Household decision framework
HurricaneHub sorts official alerts and storm context into four simple levels so a household knows what to do next. Use the level that matches your current official warning, not the scariest forecast headline.
Monitor is the everyday baseline during the June 1–November 30 hurricane season. No hurricane watch or warning is active for your location, but tropical systems may be developing hundreds of miles away. At this level the right move is preparation without panic: learn your evacuation zone, bookmark official sources, and keep your emergency kit stocked and current. Monitor is also when households with medical, mobility, or pet needs should map out extra time and routes. Because hurricane risk can rise from calm to warning in days, the Monitor habit—checking advisories and confirming plans—keeps you ahead of the forecast instead of reacting to it.
Prepare means a tropical storm or hurricane, or watch-level hazards such as storm surge or flooding, is possible within roughly 48 hours. This is the window to remove friction before conditions worsen. Finish groceries, water, fuel, and cash; photograph documents and back up records; charge battery packs; and confirm pet and medication plans. Most households should not evacuate at Prepare, but those in mobile homes, flood-prone areas, or with limited mobility should start moving early. Prepare is about decisions made in calm weather: once a warning is issued, roads, shelters, and supplies get harder to secure.
Act is triggered when warning-level hazards—hurricane-force wind, storm surge, flooding, or tornado watches—are possible, usually within about 36 hours. The forecast is now specific enough to act on. Move elderly, medically dependent, or vulnerable people to safe locations early, finish window protection, bring in loose outdoor items, and charge every device. Follow county emergency instructions and be ready to relocate to a shelter or inland. If you intend to evacuate, Act is the time to do it: routes and shelters are still operable, and waiting for the warning often means driving in deteriorating conditions.
Leave applies when authorities issue an evacuation order for your zone, or when extreme wind, life-threatening storm surge, or flooding is expected. Follow official evacuation orders immediately if you can leave safely—delaying places you, responders, and family at risk. Leave is mandatory only inside an ordered zone; elsewhere it is a strong recommendation based on your exposure. Use designated Contraflow routes, take your go-bag, and tell someone your destination. If you are not in an ordered zone but face rising water or losing power, treat Leave as your personal trigger and go.
Monitor is the baseline level during hurricane season when no watch or warning is active for your area. At Monitor you check official advisories, confirm your evacuation zone, and keep your kit current—preparation without panic.
Most households should not evacuate at Prepare. Finish supplies, documents, fuel, and routes. Begin leaving early only if you live in a mobile home, flood-prone area, or need extra time to reach safety.
Decision levels are derived from official NWS alerts and NHC storm context that update continuously. Re-check several times per day during an active threat, because watches and warnings can be issued or upgraded with little notice.
Yes. NWS issues alerts by county and zone, and HurricaneHub state pages and the alerts dashboard show active warnings for specific areas. You can also enable browser push notifications and use the local risk planner for your county.
Leave is mandatory only when emergency management issues an evacuation order for your specific zone. Outside an ordered zone it is a strong recommendation based on your risk exposure.
Yes. After you enable reminders, HurricaneHub can notify you when new NWS alerts or decision-level changes affect your chosen area, so you do not have to keep the page open.
Next-step paths
The level tells you the urgency. The next page should answer the specific decision: local risk, evacuation, alert meaning, or city-level context.
Use a ZIP code or state to connect the current decision level with NWS alerts, local hazards, and household actions.
Sort housing type, surge exposure, transportation, pets, and medical needs into Monitor, Prepare, Act, or Leave.
Translate hurricane, storm surge, flood, tornado, and evacuation wording into plain-language next actions.
Move from a general decision level to city-specific risk context, nearby alerts, and local preparedness links.
Level shortcuts
Monitor
Use this when no local warning is active but you want to watch active storms, source links, and basin context.
Prepare
Use this when a tropical system could affect your area and you need supplies, documents, pet items, and medication ready.
Act
Use this when alerts become specific enough to finish outdoor work, move vulnerable people, and monitor worsening conditions.
Leave
Use this when local officials issue evacuation instructions or your household needs to leave before travel becomes unsafe.
Open your state tracker for live NWS alerts, or build a personal action plan that maps your household to the right level automatically.