When an evacuation order comes, there's rarely time to think. You have minutes, maybe an hour, to get people, pets, medicines and papers into the car. Families who do best usually aren't the ones with the most gear. They're the ones who made a few decisions ahead of time and wrote them down.
This guide covers two things: an evacuation checklist for hurricanes and wildfires, and how to build a home inventory that makes an insurance claim easier afterward. Always follow the instructions of your local officials. They know the conditions in your area, and their guidance comes first.
Part 1: Your evacuation plan
Know your zone and your routes
- Find your evacuation zone. Many coastal counties assign hurricane evacuation zones, and many fire-prone areas have their own zones. Look yours up on your county or city emergency management website, and sign up for local alerts.
- Plan two routes out. Roads close. Pick a primary route and a backup, in different directions if you can.
- Pick where you'll go. A friend or relative's home outside the area, a hotel that takes pets, or a public shelter. Write down addresses and phone numbers.
- Choose meeting places: one near home, and one outside your neighborhood in case you get separated.
- Name an out-of-area contact. During a disaster, long-distance calls or texts sometimes get through when local ones don't. Everyone checks in with the same person.
Decide who does what
In the rush, assign jobs in advance: one adult loads the kids and pets, one grabs the go-bags and document folder, one shuts off utilities if officials advise it. Kids old enough to help can have a small job too, like carrying the pet leash or a phone charger.
Hurricanes vs. wildfires
Hurricanes usually give days of warning. Use that time to fill prescriptions, gas up the car, get cash, secure outdoor items and decide early whether you'll leave. Wildfires can move fast, sometimes with very little warning. Many fire agencies use a "Ready, Set, Go" approach: be ready long before fire season, be set when fire is in the area, and go early when told, or sooner if you feel unsafe. Don't wait for flames you can see.
Part 2: The go-bag checklist
Keep one bag per person, packed and ready, plus one for pets. A basic list:
- Water and non-perishable snacks for a few days
- Medicines, a list of prescriptions and doses, and copies of insurance cards
- Glasses, hearing aid batteries and other personal medical items
- Phone chargers and a power bank
- Flashlight, extra batteries and a battery or hand-crank radio
- Cash in small bills
- A change of clothes, sturdy shoes and a mask (useful for wildfire smoke)
- Copies of important documents in a waterproof bag (see below)
- For pets: food, water, bowls, leash or carrier, vaccination records and a recent photo
For a longer list, see our emergency go-bag checklist for families.
If someone relies on medicine or power
If anyone in your home uses oxygen, a CPAP, a powered wheelchair, refrigerated medicine or other equipment, plan earlier than everyone else. Write down the equipment, the supplier's phone number and backup power options, and ask your doctor or pharmacist how to handle refills before a storm. Some utilities and local agencies keep registries for people who depend on power; ask yours.
Part 3: The important documents grab list
- IDs, passports and birth certificates
- Insurance policies (home or renters, flood, auto, health) and agent phone numbers
- Deed or lease, car titles
- Bank and credit card information (company names and last 4 digits)
- Medical information and prescription lists
- Your home inventory (more on that next)
Keep paper copies in one folder you can grab, and a digital backup in a secure cloud account or on an encrypted drive you take with you.
Part 4: A home inventory for insurance
After a disaster, an insurance company will usually ask what you owned and what it was worth. Trying to remember the contents of every room from a hotel is hard. A home inventory made ahead of time can make that conversation much easier.
The fast way: video
- Walk through every room slowly with your phone, narrating as you go: "Living room. 55-inch TV, bought 2023, about $600."
- Open closets, drawers and cabinets. Film the garage, shed and attic too.
- Capture serial numbers and model numbers on electronics and appliances.
- Film the outside of the house, the roof if you can see it safely, and any vehicles.
- Save the video somewhere off-site, such as cloud storage, and note the date you made it.
The thorough way: room-by-room lists
Add a written list for higher-value items: what it is, roughly when you bought it, what it cost, and where the receipt or photo is. Jewelry, electronics, tools, instruments and collections are worth extra detail.
Check your coverage now, not after
- Flood: standard homeowners policies usually don't cover flood damage. Flood insurance is typically a separate policy, and new policies often have a waiting period before coverage starts, so ask early in the year.
- Wildfire: ask how your policy handles fire, smoke damage and additional living expenses if you can't stay in your home.
- Deductibles: some areas have a separate hurricane or windstorm deductible. Know the number.
Your insurance agent or company is the right source for what your policy actually covers.
Part 5: After you return
- Go back only when officials say it's safe.
- Photograph and film damage before you clean up or make repairs.
- Keep a claim log: who you talked to, when, and what they said.
- Save receipts for hotels, meals, supplies and repairs.
- Be careful with contractors who show up uninvited. Check licenses and get written estimates.
- Talk with kids about what happened, in simple words, and keep routines going where you can.
Keep it all in one binder
If you want this in one place, print your evacuation plan, go-bag checklists, insurance details and inventory notes and keep them together in a binder or a waterproof bag. For the medical part, get the free ER-Ready Kit: the one-page Emergency Health Summary, the "Where should I go?" guide and interpreter wallet cards, in English and Spanish.
To keep your family's full medical information together, the Family Health Binder: Fillable + iPad Edition ($29) keeps medicines, allergies, conditions, doctors and insurance in one binder, every page in English and Spanish.
The Ambos Health team
General information, not legal, insurance or safety advice. Always follow your local officials, and confirm your coverage with your insurance agent.