Short version: plan for seven days without power, water service or a store. That means a gallon of water per person per day, food that needs no fridge, a way to charge phones and run a fan, a weather radio, your meds and documents in one waterproof bag, and the stuff to button up the house. Buy it in May, not when the cone turns toward you.
Below is the full Florida hurricane kit checklist, the gear we'd actually spend money on, and a printable list at the bottom.
Why 7 days, not 3 (FDEM)
Most national guides say three days. Florida says seven. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) tells residents to build a disaster supply kit with at least 7 days of food, water and medicine, and that's the number to plan around here.
The reason is simple. After a big Gulf storm, the problem isn't the 12 hours of wind. It's the week after. Roads are blocked, power crews are working from the substations out, grocery shelves are empty, and gas stations can't pump without electricity. Three days of supplies runs out right about the time things are at their worst.
If you're in the Panhandle, take this seriously. Rural counties and barrier islands are often the last to get power back, and a lot of panhandle hurricane prep comes down to being able to sit tight for a week without help.
Water: how much and how to store it
The rule from Ready.gov and the Red Cross is one gallon per person per day, half for drinking and half for cooking and basic hygiene. For a family of four over seven days, that's 28 gallons. Add more for pets, for nursing mothers, and for hot weather, which in Florida is every hurricane season.
That's more than most people picture. A case of bottled water is about three gallons. You'd need nine or ten cases. So use a mix: some bottled water for grab-and-go, a couple of big refillable jugs, and a bathtub bladder you fill when the storm is 24 to 48 hours out.
Fill the bathtub bladder for washing and flushing too. If water service fails, a bucket of water poured into the toilet bowl will flush it.
WaterBOB Bathtub Storage Bladder A heavy plastic liner that sits in your tub and holds up to about 100 gallons, with a pump to get it back out. It's the cheapest way to store a lot of drinking water right before landfall. Downside: it's one-time use, and you have to remember to fill it while the water is still running clean. Check price on Amazon
Reliance Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon The blue jug you see at every campsite. Stackable, has a spigot, and you can fill it in May and rotate it every six months. Downside: 7 gallons is about 58 pounds, so don't plan on carrying it far. Check price on Amazon
Store jugs out of the sun and off concrete if you can. Mark the fill date on masking tape. If you already camp, you probably own one of these. See our guide to camping gear that doubles as emergency gear for more of what's already in your garage.
Food that doesn't need a fridge
Plan on the fridge being dead by day two. Your food plan should assume no refrigeration and, ideally, no cooking beyond boiling water.
Good stuff to have on hand:
- Canned meats, tuna, chicken, and beans (with a manual can opener)
- Peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, trail mix
- Shelf-stable milk and juice boxes
- Instant oatmeal and instant coffee
- Freeze-dried meals for hot dinners
Eat the fridge first, then the freezer, then the pantry. That's the order that wastes the least.
Mountain House Pouches Add boiling water, wait about ten minutes, eat out of the bag. They taste better than they have any right to, and they last for years on a shelf. Downside: you need a stove and water to make them, and they're not cheap per meal. Check price on Amazon
ReadyWise Emergency Food Bucket A sealed bucket of pouches that's easy to store in a closet and forget about. Good if you want a week of backup calories in one box. Downside: a lot of the calories are carbs, and the serving sizes on the label are small, so a grown adult will eat more than one "serving." Check price on Amazon
Datrex or SOS Ration Bars Coast Guard-style ration bars that need no water and no cooking. Toss a pack in the evacuation bag and the car. Downside: they taste like a dense lemon shortbread you didn't ask for. This is the backup to the backup. Check price on Amazon
If you cook, use a camp stove or grill outside only, never in the garage or on a covered porch with the doors open. Carbon monoxide kills people after every Florida storm.
Power and light when the grid is down
This is where a Florida hurricane kit has changed the most in the last few years. You used to have two choices: a box of D batteries or a loud gas generator. Now a portable power station can keep phones, a fan, a CPAP and a small fridge going quietly, indoors, with no fumes.
A power station is a big battery with outlets. Charge it before the storm. Pair it with a solar panel and you can top it back up in the daytime. It will not run central AC or an electric range. It will run a box fan all night.
EcoFlow Delta 3 (or Delta 2) Charges fast from the wall, which matters when you're filling it up 12 hours before landfall. Enough capacity to run a fridge for part of a day or a fan for a long night. Downside: it's heavy, and the app is nice but not something you can rely on once cell service goes down. Check price on Amazon
Anker SOLIX C1000 Close in size and output to the Delta, with a good reputation for build quality. A solid pick if you find it on sale. Downside: as with all of these, solar recharging on a cloudy post-storm day is slower than the box says. Check price on Amazon
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Simple, well-known, easy to use. Good for people who want to push one button and not think about it. Downside: you usually pay a little more for the name. Check price on Amazon
If you run a gas generator, it goes outside, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away from doors and windows, per CDC carbon monoxide guidance. Never in the garage, even with the door up. Put a battery CO alarm in the house either way.
For light, skip candles. They start fires in houses that already have enough problems.
Black Diamond Headlamp (Spot 400 or Astro) Hands-free light for cooking, checking the roof, or walking the dog at night. Everyone in the house should have one. Downside: the cheaper models eat AAAs, so buy rechargeable batteries to go with it. Check price on Amazon
Goal Zero Lighthouse Lantern Lights up a room, charges by USB, and has a hand crank as a last resort. Downside: the crank is more of an emergency trick than a real power source. Check price on Amazon
Panasonic Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries AA and AAA rechargeables that hold their charge in a drawer for months. Charge them off the power station. Downside: you still want a pack of regular alkalines as backup. Check price on Amazon
Communication: weather radio, phone charging, satellite messenger
When the power goes out, your TV goes with it. When the towers lose power or backhaul, your phone becomes a flashlight. You need a way to hear warnings and a way to tell family you're OK.
Start with a NOAA weather radio. The National Weather Service broadcasts warnings around the clock on NOAA Weather Radio, and an alert-capable radio will wake you up for a tornado warning in the rain bands.
Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Radio NOAA weather alert, AM/FM, a flashlight, and a battery that charges by hand crank, solar or USB. It can also top off a phone a little. Downside: the solar panel is tiny, so think of it as a trickle, not a real charger. Check price on Amazon
Eton FRX3 A smaller, lighter crank radio with weather alerts. Good for the evacuation bag or a second room. Downside: smaller battery and speaker than the Midland. Check price on Amazon
Keep a couple of charged phone power banks too. Turn your phone to low power mode and text instead of calling. Texts get through when calls don't.
Garmin inReach Messenger Sends and receives texts by satellite when there's no cell signal, and has an SOS button. If you have family checking on you from out of state, this is how you tell them you're fine. Downside: it needs a paid monthly plan. Some newer phones have satellite texting built in, so check yours before buying. Check price on Amazon
First aid, meds and documents
This is the part people skip, and it's the part that hurts most when it's missing.
- Prescriptions: Get a refill before the storm. Florida law lets pharmacies give an early refill of up to 30 days when a county is under a hurricane warning or state of emergency. Ask your pharmacist.
- First aid kit: Bandages, gauze, antibiotic ointment, pain reliever, tweezers, and gloves. Cleanup injuries (cuts, nails, chainsaws) are common after a storm.
- Bug spray and sunscreen: You'll be outside cleaning up in the heat with standing water everywhere.
- Documents: IDs, insurance policies, deeds, and medical records in a waterproof bag. Take phone photos of each and of every room in the house before the storm, for insurance.
- Cash: Small bills. Card readers don't work without power.
Securing the house (tarps, tie-downs, fuel)
Your kit isn't just what's in the closet. It's what keeps the house in one piece.
- Shutters or plywood: Have them cut, labeled and ready. Tape on windows does nothing.
- Tarps and tie-downs: A heavy tarp, roofing nails or cap nails, and furring strips can keep rain out of a damaged roof until the roofer shows up (which could be weeks).
- Yard: Bring in furniture, grills and anything that can fly.
- Fuel: Fill your car and gas cans before the storm. After landfall, stations may be closed or have lines for days.
No-Spill Gas Can (2.5 or 5 gallon) The push-button spout on a No-Spill can actually works, unlike the frustrating spouts on most new cans. Downside: it costs more than a basic can. Store gas outside the living space, and add a fuel stabilizer if it'll sit. Check price on Amazon
Don't forget the car. A lot of what keeps you safe on an evacuation route is covered in our car emergency kit guide.
What's tax-free in Florida now
Here's the good news. Florida used to run a two-week sales tax holiday on hurricane supplies. Since August 1, 2025, many disaster-preparedness supplies are permanently exempt from Florida sales tax, any day of the year.
The list includes items like:
- Common household batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, 6-volt, 9-volt)
- Portable generators (up to 10,000 running watts)
- Waterproof tarps
- Ground anchors and tie-down kits
- Portable gas cans (5 gallons or less)
- Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Fire extinguishers
- Insect repellent and sunscreen
- Life jackets and bicycle helmets
Notice what's not on that list. Flashlights, weather radios, coolers and power banks were tax-free during the old holidays, but they aren't named in the permanent exemption. Some items have size limits, and the rules can change. Check the Florida Department of Revenue list (search "disaster preparedness exemption") for exact items and size limits before you buy.
The point: there's no reason to wait for a holiday anymore. Buy tax-free hurricane supplies in Florida in the off-season, when shelves are full.
Stay or go: when the kit becomes an evacuation bag
If you're in an evacuation zone or a mobile home and you're told to leave, leave. Know your zone before the season starts by checking FDEM's Know Your Zone lookup.
Your hurricane kit should be built so you can split off a go-bag in ten minutes:
- Water for a day or two and the ration bars
- Meds, documents, cash and chargers
- Headlamps, the crank radio and a change of clothes
- Pet food, leashes and carriers
Evacuate tens of miles, not hundreds, if you can. You just need to get out of the surge zone. A packed bag in the closet makes the decision easier. Our bug out bag checklist goes deeper on what to grab when you leave.
Print this and tape it inside the closet door. Check it every May.
The checklist
Tick items off as you pack. 0 of 31 done. Print this list
If you camp already, a lot of this is sitting in a bin. Run down our camping checklist and pull what doubles.