Plan, Prepare, Protect: Emergency Preparedness

Disaster preparedness isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a continuous process of planning, preparing, and training to protect ourselves before a crisis hits. While hurricanes, heat, and humidity are the main focus, we must also plan for sudden hazards like severe storms, flash floods, wildfires, and sinkholes. Relying on information from federal and state agencies—such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Ready.gov, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM)—is the most reliable way to secure your family and your property against unexpected emergencies.

Make a Plan

A comprehensive emergency response starts with a written communication and an actionable strategy tailored to your specific household. According to guidelines from Ready.gov, a family emergency plan should answer the four questions below:

1. How will we receive critical emergency alerts and warnings?

2. What is our shelter plan?

3. What is our designated evacuation route?

4. What is our family or household communication plan?

The Florida Division of Emergency Management advises families to create a personalized plan online using the interactive tools at FloridaDisaster.org. This process helps households look at specific daily living needs.

Establish an out-of-state contact person

During large-scale emergencies, local communication infrastructure can become overwhelmed or fail completely. Designating a relative or friend outside the disaster area gives separated family members a single, central point of contact to check in and report their status via text message, which often goes through when voice calls cannot.

Make Preparations

The best way to deal with the panic and possible supply shortages that occur immediately before a disaster is to prepare well in advance. State agencies stress building a complete disaster supply kit early in the year, well ahead of the June 1^st start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

While federal standards often mention a three-day supply kit, the Florida Department of Health recommends that residents maintain a minimum seven-day supply of essential goods for every family member, including pets. Your kit should be packed in sturdy, accessible containers and include the following:

• Water: 1 gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation.

• Food: Non-perishable, shelf-stable items that do not require cooking.

• Medications: A minimum two-week supply of all critical prescription medicines. Make sure you communicate with your doctor and pharmacy ahead of any disasters.

• Power Supplies: Flashlights, a battery-operated or hand-crank NOAA weather radio, and extra batteries.

• Documents: A waterproof, password-protected digital drive or physical container housing insurance policies, titles, medical summaries, and official IDs.

Hurricane-Specific Preparation

Hurricanes bring a cascade of dangers, including destructive winds, tornadoes, severe inland flooding, and catastrophic coastal storm surge. Protecting your life and property requires action before, during, and after landfall. It is better to overprepare than under-prepare.

• Know your evacuation routes and flood risks: Knowing your local evacuation zone is non-negotiable. If local officials issue a mandatory evacuation order for your zone, you must leave immediately. State emergency managers emphasize that residents should "evacuate tens of miles, not hundreds of miles." Instead of driving North out of the state and risking getting stuck on congested interstate highways, locate a safe, structurally sound shelter, hotel, or friend's home a short distance away that is entirely outside the active evacuation and flood zones.

• Strengthen and secure your home: Home protection involves reducing potential projectiles and water hazards. Homeowners should clear rain gutters, trim overhanging tree branches, install approved hurricane shutters or plywood covers over windows, and bring all outdoor furniture or lawn decorations inside.

• Monitor the situation and leave early. Floridians joke about not taking hurricanes below a certain category seriously, but as we’ve seen in recent years, the storms are getting more severe and causing more damage. Follow evacuation orders and take storms seriously.

Planning for Pets

Both federal and state guidelines reinforce a critical golden rule: if it is not safe for you to stay, it is not safe for your pets. Never leave a pet tied up outside or abandoned indoors during an evacuation, as their chances of survival are incredibly low.

Just like humans, pets require a dedicated emergency kit packed with their distinct necessities. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), a comprehensive pet kit must feature:

• Rations: A two-week supply of pet food, drinking water, bowls, and a manual can opener.

• Medical Supplies: At least two weeks of specialized pet medications and copies of up-to-date vaccination or rabies certificates stored in a waterproof bag.

• Safety Gear: Sturdy leashes, secure collars with visible identification tags, and a properly sized travel crate or carrier that lets the animal stand up and turn around completely.

• Sanitation: Cat litter, litter pans, plastic waste bags, paper towels, and household disinfectants.

• Identification: A current photograph of you holding your pet to verify ownership if you are separated, alongside up-to-date microchip registrations.

• Booking Pet-Friendly Accommodations: It is important to remember that standard public emergency shelters do not always accept animals due to health regulations. Ahead of any storm, research designated pet-friendly shelters run by your local county emergency management office or identify pet-inclusive hotels located along your chosen evacuation corridor.

Official Government Resources

For verified, actionable information on disaster planning, supply lists, and local emergency alerts, consult the following official state and federal channels:

• Ready.gov Disaster Planning: The federal clearinghouse for personal preparedness checklists, family communication templates, and hazard mitigation information.

• FEMA Hurricane Resources: Official federal guides covering storm surge risk, structural storm safety, real-time alert updates, and disaster relief programs.

• Florida Division of Emergency Management: The state’s central command for local evacuation zones, county-by-county shelter mappings, and the interactive Florida Family Disaster Plan tool.

• Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Animal Emergency Response: The lead authority for agricultural issues, pet disaster tracking, and the Florida State Agricultural Response Team (SART).

• Volusia County Emergency Management Services

• Brevard County Emergency Management Services

• Flagler County Emergency Management Services

• Seminole County Emergency Management Services

• St. Johns County Emergency Management Services

• Florida Department of Health Emergency Preparedness: Health-centric preparedness resources covering special needs shelters, sanitation safety, and family care directives.

About Florida Health Care Plans

Founded in 1974, Florida Health Care Plans (FHCP) is a pioneering provider of health insurance plans and comprehensive health care services, available to individuals, families, employers, and Medicare-eligible individuals.

Headquartered in Daytona Beach, FHCP was the first federally qualified Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) in Florida and the second federally qualified HMO in the Nation. As a community-based health care provider, FHCP offers members access to primary and multispecialty care, on-site pharmacies and labs, radiology, ultrasound, and other services at its integrated care centers located throughout Brevard, Flagler, St. Johns, Seminole, and Volusia Counties.

An affiliate of Florida Blue and part of the GuideWell family of health solutions companies, FHCP carries an A+ (Superior) Financial Strength Rating from AM Best. FHCP is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

For additional information, visit www.FHCP.com. For the latest news and content, visit the FHCP Newsroom and follow FHCP on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram @floridahealthcareplans, and X (formerly Twitter) @myFHCP.