Water
Clean, store, source.
Mains pressure drops within hours of landfall and the boil-water order is the default. Drinking water and utility water are two different prep tasks.
The water domain →Hurricane 72-hour checklist
The 72-hour hurricane checklist — the punch list for the last three days before landfall, whether you stay or go. Water, fuel, documents, and the decisions.
Seventy-two hours from landfall is when the warning becomes a deadline. The forecasted cone has narrowed enough that you know it is your problem; the stores have not yet emptied; the highways are still moving. This is the most productive window in a hurricane week, and most households waste it. The list below is the ordered punch list for the last 72 hours — what to buy, what to decide, what to move, and what to photograph before the wind picks up.
The load-bearing domains
What this combination actually depends on
Every event–duration combination weights the nine domains differently. Here are the two or three that decide the outcome for this one.
Communication
Stay in contact.
Cell towers go down in landfall conditions. A NOAA radio and an analog plan are not nostalgia — they are the only thing that works during the worst eight hours.
The communication domain →Documents & Finance
Paper trails matter.
Insurance lives and dies on dated photos and the documents in a waterproof bag. The 72-hour window is the last chance to take both.
The documents & finance domain →The 72 hours list
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Common questions
Questions that come up
How much water do I really need for a hurricane?
At least one gallon per person per day for drinking and cooking. A family of four prepping for three days needs 12 gallons. Add utility water (bathtub, large containers) separately for flushing and washing — utility water is not the same as drinking water.
When should I evacuate for a hurricane?
On the first day of a warning, not the last. The evacuation routes degrade as the storm closes in; gas stations run dry; the calm-decision window shrinks. If you are in an evacuation zone or a mobile home, the decision is made for you — leave on day one.
Will my phone work during the hurricane?
Probably not during landfall. Cell towers lose power and physical damage during major storms; even where towers survive, networks throttle. Plan on text rather than call, NOAA radio rather than weather app, and a designated out-of-area contact who can relay messages.
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Same event, different scope
Other hurricane durations
Same scope, different event
The 72-hour version for other events
Run the numbers
How much water and food, exactly, for this duration
The list above tells you what to stock. The calculators below tell you how much — sized to your household and this duration.
Go deeper