It’s that time of the year again. Hurricane season starts on June 1 and ends on November 30, and after last year's catastrophic hurricane season, it's more important than ever to be prepared. Sarasota’s Climate Adaptation Center is predicting an above-average season, with total of 17 named storms this year, 10 hurricanes and five major hurricanes (category 3 or stronger). NOAA is similarly predicting an active season, with between 13 and 19 named storms, including six to 10 hurricanes, and three to five major hurricanes. Here are tips to prepare. 

Get an Emergency Supply Kit Ready | Know Your Evacuation Levels | Know Your Flood Zone | Create an Evacuation Plan | Understand Your Home's Construction and Wind Tolerance | Understand Storm-Related Terminology | Be Prepared for Storm Surge | Stay Informed | Other Important Resources

Get an Emergency Supply Kit Ready

Keep in mind that a hurricane can cut off your power and water supply—and that there is a possibility that you will not be able to drive your vehicle due to car damage and roads becoming flooded and blocked. 

An emergency kit should fit the specific needs of your household. It should have supplies to last each person and pet for up to 10 days, including but not limited to:

• Food and water supply 
• Emergency medicine supply  
• Emergency power sources, such as flashlights and batteries 
• Safety and personal items 
• Important documents including medical paperwork, wills, passports, and IDs
• Click here for a comprehensive emergency kit checklist from the Florida Department of Emergency management

Additionally, Apple iPhone models 14 and later and Google Pixel 9 series phones have satellite functionality to allow you to connect to emergency services even when you’re off the grid. Click here to learn how to do so.

Note that unlike in years past, there is no Florida hurricane sales tax holiday for the 2025 hurricane season.

Know Your Evacuation Levels

Be sure to understand your hurricane evacuation levels. Evacuation zones are designated from A to F, with Zone A generally being the most vulnerable and most likely to be evacuated first, and Zone F most likely to be evacuated last. 

You can type in your address on Sarasota  and Manatee counties' interactive evacuation level tool to find yours. 

• Click here to use Sarasota County's evacuation level tool
• Click here to use Manatee County's evacuation level tool 

Know Your Flood Zone

On March 27, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued new flood maps. Flood risk changes over time due to construction, growth, environmental impacts, floodplains widening or shifting and changes to local watersheds. 

• Click here to use Sarasota County's interactive flood zone map tool
• Click here to use Manatee County's interactive flood zone map tool

Create an Evacuation Plan

Having your emergency supply kit ready to go, knowing where the nearest shelter is and the different routes you can take to get there, and knowing your hurricane evacuation levels will help better prepare you and your family for hurricane season.  

"Remember that sea levels are already 9 inches higher than they were 50 or so years ago, so minor storms have bigger flooding impacts," says Bob Bunting, founder and CEO of Sarasota's Climate Adaptation Center and a longtime meteorologist. "Escape routes can be very vulnerable because roads in may areas have not been raised." 

Understand Your Home's Construction and Wind Tolerance

Should you decide to shelter in place during a storm, it's important to know how it will fare. Florida building codes require that homes be built to sustain high winds, and if your roof has been replaced, it should have been built to newer codes. 

• Sarasota County utilizes a wind speed zoning system for building codes, following the Florida Building Code (FBC). The FBC, and by extension Sarasota County, considers risk categories (I-IV) and exposure categories (A-C) to determine the specific wind load requirements for each building

• In Manatee County, homes built on or after March 2012 are required to be built to sustain 150 mile-per-hour winds; homes built between March 2002 and March 2012 were required to be built to sustain 130 mile-per-hour winds; and homes built before March 2002 were built to sustain 110 mile-per-hour winds on the coast, but as low as 90 mile-per-hour winds in places like Duette.

Understand Storm-Related Terminology

It's important to know the difference between a hurricane “watch” and “warning.” Listen for National Weather Service alerts on TV, radio, or online. There are two kinds of alerts: 

• A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or higher) are possible in your area. Hurricane watches are announced 48 hours before tropical storm force winds (sustained winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour) start. 
• A hurricane warning is more serious. This means hurricane-force winds are expected in your area. Hurricane warnings are issued 36 hours before tropical storm-force winds are expected in your area to give you and your family time to prepare for the storm. 

Be Prepared for Storm Surge

Storm surge can be life-threatening during a storm—even one that's not forecast to make direct landfall on our region.

When a storm physically pushes water from the gulf toward land it creates a change in sea level, or a “storm surge." For example, if a storm has a 5-foot surge, water will be five feet above standard sea level—including tides. If a home is in the surge zone and located below 5 feet above sea level, it will flood.

Storm surge is nuanced and can be impacted by many factors, including the size and pressure of the storm, its wind intensity, the depth of the seafloor and the speed at which the storm moves ashore. Scientists can predict a potential storm surge, but as the storm changes, so does the surge threat.

Stay Informed

In Sarasota County, sign up for Alert Sarasota County or the Sarasota County emergency newsletter to stay informed in the event of an emergency at scgov.net. For more information on how you and your family can be prepared, visit scgov.net/beprepared or call 311 in Sarasota County.  

In Manatee County, sign up for Alert Manatee to receive notifications from government and public safety officials, including evacuation notices, boil water advisories, weather warnings and hazardous traffic or road conditions. You can opt to receive notifications by phone call, text or email. For more information, click here or call 311 in Manatee County.  

Above all, gather your supplies and make your plans now. Don't wait until a storm is approaching to make these important decisions.   

Other Important Resources

• Florida Department of Emergency Management disaster supply checklist
• State assistance information line (SAIL) (a toll-free hotline activated at the time of an emergency to provide accurate, up-to-date information regarding an emergency or disaster situation impacting the state of Florida)
• Florida Special Needs Registry (a state and county initiative that allows people with special needs to register with their local emergency management agency to receive assistance during a disaster)
• How to safely use a generator
• Florida Department of Emergency Management home resiliency checklist
• Vehicle preparation recommendations
• How to use your iPhone or Google Pixel phone's satellite functionality to connect to emergency services