Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, with peak activity typically August through October. If you live in coastal Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, or Virginia, hurricane prep includes storing certain items inland and elevated before any storm threatens — not waiting until evacuation is ordered.

The “store before the storm” categories

Move these to inland storage at the start of hurricane season (June), not when a storm is approaching:

1. Irreplaceable family items

• Family photo albums and home videos
• Heirloom furniture you’d never replace
• Genealogical and family history documents
• Children’s first artwork, school items
• Wedding albums, special-occasion items

2. Important original documents

• Birth certificates, passports, social security cards
• Property deeds, vehicle titles
• Insurance policies (and contact info)
• Marriage and divorce decrees
• Estate documents, wills
• Tax records (last 7 years)

For these, the right answer is usually a safe-deposit box at a bank in an inland city plus a fireproof safe at home. Storage is the secondary option but better than leaving in a coastal home.

3. High-value or sentimental items

• Jewelry (insurance-grade items in a safe-deposit box; secondary jewelry can go in tenant insurance-covered storage)
• Artwork (climate-controlled storage strongly recommended)
• Antiques
• Musical instruments
• Wine collection (climate-controlled essential)

4. Electronics with sentimental data

• Old computers/hard drives with family photos before cloud backup
• Camcorders with family videos
• Anything you haven’t backed up to cloud storage

Forward Storage’s hurricane-aware locations

We have facilities at inland locations across hurricane-vulnerable states:

For maximum hurricane safety, choose inland storage well away from coastal floodplains. We can recommend specific properties based on your coastal location.

What to do when a storm is approaching

If a hurricane is in the cone:

5+ days out:

• Secure inland storage if you don’t already have it (Forward Storage allows online rental and immediate access)
• Begin moving the categories above to that storage
• Document remaining home contents with photos/video for insurance

3-5 days out:

• Complete moves of irreplaceable items
• Charge electronics, gather chargers
• Fill vehicles with gas
• Stock up on water, non-perishable food

1-2 days out:

• Final document checks (insurance contact info, ID for evacuation)
• Move vehicles to higher ground if possible
• Secure outdoor furniture (move inside or to storage)
• Board up windows per local guidance

Day of:

• Evacuate per local order
• Take pets, prescription medications, important documents that aren’t already in storage
• Leave a “this house is occupied” sign if your area uses one

After the storm

• Don’t return until local authorities allow
• Document any damage with photos before cleanup
• Contact your insurance immediately
• Retrieve stored items when safe to do so

Why inland storage matters

Coastal storage facilities, even those that survive a hurricane structurally, can be inaccessible for days or weeks after a storm (flooded roads, power outages, debris). Items that needed to stay accessible (medications, important documents) need to be either with you during evacuation or at an inland storage location you can actually reach.

Frequently asked follow-ups

Should I move everything to inland storage every hurricane season? For most homes, no — moving everything is impractical. Focus on the categories above (irreplaceable, documents, high-value). For valuable homes in high-risk zones (barrier islands, low elevations), more comprehensive seasonal storage makes sense.

What if I rent storage just for hurricane season? Possible — month-to-month rentals work for this. But the marginal cost of keeping a storage unit year-round vs. only June-November is small once you factor in setup/teardown time. Most year-round storage customers keep their unit all 12 months.

Does my homeowner’s insurance cover items in storage? Most policies extend off-premises coverage (typically 10% of total contents). Verify with your insurer. Storage facilities don’t insure your contents directly (see Are Storage Units Insured?).

What about flood insurance for stored items? Standard policies typically don’t cover flood. If you’re storing items in a hurricane-vulnerable area, ask about flood-specific coverage. Forward Storage’s facilities are not flood-zone certified at the unit level — discuss specific location risk with us.

Ready to set up hurricane storage?

Find your nearest inland Forward Storage location → or call 888-684-4933 to discuss hurricane prep for your coastal area.