HURRICANE & FLOOD PREPAREDNESS FOR OLDER ADULTS

Your home can stay dry while the road you need becomes impassable. A hurricane or flood plan must account for the ride, the destination, your daily care, and the time it takes to move.

Hurricane & Flood Preparedness for Older Adults helps adults 60+ prepare for coastal and inland storm disruptions. It also gives family members and trusted helpers a practical way to support the plan while respecting the older adult's decisions.

Inside, you will learn how to:

• Connect local evacuation zones, alerts, and orders to specific actions, with enough lead time for your own needs.
• Confirm transportation, an accessible pickup point, official routes, a suitable shelter or destination, and a backup if the first arrangement fails.
• Plan for pets and service animals, and prioritize home preparation so unfinished property tasks do not delay departure.
• Record professional instructions for medication storage, medical equipment, and scheduled care at home, in transit, and at your destination.
• Prepare for power, communication, food, and water disruptions, and recognize floodwater and road closures as firm safety boundaries.
• Make a separate return-home decision using local reentry instructions, route conditions, utilities, and the daily functions you need.

Ten planning tools help you put verified answers on paper. They include My Local Zone, Alert & Order Card, My Stay-or-Evacuate Decision Sheet, My Evacuation Transportation & Shelter Plan, and the Return-Home Safety Decision Sheet.

Work through the sequence before, during, and after a storm. Identify what could stop working, confirm who or what can help, and use After-the-Storm Reset & Review to improve the plan for the rest of hurricane season.

This educational guide uses U.S. preparedness resources. Current evacuation orders and reentry restrictions take priority. Medical, medication, electrical, structural, and other specialized decisions require the appropriate professional guidance.

Know your zone, confirm your ride and destination, and write down your next steps before the storm limits your options.