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CITY GUIDES/FLORIDA/MIAMI

MIAMI EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDE

Prepare for emergencies
in Miami.

Prepare for hurricanes, flooding, extreme heat, and power outages. Find your evacuation resources, explore local weather patterns, and build a household plan.

Miami-Dade County · Florida

Build my household plan →Find evacuation resources →
Downtown Miami skyline viewed from Key Biscayne at night
MIAMI-DADE COUNTYMiami,
Florida
Downtown Miami from Key Biscayne · November 2020
Photo: Rob Olivera · credit and license

For the City of Miami, with clearly labeled Miami-Dade County resources. Miami Beach and other municipalities have separate local services. Historical data and planning tools; check official sources for current conditions.

View sources ↗

CHOOSE A STARTING POINT

What do you need to prepare?

Plan for evacuationFind zone lookup, transport, and assistance resources.Review your options →Prepare your householdCalculate water, make a checklist, and save your plan.Build your plan →Understand the seasonsExplore Miami’s heat, rainfall, and hurricane timing.Explore local weather →
All sections ↑My household plan →

01 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Miami weather by month

Explore airport averages for rainfall, temperature, and days reaching 90°F. Use the patterns to prepare ahead of time; they do not predict this year’s weather.

Miami International Airport · NOAA 1991–2020

Monthly averages, not a forecast. Rainfall includes the water equivalent of precipitation. Days reaching 90°F are not heat-index days.

Read all monthly values
MonthHigh °FLow °FRain inchesDays ≥90°F
January76.2611.830
February78.263.22.150
March80.665.62.460.8
April83.669.83.362.1
May86.773.46.326
June89.376.310.5115.2
July90.677.57.3623.8
August90.777.79.5824.7
September8976.910.2214.8
October85.974.27.654
November81.368.33.530.1
December78.264.32.440
Read the geography: These are Miami International Airport observations summarized over 1991–2020. Coastal neighborhoods, inland locations, and individual buildings can feel different. Temperature alone does not describe humidity or heat index.

NOAA airport climate normals ↗

02 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Hurricane season: what to do and when

Use the seasonal calendar to schedule preparation. Check official forecasts and evacuation instructions whenever a storm threatens.

Hurricane Irma’s eye and spiral cloud bands over the Caribbean, seen by satellite
Hurricane Irma over the Caribbean, September 6, 2017. Historical satellite image; not current conditions.Photo: NOAA / GOES-16 · Public domain
JanPrepare & maintain
FebPrepare & maintain
MarPrepare & maintain
AprPrepare & maintain
MayPrepare & maintain
JunHurricane season
JulHurricane season
AugHurricane season
SepHurricane season
OctHurricane season
NovHurricane season
DecPrepare & maintain

The Atlantic season runs June 1–November 30. Most basin activity occurs from mid-August through mid-October, with a climatological peak around September 10. Storms can occur outside the official season. These dates describe the Atlantic basin, not the odds of a storm striking Miami.

NHC hurricane-season climatology ↗

Before the season

Check your zone and destination, arrange transport, and review shutters or other building preparations with your landlord or association. Spread supply purchases across ordinary shopping trips.

When a storm threatens

Read the latest official forecast and county instructions. Confirm your destination and transport, charge devices, and keep documents and essential supplies ready to take.

When an order applies to you

Follow the timing and area specified by local officials. Do not wait for conditions outside your window to determine whether to leave.

Official updates: National Hurricane Center ↗ · Miami-Dade emergency updates ↗

03 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Find your storm surge zone and plan where to go

Check the address of your home and your planned destination in the county’s official tools. A Miami mailing address alone cannot establish a zone.

Open the county’s zone-finder and evacuation instructions ↗

Storm surge zone

Miami-Dade uses zones A–E to plan for coastal inundation. Orders can cover a whole zone or only part of it. The storm’s track and projected surge affect decisions.

Flood zone

A flood-hazard designation answers a different question. Check property-specific flood information separately; a surge zone is not a substitute for a flood map.

Your building

Being outside a surge zone does not establish that your building is safe. Discuss wind protection, stairs, accessibility, and loss of services with building management.

Follow the actual order. Do not decide whether to evacuate from a hurricane category alone. County guidance says mobile-home residents and people using electrically dependent life-sustaining equipment should evacuate when any hurricane evacuation order is issued, regardless of surge zone.

Miami-Dade storm surge planning zones ↗

Arrange a destination and transport before a storm

The county encourages a safe inland destination with family or friends outside the evacuation area. Emergency centers are a last resort, and not every listed center opens for every event. Check county announcements or call 311 for open locations and activated bus pickup sites. Confirm pet arrangements; service animals are allowed at all evacuation centers.

County evacuation instructions ↗

Need assistance leaving home?

The county’s EEAP supports eligible residents who need specialized transportation or sheltering. Apply in advance: registration closes before an evacuation order. A caregiver or companion must accompany the evacuee. Applications are available in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole. Contact the program at 305-513-7700 to discuss eligibility and update an existing registration.

Emergency & Evacuation Assistance Program ↗

04 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Plan for flooding beyond the shoreline

Separate storm surge from rainfall flooding when you review your property and routes.

Cars moving through tidal floodwater on a street in Miami’s Brickell area
King-tide flooding in Miami’s Brickell area, October 13, 2016. Do not drive through floodwater.Photo: B137 · CC0 1.0

Use the City of Miami’s flood-information resources and FEMA’s address lookup before making property decisions. Record the map date and discuss building-specific questions with the city or a qualified professional. A citywide chart cannot determine water depth at your home.

City of Miami flood information ↗ · FEMA Flood Map Service Center ↗

Home access

Consider entrances, parking areas, ground-floor storage, and the roads you need to reach your destination. Identify another route in ordinary conditions.

Apartment or condo

Ask how water, elevators, access controls, and garage access operate during a power outage. Keep a way to leave that fits everyone’s mobility needs.

Travel decisions

Check current road conditions and local closures before leaving. Do not treat a familiar route as usable after flooding.

Florida 511 traffic and road information ↗

05 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Make a cooling plan for a power outage

A charged phone and a small battery help with communication. Your plan also needs somewhere to go if your home becomes too hot.

Palm trees beside a sunny path in a Miami park
A sunny Miami park. This photo illustrates outdoor conditions, not a specific heat event.Photo: Vincent Rivaud · Pexels license

The City of Miami’s heat plan identifies May 1–October 31 as Heat Season. Airport averages are only a planning reference; indoor conditions and humidity can change the experience substantially.

City of Miami extreme heat plan ↗

Choose a cooling destination

Use the county’s directory to find cooling sites near home or work. Confirm today’s hours, access, and transport before traveling. A cooling site is not automatically an overnight emergency shelter.

Plan around an outage

Write down a destination with dependable cooling and a backup option. Discuss transport with someone who can help if elevators, your vehicle, or transit are unavailable.

Include individual needs

Plan with household members who rely on electricity or need help leaving. Arrange medical backup requirements with their care team; the battery tool below is not a medical power plan.

Find official cooling sites and current hours ↗

06 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

Calculate water and build a household checklist

Enter your household size, preparation period, and housing situation. Save your checklist on this device and download a copy to keep offline.

Water bottles, first-aid kit, flashlight, radio and other supplies laid out on a table
Lay out your supplies before using the checklist below. Illustrative supplies, not a complete emergency kit.Photo: Roger Brown · Pexels license
  1. 1Enter household details
  2. 2Review water and tasks
  3. 3Download your plan

STARTING WATER RESERVE

14gallons

2 people × 7 days × 1 gallon per day

For people only; add pet and individual needs.

Your household checklist

0 of 6 complete

Tracks these tasks only, not a safety score. Choices stay in this browser.

Saved only on this device
The baseline is one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. Florida’s checklist uses seven days. Add water for pets and individual needs; heat and other circumstances can increase needs.

Florida emergency supply checklist ↗

07 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

A monthly preparation checklist for Miami

Choose a month for three practical tasks. These are Local Prepper’s suggested maintenance tasks, not a forecast or an official alert.

    Read the full year’s checklist

    January — Review contacts and insurance records

    • Check utility contacts.
    • Store copies of important documents.
    • Discuss building-specific preparations with your landlord or association.

    February — Arrange evacuation assistance

    • Review transport and mobility needs.
    • Check EEAP eligibility if assistance is needed.
    • Confirm who will accompany anyone requiring care.

    March — Review your destination and routes

    • Look up home and destination surge zones.
    • Agree on a backup destination.
    • Plan pet transport and supplies.

    April — Prepare for heat and storm season

    • Choose a cooling destination and backup.
    • Test chargers and weather-radio reception.
    • Inspect your water containers.

    May — Finish hurricane preparations

    • Review your seven-day supplies.
    • Confirm shutters or building protection arrangements.
    • Practice your household communication plan.

    June — Check alerts and evacuation arrangements

    • Confirm local alert enrollment.
    • Save official forecast and county-update links.
    • Review transport and your destination.

    July — Test backup power

    • Measure essential device consumption.
    • Check battery and solar compatibility.
    • Reconfirm where to go if cooling is unavailable.

    August — Keep your departure plan accessible

    • Keep documents and essential supplies together.
    • Check pet carriers and identification.
    • Reconfirm transport with anyone helping you.

    September — Review plans during hurricane season

    • Check official forecasts when a storm threatens.
    • Keep your destination and backup contacts current.
    • Follow any local evacuation instructions.

    October — Maintain hurricane and cooling plans

    • Review stored water and food.
    • Check official cooling-site availability before travel.
    • Keep transport arrangements current.

    November — Keep hurricane supplies accessible

    • Hurricane season continues through November 30.
    • Review weather-radio backup batteries.
    • Replace used or expired household supplies.

    December — Review and improve your plan

    • Record any supply or transport problems.
    • Update emergency contacts.
    • Download an updated household worksheet.

    08 / USE THE TOOLS

    Estimate backup battery coverage

    Select example devices and adjust their watts and daily use. Compare the result with your battery’s rated capacity.

    A switched-on flashlight resting on a surface
    Include battery-powered lighting in your outage plan. Use the calculator below for devices you would power from a battery station.Photo: Steve A Johnson · Pexels license
    1. 1Select devices
    2. 2Adjust watts and daily hours
    3. 3Enter battery capacity
    Editable example device loads
    UseDeviceWattsHours/day
    Keep the scope clear: this estimate does not establish starting-watt compatibility, safe indoor temperatures, medical-device backup, or how long an outage will last. It assumes a full battery, no recharging, and the same daily device schedule.
    How the calculation works

    Daily watt-hours = watts × hours, added across selected devices. Usable energy = rated capacity × selected usable percentage. Coverage in days = usable energy ÷ daily watt-hours. The 85% starting value is an editable assumption. Actual results depend on inverter losses, idle consumption, battery age, temperature, and device behavior.

    09 / USE THE TOOLS

    Estimate solar panel output by month

    Explore Miami’s long-term solar pattern, then enter panel size to estimate average daily energy.

    NASA POWER · 2001–2025

    NASA POWER data describe a grid around central Miami, not a measurement at your roof. The estimate uses horizontal-surface averages from 2001–2025. Cloudy storm days, shade, orientation, and equipment limits can reduce output.
    Data and calculation

    Estimated Wh per average day = panel watts × monthly equivalent peak-sun-hours × delivered share. The starting 75% share is an illustrative loss allowance. This does not verify panel-to-battery compatibility or guarantee recharging during an outage.

    NASA POWER solar climatology ↗

    10 / USE THE TOOLS

    Set up Miami alerts and weather radio

    Use official local alerts alongside a warning method that can work when your phone is unavailable.

    City of Miami alerts

    Text ALERTMIAMI to 888777 or use the city’s enrollment information. This is the City of Miami service; neighboring municipalities have their own programs. City of Miami emergency management ↗

    Miami-Dade updates

    Use county emergency announcements for evacuation orders, center openings, and countywide instructions. County emergency updates ↗

    MIAMI · KHB34162.550 MHz
    MIAMI-DADE SAME CODE012086

    Keep the leading zero.

    NWS also lists the Spanish-language station WZ2531 at 162.500 MHz and Princeton WNG663 at 162.425 MHz. Test reception where you will keep the receiver. For a SAME-capable radio, follow its manual to enter the county code and enable the desired alerts. A radio that receives weather broadcasts does not necessarily support automatic alerts.

    NWS Miami weather-radio settings ↗

    11 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

    Miami utility and emergency contacts

    Use the provider listed on your bill. These are contact resources, not a live outage feed.

    Immediate danger

    Call 911 for an emergency.

    Miami-Dade information

    Call 311 or 305-468-5900. Use county announcements to confirm which evacuation centers are open.

    County emergency management

    Published office number: 305-468-5400. This is not emergency dispatch.

    County emergency-resource contacts ↗

    12 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

    A local hurricane history lesson

    Historical events explain why preparation matters. They do not predict the next storm’s route or effects.

    1992

    Hurricane Andrew struck south Miami-Dade

    Andrew reached south Miami-Dade before dawn on August 24, 1992. The NWS account documents severe destruction in the southern part of the county, including Homestead. Those locations should not be confused with downtown Miami.

    For your household, the practical task is to identify a building and destination suitable for the threat, not to assume a previous storm’s experience will repeat.

    NWS Hurricane Andrew account ↗

    13 / USE THE TOOLS

    Shop this guide

    Supplies selected for Miami’s local risks and the plans on this page. Start with what you already own.

    These are individual products, not a complete emergency kit. Compare capacity, fit and household needs before buying. Cards show the current store catalog; confirm options and availability on the product page.

    Browse all emergency supplies →

    Store drinking water before a hurricane disrupts service. Use the household calculator to work out how many containers you need.

    Listen to local weather broadcasts if phone service fails. This model is not verified for automatic alerts or SAME programming.

    Charge small devices during a storm outage. Check the 155Wh capacity and 150W output against your actual devices; this is not an air-conditioning backup.

    Keep copies of evacuation contacts and important documents together. This bag has no verified flood- or fire-protection rating.

    Keep your hands free while packing or moving around a dark home. Charge it before storm conditions arrive.

    Pack bowls with your pet food, water, leash and carrier before an evacuation. Bowls do not include a water supply.

    SOURCES AND COVERAGE

    Where the Miami information comes from

    Independent Local Prepper guide. Sources reviewed November 2026. City, county, airport, and regional data are labeled separately. No address-level safety assessment or live alert feed is provided.

    Browse all sources and their coverage

    Photo: Downtown Miami from Key Biscayne by Rob Olivera, November 2020. CC BY 2.0. Display cropped.

    Browse all city guides →