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Puerto Rico hurricane guide

The Negociado para el Manejo de Emergencias y Administración de Desastres (NMEAD, Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau) coordinates the island's hurricane response, working with the emergency management office in each of the 78 municipios. Hurricanes can bring flooding, landslides, and long water and power outages anywhere on the island, not only on the coast. Start with your municipio page and follow instructions from your municipio and the Governor. Use these island-wide services for alerts, refugios (shelters), water, insurance, price gouging, and disaster benefits.

Checked on October 2, 2026

Every phone number and web address on this page was checked against official sources on that date. Details can change, especially during a storm. Always follow instructions from the Puerto Rico Emergency Management Bureau (NMEAD). In a life threatening emergency, call 911.

Municipios

Choose your municipio. Puerto Rico has 78 municipios instead of counties. Each municipio page has its emergency numbers, its emergency management office, and its shelter information.

A

B

C

D

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

Y

More places are on the way. Until yours is listed, see the official sources page or call 211.

Emergency and information numbers

Service Number Notes
Emergency 911 Police, fire, and ambulance. Call only when someone's life or property is in danger.
2-1-1 de Puerto Rico 211 Free, confidential help finding services, run by United Way de Puerto Rico. Phones are answered Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. At other times, search the directory at 211pr.org.
NMEAD central office 787-724-0124 Office line. Not for emergencies.

Official alerts and information

  • Emergencia app (American Red Cross): Free weather alerts, including hurricanes, in English and Spanish. Its safety advice works without a signal. Download it before a storm. Website.

Island-wide resources

  • Puerto Rico Emergency Portal System (PREPS): The government's official emergency portal. It is switched on with the Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias (emergency operations center) when an emergency is declared, and then shows updates on refugios, water, power, and other services. Website.
  • Negociado para el Manejo de Emergencias y Administración de Desastres (NMEAD): NMEAD's page on the Departamento de Seguridad Pública (Department of Public Safety) website. Website.
  • Lista de Refugios 2026 (Departamento de la Vivienda): Planning only. The designated refugios for the 2026 season, by municipio, with addresses. A refugio on this list is open only when officials announce it. Website.
  • Guía Temporada de Huracanes (Departamento de la Familia): The Department of the Family's hurricane season guide, in Spanish, with steps to prepare your family, your home, and your pets. Website.

Evacuation centers

Open only when announced

Evacuation centers open only when officials announce them, and not every center opens for every storm. Check the official list of open centers before you leave home. Bring your own bedding, food, water, and medicines.

Refugios open only when officials announce them. The Departamento de la Vivienda (Department of Housing) opens and runs refugios when an emergency is declared. Vivienda publishes a list of designated refugios for the season, mostly schools, as a planning list only: a place on the list is not open unless it is announced. During an emergency, check PREPS and your municipio for open refugios.

Official list of open evacuation centers

Help to evacuate

  • Your municipio emergency management office (OMME): The Departamento de la Familia says some local emergency management offices keep a list of people with disabilities or other special needs, so they can find and help them quickly in a disaster. Call your municipio's office before a storm and ask whether it keeps one. See your municipio page. Website.

Power, water and debris

  • Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA): The island's water and sewer utility. Call customer service to report a sector without water, a leak, or a sewer overflow, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, including holidays. For callers with hearing loss: 787-679-7322. You can also report a problem online at miacueductos.acueductospr.com. Phone: 787-620-2482. Website.

After the storm: help for displaced residents

If your home is damaged or you cannot go back, these organizations help with shelter, food, money, and paperwork. Many programs open only after a disaster declaration, so check their pages for current status.

Food

  • Programa de Asistencia Nutricional (PAN): Puerto Rico's food benefit program, run by ADSEF in the Departamento de la Familia. After an emergency, the department provides the emergency food help available through PAN. Any extra benefits are set when officials announce them. The phone number is the Departamento de la Familia main line. Phone: 787-294-4900. Website.

Money, work and insurance

  • Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA): For people who lose work because of a major disaster and do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance, run by the Departamento del Trabajo y Recursos Humanos (Department of Labor). The phone number is the department's unemployment call center. Phone: 787-754-7300. Website.

Emotional support

  • Línea PAS (ASSMCA): Free, confidential crisis counseling and emotional support from mental health professionals, at any hour, run by ASSMCA, the territory's mental health agency. You can also call 988, or chat online. Deaf callers can use video relay at 787-615-4112. Phone: 1-800-981-0023. Website.

Scams, contractors and price gouging

  • Oficina del Comisionado de Seguros (OCS): The insurance regulator. Call with questions about your policy or to file a complaint. You can also call 787-304-8686. After a loss, tell your insurance company as soon as you can and keep proof of the damage and your costs. Phone: 1-888-722-8686. Website.
  • Departamento de Asuntos del Consumidor (DACO): The consumer affairs department. In past storms, DACO ordered a freeze on the prices of basic goods. Call to ask a question or report a business, or file a complaint online at serviciosenlinea.daco.pr.gov. Phone: 787-722-7555. Website.

Sources

Checked on October 2, 2026. If a number or address here is wrong, please tell us at Keith@KMyers.me.