Houston Hurricane Preparation: A 2026 Storm-Season Checklist

Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30 along the Gulf Coast, and Houston sits right in the path. A serious storm does not always announce itself days in advance — Hurricane Beryl gave Houstonians barely 48 hours of warning in July 2024 before knocking out power for more than 2.7 million customers. This is the short, practical version of what to do before a hurricane warning hits, what to do once it does, and what to do after it passes.

This is not theoretical. Homes in Memorial flooded during Allison, the Tax Day floods, Harvey, and Imelda inside a single decade. Meyerland has been bought out by FEMA repeatedly in the past 20 years. If you are new to the city or just used to riding out storms, this is the playbook the people who have done it longest follow.

Houston's hurricane reality, from Harvey to today

Houston's flood risk is geographic. Most of the metro sits between 30 and 50 feet above sea level, and the bayou system was engineered for an older, smaller city. Heavy rainfall — not just storm surge — does the most damage when a hurricane stalls inland over Harris County. Meyerland flooded three years in a row (2015 Memorial Day, 2016 Tax Day, 2017 Harvey) before federal buyouts started clearing repeat-loss properties. Friendswood, Kingwood, and parts of Memorial saw similar patterns. Storm surge along Galveston Bay and the Houston Ship Channel adds a second risk for everyone south of Beltway 8.

Build your kit and check your flood zone

FEMA, Harris County, and the City of Houston have all updated their flood maps since Harvey, and the lines have moved. New FEMA flood maps recently raised risk ratings for 386 Houston schools — and if your home is downstream from one of them, your zone may have shifted too. Look up your address on the Harris County Flood Education Mapping Tool before you do anything else.

Build a kit around what you would need for 72 hours without grid power or municipal water: one gallon of drinking water per person per day, shelf-stable food, a battery or hand-crank radio, multiple ways to charge a phone, prescription medications, pet food, cash in small bills, and copies of insurance documents in a sealed bag. Plywood and sandbags sell out within 48 hours of any named storm in the Gulf. Buy them in May, not in August.

When a storm forms: routes, timing, and Zip Zones

The decision to evacuate is not free. The 2005 Hurricane Rita evacuation killed more people than the storm itself — 107 deaths from heat exhaustion, traffic, and a single bus fire — because 2.5 million people tried to leave the metro at the same time. The Harris County Office of Emergency Management now uses a Zip Zone system: Zone A is closest to the coast and evacuates first under an ordered evacuation. Sign up for ReadyHarris alerts and look up your zip zone before any storm forms. If you are staying, decide early. Gas stations, grocery stores, and lumber yards run dry within 24 hours of a serious watch.

After the storm: insurance, water, and the next 72 hours

The 72 hours after a hurricane are usually more dangerous than the storm itself. Houston Methodist, Memorial Hermann, and Harris Health System all see spikes in carbon-monoxide poisoning from generator misuse and water-related infections from contaminated floodwater. Boil-water notices are common. Do not shower in floodwater. File insurance claims fast — flood insurance is separate from homeowners coverage, and the National Flood Insurance Program has a 30-day waiting period, which means buying it during a watch will not help. For ongoing coverage of storms, watches, and recovery, follow Houston weather news.

Hurricanes are the one Houston risk you can prepare for on a calendar. June 1 starts the season. November 30 ends it. The work happens in May.