Click to view supply and car checklist
Hurricane season on Florida's Gulf Coast begins June 1 and ends November 30. According to the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center, peak hurricane season occurs between August and October. That leaves plenty of time to get a plan in place and begin building your hurricane checklist. The key is not waiting until the last minute when supplies and store shelves are empty. In fact, much of what you need can be purchased well in advance and online! Be sure to stock up on supplies like bottled water, non-perishable food items, batteries, and a first-aid kit. The Disaster Checklist provided by BKS Insurance is a helpful reference for many of the recommended supplies. We've also identified the most accurate hurricane preparation guide courtesy ABC 7 with key facts for hurricane preparation in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and Lee counties. The guide includes a complete breakdown of how storms develop; understanding different terms meteorologists use; how to plan during a storm's critical hours; building a hurricane kit that includes pets and children or seniors; how to stay connected during power outages; and much more. Our insurance partners BKS Insurance also have a very helpful site with hurricane resources and information. We also recommend reading through each county's official hurricane preparedness page with evacuation routes and relevant resources.
Manatee County Emergency Management
Sarasota County Hurricane Preparedness
Charlotte County Emergency Management
Names for the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season are:
| Alex | Hermine | Owen |
| Bonnie | Ian | Paula |
| Colin | Julia | Richard |
| Danielle | Karl | Shary |
| Earl | Lisa | Tobias |
| Fiona | Martin | Virginie |
| Gaston | Nicole | Walter |
Emergency Phone Numbers
The State of Florida (State Emergency Response Team) | FloridaDisaster.org
- Florida Emergency Information Line: (FEIL) 1(800) 342-3557 or floridadisaster.org
- Sarasota County Emergency Management: (941) 861-5000 or scgov.net
- TDD-Deaf Communications: (941) 861-1833
- Friendship Volunteer Center: (941) 953-5965 or friendshipcenters.org
- Manatee County Emergency Management: (941) 748-4501 or mymanatee.org/departments/public_safety/emergency_management
- Charlotte County Emergency Management: (941) 833-4000 or charlottecountyfl.gov/services/emergencymgmt/Pages/default.aspx
- DeSoto County Emergency Management: (863) 993-4831 or desotobocc.com/departments/emergency_management
- Volunteer and Donations Hotline: 1(800) FLHELP1 or 1(800) 354-3571
- American Red Cross Donations Hotline: 1(800) REDCROSS or 1(800) 733-2767
- American Red Cross Information Hotline: 1(866) GET-INFO or 1(866) 438-4636 or redcross.org
- American Red Cross Southwest Florida Chapter: (941) 379-9300 or redcross.org/local/florida/central-florida/chapters/southwest-florida
- American Red Cross Manatee County Chapter: (941) 792-8686 or redcross.org/local/florida/central-florida/chapters/southwest-florida
- American Red Cross Charlotte County Chapter: (941) 629-4345 or redcross.org/local/florida/central-florida/chapters/southwest-florida
- Salvation Army Donation Hotline: 1(800) 996-2769
- Elder Services Hotline: 1(800) 963-5337
- FEMA (TTY for Hearing Impaired): 1(800) 462-7585
- Area Agency on Aging, Southwest Florida: 1(866) 413-5337
- Special Needs Shelter Registries:
- Sarasota: (941) 861-5000
- Manatee: (941) 749-3500 x7828
- Charlotte: (941) 833-4000
Power Company Contact Information
- Florida Power and Light Hotline: 1(800) 4-OUTAGE 468.8243, or fpl.com
- Peace River Electric Cooperative Inc. in Manatee County: 1 (877) 282-3656 or preco.coop
- Progress Energy: 1(800) 228-8485
- TECO: 1(888) 223-0800
- Talquin Electric Company: 1(800) 662-3053
Hotlines for Financial and Recovery Assistance
- FEMA Disaster Assistance Hotline: 1(800) 621-FEMA or 1(800) 621-3362 or fema.gov
- Florida Department of Financial Services: 1(877) MY-FL-CFO or 1(877) 693-5236 or fldfs.com
- Unemployment Compensation Claims: 1(800) 204-2418
- Also the Website for Employment/Unemployment questions is floridajobs.org
- To verify contractor licensure please visit: myfloridalicense.com or call 1(850) 487-1395
- To report unlicensed activity please call: 1(866) 532-1440
- To report price gouging call: 1(800) 646-0444 or 1(800) 435-7352 or visit MyFlorida.com to register a complaint online.
- Disaster Contractors Network: dcnonline.org
Insurance Numbers
- AIG Insurance Co. Disaster Claims-personal: (877) 399-6442, business: (888)244-6163
- Allstate Insurance Co. Disaster Claims: (800) 547-8676
- Hartford Casualty Insurance Co. Disaster Claims-personal: 1(800) 243-5860, business: (800) 327-3636
- Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Disaster Claims: (800) 526-1547
- Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. Disaster Claims: (800) 421-3535
- State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. Disaster Claims: (800) 732-5246
- USAA Insurance Claims: (800) 531-8222
- For questions about insurance or financial assistance, please call the Department of Financial Services Hurricane Assistance Line: 1(800) 22-STORM (227-8676)
Additional Hotlines
- Florida Volunteer and Donation Hotline: 1(800) FL-HELP1 or 1(800)354-3571
Radio/TV Stations
- NOAA Weather Radio
- FREQ 162.40 MHz
- FIPS code 012115
- AM Stations
- WLSS 930, or WDDV 1320, or WBRD 1420
- FM Stations
- WLTQ 92.1, or WHPT 102.5, or WTZB 105.9, or WCTQ 106.5, or WSRZ 107.9
- TV Audio Frequencies
- WFLA (Channel 8) 185.75 MHz, or WTSP (Channel 10) 197.75 MHZ, or WINK (Channel 13) 215.74 MHz,
- WFTS (Channel 28) 559.75 MHz, or WWSB (Channel 40) 631.75 MHz, or WVEA (Channel 62) 763.75MHz
We always recommend you tune into your local meteorologist to discover how a storm may be affecting you.
