The first 72 hours after a hurricane, day by day¶

This page gives you a plan for the first 72 hours after a hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone, which is when most avoidable injuries happen. Each day is in order, so you know what to do first, what can wait, and what to avoid.

If you only do three things¶

1. Wait for the official all clear before you go outside, and stay away from downed lines and floodwater.
2. Never run a generator, grill, camp stove, or car engine indoors, in a garage, or near a window.
3. Drink only safe water, and keep everyone cool, fed, and rested. Exhausted people make the mistakes that hurt them.

Before you start: how to use this plan¶

Every storm is different. In some places the power is back in a day, and in others the roads, water, and phone networks are out for weeks. Use the days below as an order of priorities, not a strict timetable.

If you evacuated, the plan still applies, but day 1 is the day you return. Read returning home after a hurricane before you go.

Day 1, the first hours: stay safe¶

Check people first¶

• Check everyone in your home for injuries, starting with anyone who is quiet or not moving.
• Treat small cuts and scrapes with your first aid kit.
• Call your local emergency number (911 in the United States and Canada) for serious bleeding, chest pain, trouble breathing, a head injury, or anyone who is confused. Expect long waits.
• If calls fail, try sending a text to your emergency number if your country supports it, or send someone to the nearest fire station, police post, or clinic.

Do not move someone with a possible neck or back injury unless they are in immediate danger, such as rising water or fire.

Check the building¶

Look around you before you move around. Check walls, ceilings, and floors for cracks, sagging, or water. If the building is badly damaged and you can leave safely, go outside to an open area away from trees and power lines.

Stay put if you can¶

Stay home unless your home is unsafe. Roads may be blocked by trees, washed out, or under water, and traffic lights will be dark. Every car on the road slows down ambulances, rescue teams, and utility crews.

Never walk, swim, or drive through floodwater. It can hide open drains, sharp debris, sewage, and live current. Read flooding for why water that looks shallow can still sweep a car away.

Turn off what could hurt you¶

• If water has reached outlets or the electrical panel, do not touch the panel. Stay out of the area and wait for an electrician.
• If the panel is dry and you are standing on a dry floor, switch off the main breaker to protect against surges and shorts.
• Turn off the gas only if you smell gas or officials tell you to. Once it is off, only the gas company or a licensed technician should turn it back on.

Day 1, later: tell people, save power, find water¶

Let people know you are safe¶

Send one short text to your out of area contact and ask them to pass it on. Text messages often get through when calls do not, and they use less battery. Keep calls short so lines stay open for emergencies.

If your country or the Red Cross or Red Crescent runs a "safe and well" or family reunification service, register there too. Our guide to your family emergency plan explains how to set up an out of area contact.

Protect your phone battery¶

• Turn on low power mode and turn the screen brightness down.
• Turn off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and location when you do not need them.
• Charge from a power bank, a solar charger, or a car parked outdoors with the engine running in open air, never in a garage.
• Listen to a battery or hand crank radio for official news instead of streaming video.
• Agree on two set times a day to switch phones on and check in.

Find your water¶

Assume tap water is unsafe until your water utility or local officials say otherwise. Clear water can still carry germs. Drink bottled water first, then water you stored before the storm.

Most adults need at least 4 liters (1 gallon) per person per day for drinking and basic hygiene, and more in hot weather. If you need to treat water, follow food and water safety after a hurricane.

Write down the time the power went out¶

This tells you later which food is still safe. Keep the refrigerator and freezer shut. A closed refrigerator keeps food cold for about 4 hours, a full freezer for about 48 hours, and a half full freezer for about 24 hours.

Day 1, night: sleep safely¶

• Use flashlights or battery lanterns, not candles.
• Put a battery powered carbon monoxide detector near where people sleep.
• Check that any generator is outside, at least 6 meters (20 feet) from windows, doors, and vents, with the exhaust pointed away from every home.
• Sleep in the safest, coolest room, away from damaged walls, windows, and trees that could still fall.

If someone feels dizzy, sick, or confused at night, get everyone outside into fresh air and call your emergency number. Those are signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Read generator and carbon monoxide safety.

Day 2: neighbors, damage, food, and toilets¶

Check on neighbors¶

Knock on doors nearby, especially where older adults, people with disabilities, families with babies, or people who live alone are staying. Bring water. If someone is trapped or badly hurt, call your emergency number instead of trying to lift heavy debris yourself.

Photograph the damage before you clean¶

Before you move anything, take photos and video of every room, the outside of the building, the roof, and any vehicles. Get wide shots first, then close ups. Include water lines on walls.

You can then make small repairs that stop more damage, such as covering a hole in the roof or a broken window. Keep every receipt. See insurance claims and disaster assistance and, for roofs and fallen trees, trees and emergency roof tarps.

Sort your food¶

• Throw out any food that touched floodwater, unless it is in a sealed, undamaged metal can or retort pouch.
• Check the refrigerator temperature with a food thermometer if you have one. Throw out meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, soft cheese, and cooked leftovers that have been above 4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit) for 2 hours or more.
• Food in the refrigerator that still has ice crystals, or reads 4 degrees Celsius (40 degrees Fahrenheit) or below, can be kept.
• Eat the food that spoils first, then move on to canned and dry food.
• When in doubt, throw it out. Never taste food to check it.

Cook outside only, well away from the house, and never use a grill or camp stove indoors or under a carport.

Toilets and sanitation¶

Before you flush, find out whether your sewer or septic system is working. If drains are backing up, toilets are slow, or officials say not to flush, stop using the toilet.

If the sewer works but the water is off, you can flush by pouring a bucket of clean water straight into the bowl. Never use floodwater. Flush as little as possible, because damaged systems overflow easily.

If you cannot flush at all, make a temporary toilet:

• Line a sturdy bucket with two strong plastic bags.
• After each use, cover waste with a dry material such as sawdust, shredded paper, dry soil, or cat litter, and close the lid.
• Tie the bags tightly when they are about half full, and store them in a covered bin outside, away from water sources.
• Follow your local officials on how and where to dispose of the bags. Never put them in storm drains, rivers, or the sea.

Wash your hands with soap and safe water after using the toilet, before preparing food, and after cleanup. Use hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol when water is short.

Medicines and medical devices¶

Check how much medicine everyone has left. Insulin in use can usually stay at room temperature, below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), but the time allowed depends on the product. Write the date on the box when it comes out, keep it out of direct sun, and never let it freeze. Check the package insert, or ask your pharmacist, for your type and how long it can stay out.

If you depend on oxygen, dialysis, or another powered device, contact your provider or go to a shelter or hospital before backup power runs out. Plan the trip in daylight, and take your medicine list, your device details, and a charged phone.

Day 3: pace yourself and plan the next week¶

Start cleanup carefully¶

Cleanup is when many injuries happen: falls from ladders and roofs, chainsaw cuts, back strains, and electric shock. Before you cut a tree or climb a ladder, read trees and emergency roof tarps.

• Wear sturdy boots, work gloves, long pants, and eye protection.
• Work in pairs, and take a break every hour.
• Never use electric tools while standing in water.
• Start drying out wet rooms as soon as you can to slow mold. See hurricane cleanup and mold.

Watch your health¶

Clean every cut right away with soap and safe water and keep it covered. Keep wounds out of floodwater. Get medical care if a wound becomes red, swollen, hot, or starts to ooze, or if you have a deep or dirty wound and are not sure when you last had a tetanus shot.

Watch for diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and rashes, and use insect repellent once mosquitoes return. Our page on health risks after a hurricane covers floodwater, wounds, and disease in detail.

Stay cool in the heat¶

In warm places, heat is a serious danger once air conditioning and fans stop. Drink water often, rest in the shade during the hottest hours, and do heavy work in the early morning or evening. Learn the signs of heat stroke in heat safety after a hurricane.

Rest¶

You cannot fix everything in three days. Sleep when you can, take breaks every hour while working, and eat regular meals. Fatigue leads to falls, cuts, and bad decisions with generators and fuel.

Feeling shaky, numb, angry, or tearful after a storm is common. Talk to people you trust, and keep children close to familiar routines. See coping after a hurricane.

Plan the next stretch¶

• Find out from your local officials where to get water, food, fuel, and medical care.
• Ask your utility for an estimate of when power and water will return.
• Decide whether you can safely stay, using the checklist in getting through a long power outage.
• Start your insurance claim and any aid application as soon as you can.
• Watch for people who knock on doors offering repairs for cash up front. See avoiding scams.

Common mistakes¶

• Running a generator, grill, or camp stove in a garage, carport, or near a window.
• Drinking tap water because it looks clear.
• Walking or driving through moving water, or through water of unknown depth.
• Climbing onto a roof or a ladder to look at damage alone.
• Throwing out damaged items before taking photos.
• Eating refrigerator food without checking how long it was warm.
• Flushing a toilet when the drains are backing up.
• Leaving the house during the calm of the eye without knowing whether the wind will return.

Special situations¶

If you have no car¶

Ask neighbors, community groups, or your local emergency office about water and food distribution points and transport to shelters. In many countries, local officials set up distribution by neighborhood, village, or barangay. Let them know if anyone in your home cannot walk far.

If you have a baby¶

Breastfeeding is the safest way to feed a baby after a storm, so keep going if you can. Use ready to feed liquid formula when water is not safe, or mix powder only with bottled water or water that was boiled and cooled. See babies and children.

If you are in a hotel or rented room¶

Follow hotel staff and local officials, and keep your passport and ID with you. Tell your embassy or consulate, and your family, where you are. See visitors and tourists.

If you live in a high rise¶

Elevators may be out for days, and water pumps may not work on upper floors. Check on neighbors who cannot use the stairs, and move to a lower floor or a shelter if you cannot get water or medicine up to you.

If you farm or keep animals¶

Check animals for injuries, and give them clean water before you give them feed. Keep animals out of floodwater, and stay away from wild animals that moved in with the flood. Floods can push snakes and insects into barns and sheds, so check dark corners with a stick before you reach in. See livestock and large animals.

Local help¶

Numbers, agencies, distribution points, and shelters differ by country and by town. Find yours on your local page. In the United States, you can also call 211 for local services.

Related guides¶

• After a hurricane: what to do first
• Returning home after a hurricane
• Food and water safety after a hurricane
• Generator and carbon monoxide safety
• Health risks after a hurricane