Make Ready Your Church Hurricane Preparations Before the Storms Arrive
The 2026 hurricane season is here so be sure your church hurricane preparations are in planning. Hurricane season begins June 1st and ends November 30th of every year. However, August through October are the months with the most activity. But September holds the record, year after year, for the most tropical storms and hurricanes.
This hurricane preparation guide will help you protect your church property from the storms. It includes a checklist to assist in keeping track of tasks along with additional resources for hurricane preparation and tracking.
It’s important to know that all hurricanes have a category (cat) rank that can change throughout its journey. The ranking is between 1 and 5 with a Category 5 being the most powerful. A Cat 3 rank, or higher, is a major hurricane and are the most dangerous. But, no matter what the size is, strong winds blow and heavy rains fall in a short amount of time. Because of this you must prepare before the storms.
There are things you can do to reduce damage due to storm winds and flood waters that can come as a result of tropical storms and hurricanes. Every church is unique in its own way so consider this when inspecting your property. Work together with someone in discovering potential problems while doing your church hurricane preparations because two sets of eyes are better than one.
NOAA Predictions for Hurricane Activity in 2026
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is forecasting a below-normal hurricane season for 2026. This is in contrast to a 60% forecast of an above-average season back in 2025.
“NOAA’s outlook for the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 to November 30, predicts a 35% chance of a near-normal season, a 10% chance of an above-normal season, and a 55% chance of a below-normal season.”
No matter what the predictions are, it’s best to be prepared before the storms arrive. Pre-planning keeps you from scrambling around searching for sold out supplies when a storm is indeed on its way.
Florida Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holidays
The state of Florida helps with the expenses of preparing for a hurricane. In lieu of temporary disaster preparedness sales tax holidays, Florida now offers a permanent sales tax exemption year-round. So, instead of limited periods of time, you can purchase select items (E.g. batteries, portable generators, fire extinguishers, etc.) sales tax-free during the entire year. Download the PDF with complete list of items at FloridaRevenue.com.
Church Hurricane Preparation Guide
Back Up Important Documents
Save your church’s important documents and records to a portable drive as well as “in the cloud” if possible. This includes your disaster emergency plan, key employees’ contact information and insurance policies. Also, make a few copies on flash drives and give to key people on your church staff or leadership team.
Secure Outdoor Objects
Part of your church hurricane preparations should include securing outside items from strong winds. Doing so can help you reduce property damage from flying objects. Walk around your the whole church property and identify any trouble areas. While your doing this, look for areas that may flood from heavy rainfall.
Church Signage
Remove any portable signs around the property altogether. For permanent church signs near the ground, secure them with plywood in the same manner as you would windows.
Church Playgrounds
Most modern playground equipment installations are permanently stationary. But, take a look at your preschool, daycare and church playgrounds to secure loose items.
Church Lighting
Repair or remove any loose light fixtures. Also, secure portable lighting such as ground landscape fixtures. Remove any lighting if it was installed below normal water levels.
“Securing outdoor objects is a key step in preventing damage to your church in severe weather.”
Cover Windows and Glass Doors
If your church doesn’t have hurricane shutters, cover all windows and glass doors with plywood instead. This will shield them from high winds. Also, move equipment to the center of the room. Taping up windows and glass doors is not effective.
Sandbag Doors and Entrances
Put sandbags in front of your church doors. This will help keep flood waters from getting in the building. Do this for garage and shed doors as well. Also, protect your equipment by moving them off the floor or to a safer location entirely.
Protect Church Vehicles
A church car, van or bus is an expensive assets to replace or fix. Strong winds with flying debris and flood waters can damage vehicles during a storm. Follow the hurricane preparation guidelines below to help protect your church vehicles:
- Park vehicles under cover or next to a building to avoid flying projectiles
- Do not park vehicles near trees, power lines or other objects that could fall
- Move vehicles to higher ground if in an area known to flood with water
- Avoid driving in a tropical storm, hurricane or other severe weather
“Just one foot of standing water is enough to render some vehicles inoperable.”
Checklist for Church Hurricane Preparations
Use the below checklist to help you keep track of tasks you complete so you know which still need to be done.
Review Your Church Property Insurance
Just as homeowners insurance is important for those who own their home, property insurance is necessary for churches too. But, is your church insurance policy hurricane-ready? Without wind and flood coverage your church may have to deal with the cost of hurricane damages on its own. Most churches don’t think about insurance coverage until disaster happens. Be sure to talk with an insurance agent to see if you have sufficient coverage to help pay for costs from storm damage. Don’t let lack of planning or insurance destroy the mission of your church.
NOTE: When a storm approaches, adjustments to your insurance policy is no longer possible. Once a storm threatens your area or a “storm watch” or “storm warning” is in place, you can not get a new policy or make changes to your existing coverage. Don’t wait for an approaching hurricane to address your insurance needs. Be proactive in making sure your property insurance coverage is up to date and ready.
What’s the Exception?
Standard property insurance covers various damage to buildings, property and equipment. However, most standard policies do not cover wind and flood damages. In highly active areas like Florida, wind and flood are the two main types of damage from a hurricane.
Don’t Get Blown Away
Make sure hurricane season doesn’t damage your mission. Because every church and its mission is unique, let an experienced agent review the details of your current church property insurance policy. We can also answer your hurricane, wind and water damage coverage questions.
Local Experience
Beacon Insurance Agency has decades of experience in specialized insurance coverage for churches. Our agents work with you to determine the best options for your ministry. We know insurance can be confusing so we discuss your needs and budget before finding a policy for your organization.
More Resources for Hurricane Preparations
Below are other resources you can use to help in preparing for hurricanes.
Conclusion
We hope this church hurricane preparation guide and checklist helps you with protecting your church property. Tropical storms and hurricanes are stressful for everyone. All we can do is wait and watch its direction when one is headed our way. But don’t panic and remember you’re prepared so stay calm and be alert.
Beacon Insurance Agency specializes in serving churches, schools and nonprofit organizations. For over a decade we have built a solid reputation for providing our clients with customized coverages. Insurance policies tailored to their needs as well as providing invaluable safety resources. In striving to provide the very best service, we partner with GuideOne. As a result, we have more access to risk management guidance and custom coverage solutions.
Contact us today to have us review your existing church insurance policy. We can also work with you to customize a policy to help protect your future.
Our greatest mission at Beacon has always been to illuminate our clients’ path to peace of mind.
We strive to empower them with the safety information they need to go out in service to the world.
Sources
- GuideOne: Severe Weather Preparedness
- SafeChurch: Preparing for a Hurricane (PDF)
- NOAA: NOAA predicts below-normal 2026 Atlantic hurricane season
- Florida Department of Revenue: New Sales Tax Exemptions Beginning August 1, 2025
