Kit guides
The main preparedness library. Every kit includes the full guide plus its printable checklist.
Be ready before the storm.
If you live on the Gulf or Atlantic coast, hurricane season is part of your calendar. This site covers the preparation piece: what to pack, what to understand, and where to start.
Coastal guides
Start with your coast.
Local risk changes the standard kit. Choose a regional guide for the agencies, hazards, and additions that matter where you live.
2026 season update
One named storm so far. The heart of the season is still ahead.
Updated July 14: the National Hurricane Center's season summary records one named storm—Tropical Storm Arthur—and no hurricanes so far. NOAA's May outlook remains the current seasonal forecast: a 55% chance of a below-normal season, with 8-14 named storms, 3-6 hurricanes, and 1-3 major hurricanes in the forecast range.
NOAA expects most of this year's activity from August through October and plans to update its outlook in early August. A seasonal outlook cannot tell us where storms will make landfall. Use this quieter stretch to replace expired water, batteries, medications, pet supplies, and document copies; confirm your evacuation zone and local alerts; and check the National Hurricane Center when a storm enters the forecast.
Preparedness isn't about fear.
It's about care. You prepare because you have people, pets, medications, documents, and routines worth protecting. A hurricane kit is not panic shopping. It's a set of decisions made early enough that landfall doesn't get to make them for you.
Most hurricane content is either frightening or useless. Federal checklists with all the warmth of a legal disclaimer. Affiliate roundups where every recommendation earns a commission. This site is neither: plain-language guidance for Gulf and Atlantic coast households, written by someone who actually thought it through.
No ads. No affiliate links. Just specific guidance, printable checklists, and state pages you can send to someone before a storm is on the map.
Start where you are
Two ways in: start with the coastal guide for your state if you want to understand your local risk first, or go straight to the kit library if you just need a list.
Coastal guides
Use the geography first: local risk, regional supply additions, and the official sources to bookmark before the season.
Storm atlas
Compare selected historical Atlantic hurricane tracks from NOAA/NHC best-track data.
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Editorial note
How this guidance is reviewed
This page was reviewed on July 14, 2026. Hurricane Coast is an independent preparedness project with no ads or affiliate links.
This guidance is checked against Ready.gov, the National Hurricane Center, the National Weather Service, FEMA, and the state or local emergency management sources linked on the page.
Use this page to prepare early. When local officials issue evacuation orders, shelter instructions, weather alerts, or medical guidance, follow those primary sources first.