Hurricane Prep · Treasure Coast

Storm-ready, before the cone even forms.

A practical timeline for Port St. Lucie and the Treasure Coast — what to do in May, what to do when a named storm enters the cone, and the first things to check after it passes.

See the timeline Snowbird property management →

Phase 1 — May, before the season starts

Pre-season prep.

Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. The two weeks before June 1 are the cheapest insurance you'll buy all year.

Pre-season · May

Get the house ready in calm weather.

One long Saturday. While hardware stores still have stock.

Walk the roof visually from the ground — binoculars if you have them. Loose tiles, lifted shingles, soft spots.
Clean gutters and downspouts. Make sure water flows away from the foundation, not toward it.
Inspect and inventory shutters, panels, or plywood cuts. Label them by window. Test each one lifts and mounts.
Tree and palm trim — especially anything overhanging the roof, a pool cage, or the power drop from the street.
Pressure-wash the driveway and pool deck now. It's the last time for a while.
Generator: pull-start, carb drain, fresh fuel stabilizer, oil change if needed. Don't learn your generator doesn't run in the middle of an outage.
Sump pump and pool pump: test under load. Spare pump in the garage if you can swing it.
Update your insurance policy — flood is separate from windstorm, and both are separate from homeowner's. Know your deductibles.
Photograph every room with your phone. Cloud-backed, not just local. Before-pictures are how claims get paid.
Pick a "go" spot for your documents — passports, insurance, the photo ID of the person who handles the house in your absence.

Phase 2 — The cone

When a named storm appears in the forecast.

The National Hurricane Center issues Tropical Storm/Hurricane Watches 48 hours out, and Warnings 36 hours out. Use that timeline.

72–96 hours out · Cone

Groceries, gas, cash, medicine.

Before every other homeowner on the Treasure Coast has the same idea.

Fill all vehicles with gas. Generator cans topped off and stabilized.
Two weeks of prescriptions — refills now, not on warning day.
Non-perishable food and a gallon of water per person per day for at least three days.
Cash. ATMs stop working when the grid does.
Phone, tablet, battery banks — fully charged, and keep them on chargers.
Check in with neighbors and out-of-state family. Agree on a single point of contact.

36–48 hours out · Watch

Button up the outside.

Do this while the weather is still calm.

Bring in or tie down everything outside: patio furniture, umbrellas, trash cans, grills, pool floats, planters, bird baths, doormats.
Stow the outdoor cushions and any fabric that can act like a sail.
Take down hanging plants, wind chimes, and flags.
Lower pool water 6–12 inches (rain will refill it). Turn off pool pump at the breaker.
Drop a heavy tarp or plywood over the pool cage's weakest corner — most lanai damage starts there.
Park cars in the garage, or away from trees if the garage is full.
Disconnect irrigation controllers — a tripped breaker plus a stuck valve floods yards.

24–36 hours out · Warning

Shutter, shelter, and plan.

Evacuation call comes from the county, not from us. Listen to it.

Install shutters, panels, or plywood on all exposed openings — especially west-facing (the back side of a Florida storm is often the worst).
Brace entry doors — deadbolt and secondary latch.
Turn the fridge and freezer to their coldest settings. Fill any empty freezer space with bottles of water.
Move valuables, important documents, and electronics to interior rooms above ground level.
Fill bathtubs with water — useful for flushing toilets if the grid drops.
If you're leaving: shut off the main water valve, flip the main breaker, lock up, and go.
If you're staying: pick one interior room, away from windows, as your shelter space. Mattresses are handy.

0–6 hours out · Landfall

Stay inside. Off the roads.

The eye is the middle of the storm, not the end of it.

Stay off the roads. First responders can't come for you if they're swamped.
Stay away from windows even with shutters up — glass and debris is the #1 injury cause.
If the eye passes over, do NOT go outside. The back wall of the storm is usually the more destructive one.
Never run a generator indoors or in a garage. Carbon monoxide kills every year.
If water enters the house, move up. If power is still on and water is rising, flip the main breaker.

Phase 3 — The aftermath

The first 72 hours after landfall.

Damage assessment, documentation, and protecting what's left. The order matters.

First 6 hours

Exterior walk only. Don't go inside if you evacuated.

Downed lines are live. Wait for power company clearance before touching anything near a wire.

Check for downed power lines before stepping into the yard. Assume every wire is live.
Note obvious structural damage from the outside: missing shingles, broken windows, roof over the garage caved in, fence down.
Photograph everything. Wide shots and close-ups. Timestamps help insurance claims.
Do not enter any home with standing water, a gas smell, or visible structural sag. Call the fire department.
If the house is dry and sound: shut off the main breaker before going back in until you can confirm nothing's wet.

First 24 hours

Stabilize. Tarp. File.

Temporary protection prevents the second wave of damage (water through a broken roof into drywall and floors).

Tarp any roof breach with 6-mil poly and 1x3 furring strips if you have them. Even a bad tarp beats open sky.
Board up broken windows with plywood — stops the rain, keeps animals and people out.
Open the house up to air it out. Windows, doors, attic vents — humidity is how mold starts.
Call your insurance carrier to open a claim. Write down the claim number.
Save every receipt — tarps, plywood, hotel, rental car, meals out. Most policies reimburse "additional living expenses."
Don't sign anything presented by a contractor going door to door. If it's urgent enough to need a signature today, it's urgent enough to call your own guy.

First 72 hours

Dry out. Document. Decide.

Every hour of water sitting in drywall or flooring is another hour closer to tear-out.

Pull up any wet carpet and underlayment within 48 hours or it's a loss anyway.
Remove wet drywall up to the last dry line — a licensed contractor should advise. Mold sets in at 72 hours.
Fans and dehumidifiers running 24/7 until things actually feel dry, not just look dry.
Throw out food that sat warm for more than four hours. Yes, even if it "looks fine."
Flush the water heater, check the AC condenser for debris, clear the gutters.
If the pool flooded, the pump motor probably needs to be professionally dried and rewired before you turn it on.

What Geoff handles

The "I'll be on your street" list.

For property-management clients, most of this is already part of the plan. For everyone else, Geoff is one of the local guys who actually answers his phone before and after a storm.

Pre-season

Roof & soffit walk, gutter clear-out, shutter/panel test-fit, palm trim, generator service, pool deck prep. Done in May so the expensive surprises aren't last-minute.

Shutter-up

Install panels, shutters, or cut-to-fit plywood on all openings. For snowbirds up north, Geoff does this with a photo confirmation after.

Outdoor button-up

Bring in or secure everything: patio furniture, grills, planters, pool floats, yard equipment. Cushions stowed, lanai weak-points tarped.

Post-storm exterior walk

First drive-by within 24–48 hours when roads are passable. Photos of damage, a FaceTime tour if you're out of state, and a written punch-list.

Tarp & board-up

Emergency tarping on roof breaches and plywood over broken windows — stops the interior damage before it starts. Licensed FL contractor, so it's done right.

Insurance documentation

Photo packets organized by room and damage type. Timestamps and GPS tags. Makes the claims process orders of magnitude easier.

Official resources

The sites that matter when it matters.

For evacuation orders, shelter locations, and official updates — go direct to the source.

Get on the list

Put Geoff on the hurricane roster now.

Storm-week calls go in the order they came in. If your home will be empty during hurricane season, lock it in before June.

Call 772-262-5419 See property management →