• Understand that your planning may be different this year because of the need to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
• Give yourself more time than usual to  prepare your emergency food, water, and medicine supplies. Home delivery is the safest choice for buying disaster supplies; however, that may not be an option for everyone. If in-person shopping is your only choice, take steps to  protect your and others’ health when running essential errands.
• Protect yourself and others when filling  prescriptions  by limiting in-person visits to the pharmacy. Sign up for mail order delivery or call in your prescription ahead of time and use drive-through windows or curbside pickup, if available.
• Pay attention to local guidance about updated plans for evacuations and shelters, including  shelters for your pets.
• When you check on neighbors and friends, be sure to follow  social distancing  recommendations (staying at least 6 feet from others) and  other CDC recommendations  to protect yourself and others.

• If you may need to evacuate, prepare a “go kit” with  personal items  you cannot do without during an emergency. Include items that can help protect you and others from COVID-19, such as hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, bar or liquid soap, disinfectant wipes (if available) and two masks for each person. Masks should not be used by children under the age of 2. They also should not be used by people having trouble breathing, or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or unable to remove the mask without assistance.
• Know a safe place to shelter and have several ways to receive weather alerts, such as National Weather Service  cell phone alertsexternal icon,  NOAA Weather Radioexternal icon, or (@NWS) Twitter alerts.
• Find out if your local public shelter is open, in case you need to evacuate your home and go there. Your shelter location may be different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• If you need to go to a disaster shelter, follow CDC recommendations for staying safe and healthy in a  public disaster shelter  during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Follow guidance from your local public health or emergency management officials on when and where to shelter.
• Make a plan and prepare a disaster kit for your pets. Find out if your disaster shelter will accept pets. Typically, when shelters accommodate pets, the pets are housed in a separate area from people.

• Follow  safety precautions when using transportation  to evacuate. If you have to travel away from your community to evacuate, follow  safety precautions for travelers  to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.

If you will be staying with friends or family outside your household to evacuate from the storm:

• Talk to the people you plan to stay with about how you can all best protect yourselves from COVID-19.
• Consider if either of your households has someone who is at  higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, including older adults or people of any age who have underlying medical conditions. Make sure everyone knows what they can do to keep them safe from COVID-19.
• Follow  everyday preventive actions, including covering coughs and sneezes, washing your hands often, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Consider taking extra  precautions for people living in close quarters.
• Know what to do if someone in your family or in the household you are staying with becomes sick with COVID-19. Take steps to  keep your pets safe.

• You should continue to follow  preventive actions  to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, like washing your hands and wearing a  mask  during cleanup or when returning home.
• It may take longer than usual to restore power and water if they are out. Take  steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning  if you use a generator.
• If you are injured or ill, contact your medical provider for treatment recommendations.  Keep wounds clean  to prevent infection. Remember, accessing medical care may be more difficult than usual during the pandemic.
• Dealing with disasters can cause stress and strong emotions, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is natural to feel anxiety, grief, and worry.  Coping with these feelings and getting help  when you need it will help you, your family, and your community recover.
• People with preexisting mental health conditions should continue with their treatment and be aware of new or worsening symptoms. Additional information can be found at the  Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administrationexternal icon  page.
• After a hurricane, it’s not unusual for rats, mice, and other pests to try to get into your home or building. Be aware that with restaurant and commercial closures related to COVID-19, there are already reports of  increased rodent activity  as they try to seek other sources of food. Follow recommendations for  keeping pests out of your home.
• Source – CDC.gov