Preparing for coastal weather starts with your home address, your household’s needs and a way to receive urgent instructions. People living inland from the beach can still experience damaging wind, heavy rain, flooding and power outages.
Use this guide to prepare before a storm. For a current warning, evacuation order or road closure, follow the latest instructions from the National Weather Service, your county and installation officials.
In this guide
Five things to do after moving in
- Learn which county your home is in and save its emergency-management contact and alert-registration page.
- Look up your evacuation zone, if your county uses one. Check your actual address rather than assuming everyone in a city or ZIP code has the same zone.
- Choose a safe destination, transportation and an out-of-area contact for an evacuation. Include a backup plan if the service member is away.
- Prepare supplies for several days, plus a smaller bag you can take quickly.
- Identify a sturdy interior shelter location for severe wind or tornado warnings and learn whether it is also vulnerable to flooding.
Evacuation zones and flood maps answer different questions
An evacuation zone is an area local officials use when organizing who should leave during a threat. A FEMA flood map describes mapped flood hazards and supports floodplain and insurance decisions. The labels are not interchangeable, and a lower mapped flood risk is not permission to ignore an evacuation order.
Save the zone information for your home, workplace and other places your household uses. If an address is unclear or the map does not answer your question, contact the county emergency-management office. A neighborhood name, installation name or mailing city is not enough to assign a zone accurately.
Chatham County provides an interactive address lookup through its hurricane-maps page. Liberty County publishes evacuation guidance through its Emergency Management Agency. Bryan and Long residents should use their county’s current emergency instructions; this guide does not invent a universal zone system for all four counties.
Understand the alert and act on the instructions
A watch generally means the hazardous conditions are possible: prepare and keep checking. A warning means the hazard is expected, imminent or occurring: take the protective action described in the warning. Read the affected location and timing as well as the headline.
- Hurricane watch: hurricane conditions are possible. These watches are generally issued about 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds could begin, because preparation becomes harder once those winds arrive.
- Hurricane warning: hurricane conditions are expected. Warnings are generally issued about 36 hours before tropical-storm-force winds begin. Local evacuation instructions may require action earlier.
- Storm surge watch or warning: rising seawater could threaten or is expected to threaten the specified area. Surge and rainfall flooding can be serious even when a storm’s wind category sounds less severe.
- Flood watch: conditions favor flooding. Flood or flash flood warning: flooding is imminent or underway; act promptly, including moving to higher ground when directed or threatened.
- Tornado warning: move promptly to the safest available sturdy shelter described in official guidance. Tropical systems can produce tornadoes away from the center of the storm.
Make a plan that works for your household
Write down where you will go, how you will travel and who needs help. Choose a contact outside the affected area who can relay updates if family members become separated. Keep key numbers on paper as well as in your phone.
Arrange transportation before a threat develops. If you need evacuation assistance, accessible transportation or support for medical equipment, contact the county emergency-management office early to learn the local process. Do not assume a registry, bus route or shelter will be available without checking.
Service members should also follow their unit’s accountability and movement instructions. Families living off the installation still need the emergency instructions for their home county. Plan for the possibility that work and home are affected differently.
- Keep identification, essential records, medication information and contact numbers together in a portable, weather-resistant container.
- Include infants, older relatives, disability-related needs and pets when choosing a destination and packing supplies.
- If told to evacuate, follow the stated route and timing. Use official road information and do not take a flooded shortcut.
- Return only after officials say the affected area is safe to enter.
Build a home kit and a go-bag
Store water and food that your household can use if power, water service or stores are unavailable. A starting water allowance is one gallon per person per day for at least three days, covering drinking and sanitation. Plan for additional needs in hot weather and for pets; three days is a starting minimum rather than a promise that services will return by then.
- Nonperishable food, a manual can opener and necessary baby supplies.
- Flashlights, extra batteries, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and charged phone power banks.
- First-aid supplies, prescribed medicines and an appropriate plan for items that require refrigeration or electricity.
- Hygiene supplies, trash bags, a change of clothing, sturdy shoes and copies of essential documents.
- Pet food, water, medicines, carriers or leashes, vaccination records and current identification.
- A smaller portable bag for leaving home, plus supplies you keep in the vehicle.
Thunderstorms and flooding need quick decisions
If you hear thunder, move into a substantial building or an enclosed metal-topped vehicle with the windows up. A picnic pavilion, tent, open garage or dugout does not provide safe lightning shelter. Stay sheltered for at least 30 minutes after the last thunder.
Inside, avoid plumbing, corded equipment and contact with windows or exterior doors during the storm. Plan a safe place before taking children to a park or starting a long walk.
Never drive or walk through floodwater, and never go around a road barricade. Water can conceal a washed-out roadway, debris or electrical hazards. Choose another route and keep children away from flooded ditches, drains and streams.
Plan for heat as well as storms
Schedule strenuous outdoor activities for cooler parts of the day when possible. Take cooling breaks, drink water and use air-conditioned space during dangerous heat. Follow your clinician’s advice if you have a medical fluid restriction.
Check on household members and neighbors who may need help staying cool. Never leave a child or pet in a parked vehicle. Read current heat alerts and adjust plans; a familiar temperature does not make dangerous conditions harmless.
Use extra caution during power outages
Keep portable generators outdoors, at least 20 feet from the home and away from doors, windows and vents. Never run one in a home, garage, crawlspace or other enclosed or partly enclosed space. Use working carbon-monoxide alarms and follow the equipment’s instructions.
Never connect a generator to household wiring by plugging it into a wall outlet. Keep away from downed power lines, flooded electrical equipment and damaged buildings. After an evacuation, follow official re-entry and water-safety notices rather than assuming clear skies mean services are safe.
Save these official tools
NNG will continue covering local weather and its effects on the community. The links below are for actions and live official instructions that must stay connected to the issuing agency. Sign up with the county where you live and check options for any other addresses important to your household.
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Information reviewed October 22, 2026. News Now Georgia is an independent local news source. Official offices make individual eligibility, access and service decisions.