in freezer bags, or freeze water bottles (they make great ice packs). The ice will come in handy if the power goes out.
- No access to a shower after a storm? Turns out bathing wipes come in handy for those long days at the theme park and during hurricane season if you don’t have access to a shower. Florida in the summertime is hot, and if the power is out, bathing wipes can help you feel semi-fresh again. If you have little ones or sensitive skin, consider using baby wipes. Also, make sure you have plenty of paper towels and tissues.
Prepare the house before hurricane season starts
Storm-proofing your home: Essential tips for hurricane preparedness
Learn how to protect your home from hurricanes with these essential tips on tree maintenance, stormwater system care and securing outdoor objects.
- Power: Be ready and know how to turn off your electricity in case of flooding or downed power lines, or if you have to evacuate. Before a storm, close all outdoor electrical outlets and cover with duct tape.
- Doors: All exterior doors should be hurricane-proof, with at least three hinges and a deadbolt lock at least 1 inch long.
- Wall openings: Prevent water intrusion by sealing vents, electrical outlets and cables with a high-quality urethane-based caulk.
- Garage doors: Because of their size and structure, garage doors are vulnerable to high winds, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says. It’s best to replace old door systems with wind-resistant doors and tracks.
- Furniture and electronics: Move furniture away from exposed windows and doors. Move computer away from windows. Back up files.
- Clean out yard debris: pine cone seems innocent enough until it’s launched at a window at hurricane-force speeds. If you haven’t already taken advantage of springtime weather to get out into the yard and start whipping it into shape now is a good chance to do so. You’ll still need to clear your yard of debris before every potential hurricane, but it’s a much quicker job when it hasn’t been left to pile up beforehand.
- Take pictures of your property, inside and out, and create a home inventory. Some insurance companies offer free home inventory apps.
- Considering buying a generator? There are portable ones that run on gas that should not be used until after the storm, but there also are full-house generators designed to kick on automatically if your power goes out. No matter what type you have or get, make sure it works and that you know how to safely use it.
- Make sure your gutters are clear of debris.
- If flooding is an issue around your home, now is the time to purchase bags and get some sand so you’re not waiting hours in line with a storm on the horizon. Experts suggest piling sandbags at least 2 feet high. Running short on sandbags? Heavy-duty garbage bags filled one-third with water and placed side by side can help fill any gaps.
- Another item to consider is a surge protector to protect electrical devices from voltage spikes.
- Check the batteries in your smoke alarm. If you don’t have a carbon monoxide detector, consider purchasing one, especially if you plan on using a generator after the storm.
Florida emergency phone numbers and websites
Have these phone numbers and websites saved:
For more Florida hotlines in your specific county, go here.
Contributing: Brandon Girod/Pensacola News Journal, Kimberly Miller/ Palm Beach Post, Cheryl McCloud / Treasure Coast Newspapers, Doyle Rice and George Petras and Jennifer Borresen/ USA TODAY
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