Your 2025 Hurricane Pet Preparedness Guide
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season officially kicks off June 1st, and even though the late summer/ fall season marks some of the most active times in the Atlantic Coast for hurricanes to take shape, that doesn't mean you should delay your hurricane preparations. Warm waters often fuel hurricanes and create the ideal conditions for hurricane weather. With that in mind, it's important to keep your hurricane supplies ready on the go, not only for you but your pets, too. And it's even more important when you're traveling with your pets to have a plan. Here are a few tips for being hurricane-ready while road-tripping with your pets.
Pack the Essentials
One of the most essential aspects of hurricane preparedness is making sure you and your pets have the essentials for a natural disaster like a hurricane. While hurricanes aren't anything to look forward to while on a road trip with your pets, the advantage modern technology allows us is at least a little advance notice. So, there's often a day or two of leeway to get any essentials you may have forgotten back home. Here is a quick checklist of a few essentials to have on hand:
A pet emergency kit. You don't have to buy a special pet emergency kit. Just make sure the emergency kit includes a styptic for cuts to help heal your pet's paws and some bandages. You'll also want to ensure the emergency kit includes any pet medication and important contact information, including your veterinarian or pet insurance policy.
A physical or offline map downloaded to your mobile device. You need to know where you're going if you have to evacuate quickly, and a digital map is no good to you if your cellphone service or internet phone is out for any reason. Make your road trip easier, and download an offline map like the one featured on Apple's Maps app or Google Maps on Android devices. You can also opt for a good old-fashioned physical map that you can pick up either from a local visitor center or a gas station.
Water. Make sure your pet has enough water for at least three days.
Food. Your pooch needs to eat at the end of the day. Carry three days' worth of canned food and kibble for a convenient way to feed your pet should you be stranded during your trip.
Leashes/harnesses. If you ever have to go to a pet-friendly emergency shelter while on your road trip, you will likely need to keep your dog on a leash for safety reasons. Make sure you carry a spare one in case you lose one or it breaks.
Collars and harnesses. Ensure your pooch has any required County tags attached to her collar or some form of easily identifiable tag in case she gets lost. Also, opt for a harness to attach your leash to for small dogs who may not have strong necks that can sustain a directional pull from a leash like this Winsee dog harness.
Blankets. Your pet will be just as anxious as you (or more), so providing her with a comforting blanket doubles as a way to keep her warm and comfortable when she is scared.
Toys. Help ease your pet's anxiety or boredom with a fun toy. You can opt for an interactive one or keep it simple with a squeaky toy, such as this Multipet Lamb Chop plush dog toy.
Sanitary items. Don’t forget to bring litter for your cats, dog poop bags, and wipes to clean up any messes.
Enjoy Tax Relief
Prepping for a hurricane doesn't mean you need to break the bank. Shop strategically and take advantage of tax breaks when you gather your gear at the right time. For instance, Florida's Disaster Preparedness Tax Holiday takes place June 2nd- June 15th, 2025, where you can look forward to paying no sales tax on such items as batteries less than $50 and even safe evacuation items useful for your household furry friends. Virginia also has a 3-Day Sales Tax Holiday just before the first peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, taking place August 1st-3rd, 2025. During this time, you can buy tax-free hurricane and emergency supplies, including hurricane preparedness products for $60 or less.
Know Where to Go
It's important to have an escape route when you are packing your pooch on a road trip that gets interrupted by a hurricane. Make sure you map out any nearby shelters on your route. Keep up-to-date with evacuation zones. Almost every city and county will have a map or contact information that helps you identify evacuation zones in the area. For instance, the City of Daytona Beach, Florida, offers a ton of resources for identifying evacuation zones in the area and the county, including a link to Volusia County's evacuation zones map. Keep in mind that hurricanes also often spur off tornadoes, so it's a good idea to know where to go should a tornado appear nearby. Having an idea of the flood zones in your area will help you better plan your stay (or evacuation routes). Check out this one from the City of Naples [insert flood zone map]. It's also critical to have an emergency preparedness plan, especially if your stay requires a stop in a mobile home or another non-site location like a tiny home. Consider using this tornado shelter map to locate the nearest shelter in the United States.
Be Prepared
No matter how much fun in the sun you're planning to have with your pet on the go, it's important to have a plan. Take a few moments out of your trip planning schedule and consider what you may need in case a hurricane happens during your road trip vacation. Bookmark this guide for the season to get some ideas and share with other pet parents. By knowing where to go and what to bring, you'll be prepared for a wrench in your ultimate road trip. How are you prepping for this hurricane season?