How to Plan for Hurricane Season with an Older Adult
Hurricane season in Florida runs from June 1 through November 30 - and if you are caring for an older adult, that six-month window deserves serious preparation well before the first storm forms.
Older adults face risks during hurricanes that most younger people do not. Mobility limitations, reliance on prescription medications, oxygen equipment, hearing aids, or home health aides can all be disrupted in hours when a storm approaches. Add cognitive conditions like dementia, where a sudden change in routine causes real distress, and the stakes get higher still.
The good news: most of the damage a hurricane does to a family's ability to care for a loved one is preventable with preparation done in advance. Not the week of the storm. Now.
This guide walks you through the practical steps, Florida-specific resources, and a printable emergency checklist to help you get there.
Why Older Adults Are at Greater Risk During Hurricanes
Seniors face a distinct set of vulnerabilities when a hurricane hits:
Medical dependency. Many older adults rely on prescription medications that require refrigeration, oxygen concentrators that need electricity, or dialysis schedules that cannot be skipped. Power outages lasting days can turn manageable medical situations into emergencies.
Mobility limitations. Evacuation requires physical capability. For someone who uses a walker, wheelchair, or depends on a caregiver for transfers, getting out of a home quickly is far more complex than it sounds.
Cognitive impairment. For older adults with dementia or Alzheimer's, the disruption of a hurricane — strange noises, unfamiliar settings, missing routines — can trigger significant distress, wandering, or agitation even if they are physically safe.
Social isolation. Seniors who live alone may not have someone to check on them, help them evacuate, or notice if something has gone wrong after the storm passes.
Reluctance to leave. Research consistently shows that many older adults resist evacuation out of fear of losing property, concern for pets, language barriers, or simply not having a clear plan for where to go. Preparation well in advance reduces that friction.
Step 1: Know Your Evacuation Zone Before a Storm Is Named
Florida's evacuation system is organized by zones, typically labeled A through E or higher depending on the county. Zone A areas are most vulnerable and will be ordered to evacuate first. Zone B shortly after. Even residents in Zones C, D, and E may receive evacuation orders for a major storm.
Do not wait for a storm warning to look this up. Go to FloridaDisaster.org and enter your loved one's address to find their zone right now.
If your loved one lives in Zone A or Zone B, or in a mobile or manufactured home, treat evacuation as essentially certain during any named storm and build your plan around that assumption. There is no such thing as a "probably won't need to go" zone.
Step 2: Register with Florida's Special Needs Registry
This step is one of the most important and least known for families caring for older adults with medical needs.
Florida operates a statewide Special Needs Registry through the Department of Health. Registering connects your loved one's information with local emergency management agencies so that first responders know who in the community may need assistance during a disaster. It can also make them eligible for special needs shelters — facilities better equipped than general population shelters to support people who need help with activities of daily living, require electricity for medical equipment, or have mobility limitations.
Who should register: seniors who use oxygen, powered medical equipment, dialysis, or who require special transportation or help evacuating.
Important details to know:
- Registration must be renewed every year. Registrations are only valid for one calendar year.
- Registration closes once a storm's forecast cone reaches your area. Do not wait.
- Registering does not automatically guarantee placement in a special needs shelter. Eligibility is assessed after registration.
- A special needs shelter is not a hospital. Bring medications, equipment, chargers, identification, and caregiver contact information.
Register at snr.flhealthresponse.com or through your county's emergency management agency at FloridaDisaster.org/counties.
Step 3: Build a Family Communication and Contact Plan
When a hurricane is approaching, cell networks become overloaded quickly and families can lose contact with each other for hours or days. Setting up a communication framework now avoids chaos later.
Your plan should include:
A primary contact outside Florida. Designate one family member or trusted friend in another state as the central point of contact. Everyone checks in with that person rather than trying to reach each other simultaneously. Texting uses less network capacity than calling.
A written contact list. Do not rely solely on a smartphone. Print a contact list that includes: family members, neighbors who have agreed to help, the older adult's primary care physician, their pharmacy, home health agency if applicable, and the local county emergency management office. Keep one copy in the home and one in the emergency kit.
Designated meeting spots. Identify a meeting point near the home and a backup location if the neighborhood is not accessible after the storm. Share the plan with everyone involved.
Specific check-in times. Agree on a schedule: for example, check in at 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. the day before the storm, immediately after the storm passes, and every 12 hours until everyone is confirmed safe.
Step 4: Manage Medications and Medical Equipment
Medication and medical equipment disruption is one of the most serious and underestimated risks older adults face in a hurricane.
Request early refills. Under Florida law (Florida Statute 252.358), pharmacies are authorized to dispense emergency prescription refills without a new prescription when an emergency has been declared. But waiting for that declaration creates risk. Contact your loved one's physician and pharmacy now to request a 30-day supply in advance of hurricane season. Many insurers will accommodate this.
Maintain a medication list. Create a typed, up-to-date list of every medication, including the drug name, dosage, prescribing physician, and pharmacy. Store one copy with the emergency kit and one with a family member in another location.
Plan for refrigerated medications. Insulin and certain other medications require refrigeration. Research medical-grade coolers and plan for how long refrigerated medications can safely remain unrefrigerated. Talk with the prescribing physician about emergency protocols.
Label everything. Mobility aids, wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen tanks, and hearing aids should all be labeled with the older adult's name and contact information before a storm arrives.
Backup power for medical equipment. If your loved one uses a CPAP, oxygen concentrator, or other powered equipment, contact the equipment provider now about battery backup options. Notify your local power company that a medical-equipment user lives at the address — many utilities maintain priority restoration lists for medically dependent customers.
Step 5: Prepare the Emergency Kit
A general household emergency kit is not quite right for an older adult. The list below accounts for the specific needs that come with age, medication dependency, and mobility.
Senior Emergency Checklist
Medications and medical supplies
- 7-day minimum supply of all prescription medications
- Up-to-date typed medication list with dosages and prescribers
- Insulin cooler or medical-grade cooler if applicable
- Extra batteries for hearing aids
- Extra glasses or contacts
- CPAP machine with battery backup
- Portable oxygen if applicable
- First aid kit
- Blood pressure cuff and glucometer if used daily
Documents (keep in a waterproof bag or container)
- Medicare and insurance cards (copies)
- Identification (driver's license or state ID)
- Advance directive or healthcare surrogate documents
- List of physicians, specialists, and pharmacy contacts
- Copies of Social Security card and Medicare/Medicaid information
- Homeowner or renter's insurance information
Water and food
- One gallon of water per person per day for at least seven days
- Non-perishable food for seven days (account for dietary restrictions)
- Manual can opener
- Special dietary foods if required (diabetic-friendly, low-sodium, etc.)
- Electrolyte packets or supplement drinks if used regularly
Communication and power
- Battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio (NOAA)
- Fully charged phone and backup battery/power bank
- List of emergency contacts printed on paper
- Flashlights and extra batteries
- Cash in small bills (ATMs may be unavailable)
Comfort and mobility
- Familiar photos or comfort items (especially important for dementia patients)
- Extra set of clothing and comfortable shoes
- Blanket
- Mobility aids labeled with contact information
- Favorite snacks and activity items to reduce anxiety
Pet supplies (if applicable)
- Food, water, medications for pets
- Carrier and leash
- Pet-friendly shelter contacts (most general shelters do not accept pets)
Step 6: Make the Shelter-in-Place Plan
If evacuation is not ordered or your loved one genuinely cannot travel, you need a plan for staying safely in place.
Identify the safest room in the home: typically a small interior room on the lowest floor, with as many walls between your loved one and the outdoors as possible. Avoid rooms with windows or glass doors.
Move the emergency kit to that room before the storm arrives. Bring the phone, chargers, water, and medications into that space so that everything is accessible if movement becomes difficult during the storm.
Know your power company's outage reporting number and have it written down. Know approximately how long food in the refrigerator will remain safe (typically four hours after power is lost if the door stays closed, 48 hours if the freezer is full and closed).
Plan for heat. Post-storm power outages in Florida are a serious danger for seniors, who are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illness. Identify a cooling center in your area in advance. Many public libraries, community centers, and county emergency management offices open cooling centers after major storms.
Step 7: Special Considerations for Memory Care
If your loved one has dementia or another cognitive condition, hurricane preparation requires an additional layer of planning.
Wandering risk increases dramatically during and after a storm. Make sure your loved one has identification on them at all times, including a medical ID bracelet with their name, diagnosis, and an emergency contact number.
The unfamiliar triggers distress. If evacuation is necessary, bring familiar items: a favorite blanket, photos, a small toy or comfort object. Maintain as much routine as possible in terms of mealtimes and bedtimes. Keep the environment calm and limit exposure to storm coverage on television, which can escalate anxiety.
Simplify communication. Use short, calm sentences. Avoid detailed explanations of the storm. Focus on immediate, concrete tasks ("Let's put your shoes on now").
Coordinate with your care team. If your loved one has a home health aide, memory care facility, or day program, contact them before hurricane season to understand their emergency protocols. If your loved one lives in a facility, facilities licensed in Florida are required by state law to have emergency preparedness plans and backup generator capacity.
What to Do If Your Loved One Is in a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility
If your loved one already lives in a licensed nursing home or assisted living facility in Florida, emergency preparedness is required by law. Florida facilities are required to have emergency management plans, backup generators, and procedures for sheltering residents or facilitating evacuation.
That said, families should not assume everything will go smoothly. The deaths that occurred in a Broward County nursing home following Hurricane Irma, when residents suffered from heat exposure after the facility lost air conditioning, are a stark reminder that regulatory requirements do not guarantee execution.
Ask the facility directly, before a storm is named:
- What is your hurricane evacuation plan?
- Where would residents be relocated if the facility must evacuate?
- How will you communicate with families during and after the storm?
- What is your backup power capacity and how long can it sustain operations?
- Is the facility on a county priority list for power restoration?
Get the answers in writing and store them with your emergency contacts.
You can review a Florida facility's inspection history and past violation records at EldercareData.com. A facility that has had prior emergency preparedness violations or staffing deficiencies on record may warrant a more direct conversation with administration before storm season arrives.
Resources Specific to Florida Families
Florida Division of Emergency Management FloridaDisaster.org — Find your evacuation zone, locate county emergency management contacts, and access Florida's official disaster preparedness resources.
Florida Special Needs Registry snr.flhealthresponse.com — Register an older adult who may need evacuation assistance or a special needs shelter.
Florida Department of Elder Affairs — Annual Disaster Preparedness Guide Published each year by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs (elderaffairs.org), this 24-page guide is written specifically for older adults and includes a full supply kit checklist, emergency contacts, and recovery resources. It is free and available in English and Spanish.
Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) Florida has 11 regional Area Agencies on Aging, each of which coordinates emergency preparedness resources for older adults in their area. Your regional AAA can connect you to local transportation assistance, home-delivered meals during recovery, and emergency caregiver support. Find your regional AAA at elderaffairs.org.
Florida Disaster SNAP (D-SNAP) After a federally declared disaster, Florida may open emergency food assistance through D-SNAP. Watch updates at the Florida Department of Children and Families site.
A Note from EldercareData
Navigating the Florida eldercare system under normal circumstances is already complex. Under a hurricane evacuation order, the pressure and stakes multiply quickly.
If you are still working through decisions about care for an older adult — where they live, what type of care they need, whether a facility you are considering has a track record you can trust — the government inspection and violation data on EldercareData.com is a free starting point. You can compare facilities side by side, review their CMS star ratings and inspection histories, and see whether any have government fines on record.
That information does not replace a visit or a conversation with staff. But it gives families a clearer picture before they walk in the door, and before hurricane season forces a faster decision than anyone planned for.
Data sourced from the Florida Division of Emergency Management, Florida Department of Elder Affairs, Florida Department of Health, and CMS Care Compare. EldercareData.com is an independent resource and is not affiliated with any care facility or placement agency.