How to Prepare Your Storage Unit for Hurricane Season: A Southeast and Gulf Coast Guide

The problem with most hurricane storage advice is timing. Nearly every guide tells you to elevate your boxes, switch to plastic bins, and check your insurance. That advice is right, but it ignores the calendar that actually governs storm prep: the 30-day wait before a new federal flood policy takes effect, the insurance binding freezes that start when a storm is named, and the National Hurricane Center’s own warning that preparation gets difficult once tropical-storm-force winds arrive. Miss those windows and the good advice arrives too late to use.

This guide is built around those deadlines. It walks through what to do before June 1, what to do when a storm is named, and what to do after it passes. It also covers two things other storage companies rarely mention: what storm prep looks like at a fully automated facility with no staff on site, and why hurricanes are an inland problem as much as a coastal one. If you store near Raleigh, Macon, Little Rock, or Johnson City, the flooding and tornado sections apply to you as much as they do to someone in Fort Myers.

We will also be honest about the limits. No storage unit is hurricane-proof, a climate-controlled unit does not protect against floodwater, and some things should never be in a storage unit during storm season at all. In a few situations, the right answer is not to rent a unit, and we will say so.

Table of Contents

1. Why Your Storage Unit Needs Its Own Hurricane Plan
2. The Hurricane Season Calendar: When Each Prep Step Has to Happen
3. The Deadlines Nobody Mentions: Watches, Warnings, and Insurance Freezes
4. What a Hurricane Actually Does to a Storage Facility
5. Hurricanes Are Not Just a Coastal Problem: Inland Flooding and Tornadoes
6. How to Check Your Facility’s Flood Exposure Before You Rent or Renew
7. Storm Prep at a Contactless Facility: What Changes When No One Is On Site
8. Insurance Before June 1: The Protection Plan, Your Home Policy, and Flood Coverage
9. Build a Storm-Proof Inventory in One Afternoon
10. What Should Never Be in Your Unit During Hurricane Season
11. Packing for Water: Containers, Wrapping, and What Cardboard Cannot Do
12. How to Arrange a Unit So Water Hits the Least Important Things First
13. Protecting Specific Items: Furniture, Electronics, Photos, Appliances, and More
14. Climate-Controlled Units in Hurricane Season: What They Do and Do Not Protect Against
15. Vehicles, Boats, and RVs: Storm Prep for What You Park
16. Using Storage as Part of Your Home Storm Plan
17. When a Storm Is Named: The 72-Hour Checklist
18. Evacuation Orders and Your Unit: Why You Should Not Go Back
19. After the Storm: Returning to Your Unit Safely
20. Documenting Damage and Filing a Claim
21. What to Save, What to Dry, and What to Let Go
22. Price Gouging, Rent Changes, and Your Rights After a Declared Emergency
23. How Much Space Do You Need for Hurricane Season Storage?
24. When Renting a Unit for Hurricane Season Does Not Make Sense
25. Frequently Asked Questions
26. Your Next Step

Why Your Storage Unit Needs Its Own Hurricane Plan

A storage unit sits in a different place from your home, faces different risks, and is governed by a different set of rules. A house plan does not automatically cover it, and three differences matter most.

It is somewhere you will not be during the storm. When a hurricane approaches, your attention goes to your family, your home, and your evacuation route. Nobody drives across town during a hurricane warning to rearrange boxes, and nobody should. Whatever state your unit is in when the watch is issued is roughly the state it will ride out the storm in.

It may sit in a different flood zone from your home. Flood risk changes block by block. A unit a few miles from your house can be more exposed or less exposed than your house, depending on elevation, drainage, and how close it sits to a creek, river, or low-lying road. Many renters never check, because they chose the facility for convenience or price.

Its insurance works differently. Belongings in a storage unit are off your home’s premises. That changes how a homeowners or renters policy treats them, and it changes how federal flood insurance treats them. Section 8 covers this in detail, because it is the part of storm prep that causes the most unpleasant surprises after the fact.

There is also a fourth difference that applies to fully automated facilities like ours: there is no manager walking the property before a storm, checking doors, or moving things away from a drain. At a contactless facility, the prep that happens inside your unit is the prep you do yourself. That is not a drawback so much as a fact to plan around, and Section 7 explains how.

The rest of this guide is organized by time. The early sections cover what to understand and do before the season starts. The middle sections cover packing, arranging, and specific item types. The later sections cover what to do when a storm is named, when an evacuation is ordered, and when you return afterward.

The Hurricane Season Calendar: When Each Prep Step Has to Happen

The Atlantic hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30. Activity is not spread evenly across those six months. Based on NOAA and National Hurricane Center climatology, activity builds slowly through June and July, climbs sharply in August, and peaks around September 10, with most of the season’s storms forming between mid-August and mid-October. Early-season and late-season storms still happen, and they often form close to the coast with little warning.

That shape gives you a natural prep calendar for a storage unit.

By May 1: Coverage and Location Decisions

This is the window for anything with a waiting period or a lead time. If you want federal flood insurance for your belongings at home, it typically takes 30 days to go into effect, so buying it on May 1 means it is active by the start of the season. This is also the time to decide whether your current unit is in the right place (see Section 6), and to review your protection plan and any personal policy so you know what is and is not covered.

By June 1: The Physical Setup

Get the unit into its storm-season configuration before the season opens. That means everything off the floor, cardboard replaced with sealed bins for anything that matters, irreplaceable items moved out, and a fresh photo inventory saved somewhere other than your phone. Sections 9 through 13 cover each of these in detail. Done once, this setup lasts the whole season.

By Late July: The Mid-Season Check

Before the August ramp begins, visit the unit once. Confirm nothing has shifted, check your lock, update your inventory if you have added or removed anything, and make sure your account contact information is current. If you have been meaning to move patio furniture or outdoor items in for the season, do it now rather than during a watch.

When a Storm Is Named: The Short Window

Once a named storm threatens your area, you are working against the National Hurricane Center’s watch and warning timeline, which Section 3 explains. The goal in this window is small, fast adjustments, not a full reorganization. If the setup work is already done, a named storm should require a single short visit, or none at all.

After November 30: The Wind-Down

Because our leases are month-to-month, you are not locked into keeping a unit you rented only for storm season. Some people bring patio furniture home in December and move out. Others keep the unit year-round and simply relax the storm configuration for the winter. Either choice works.

The key idea is that the expensive mistakes almost all happen when work that belongs in May is pushed into September. The calendar is simple once you see it laid out, and the next section explains why the named-storm window is shorter than most people think.

The Deadlines Nobody Mentions: Watches, Warnings, and Insurance Freezes

Most hurricane storage advice says to prepare before the storm. That is true but vague. There are three specific deadlines that decide whether your preparation actually counts, and none of the storage guides we reviewed put them together in one place.

Deadline 1: The Hurricane Watch (About 48 Hours Out)

The National Hurricane Center issues a hurricane watch when hurricane conditions are possible in an area. The watch is timed to go out about 48 hours before tropical-storm-force winds are expected to arrive, and the NHC explains the reason directly: preparation becomes difficult once winds reach tropical storm strength (sustained winds of 39 mph or more). In other words, the watch is the official signal that your comfortable prep window is closing.

Deadline 2: The Hurricane Warning (About 36 Hours Out)

A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions are expected. It is issued about 36 hours before tropical-storm-force winds arrive. Federal guidance tells people under a warning to finish storm preparations and leave the threatened area if directed by local officials. By the time a warning is issued for your county, a trip to your storage unit is competing with your own evacuation. For most people, the warning is the point where the unit is simply left as it is.

Deadline 3: The Insurance Freeze (Often Earlier Than Either)

This is the deadline almost nobody thinks about. When a storm threatens, many insurers suspend binding, which means they temporarily stop writing new policies or increasing coverage on existing ones. The industry calls this a binding moratorium or binding restriction. There is no single rule for when it starts. It varies by insurer and by state, and in Florida it can take effect statewide when a watch is issued for any part of the state, or even when a storm is named. The freeze generally lifts after the threat passes, but that does nothing for the storm that caused it.

Federal flood insurance works differently but lands in the same place. NFIP policies are not frozen, but a new policy typically carries a 30-day waiting period before coverage begins, with narrow exceptions (such as a policy required as part of a mortgage closing). A flood policy bought when a storm appears in the forecast will almost certainly not be in force when the storm arrives.

What This Means for Your Unit

Put the three deadlines together and the practical rule is clear: every decision about coverage has to be made before a storm exists, and every physical change to your unit should be finished before a watch is issued. The watch-to-warning window is for last checks and for your own safety, not for moving a household’s worth of belongings.

This guide gives no specific advice about which policy to buy or what it should cover. Coverage decisions depend on your policy language, your state, and your situation. What it does give you is the timeline, so that when you do talk to your insurance agent, you are doing it early enough for the answer to matter.

What a Hurricane Actually Does to a Storage Facility

It helps to be concrete about how storm damage actually happens, because each hazard calls for a different kind of preparation. NOAA and the National Weather Service describe the main hazards from tropical systems as storm surge, inland flooding from heavy rain, destructive wind, tornadoes, and high surf. For a storage unit, four of those matter, plus one hazard that official lists do not include: the power outage that follows.

Wind

Wind damage to storage buildings usually starts at the edges: roofing, flashing, gutters, and the roll-up doors themselves. Once a roof panel lifts or a door is pushed out of its track, rain follows. Wind also turns anything loose on the property or on neighboring lots into debris. The National Hurricane Center notes that signs, roofing, siding, and small items left outdoors become airborne during hurricanes, and that damaging winds can carry well inland. Hurricane Charley in 2004 is a common example: it came ashore at Punta Gorda on Florida’s southwest coast and caused major damage far inland.

Storm Surge

Storm surge is ocean water pushed ashore by the storm’s winds, and it has historically been the deadliest hurricane hazard. NOAA notes that surge can travel several miles inland, especially along bays, rivers, and estuaries. For a storage facility near the coast, surge is the hazard that no amount of packing can fully defeat. Elevation and distance from the water are the only real defenses, which is why Section 6 matters so much for coastal renters.

Rain Flooding

Rainwater gets into storage units in three main ways: rising water at ground level that flows under door seals, water driven sideways by wind through door gaps, and leaks from damaged roofs. For drive-up units, the door threshold is the most common entry point. Water comes in at the door and spreads across the floor, so whatever sits lowest and closest to the door takes the damage first.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are the hazard people forget. According to the National Weather Service, more than half of landfalling hurricanes produce at least one tornado. These tornadoes are usually weaker and shorter-lived than Great Plains tornadoes, but they can cause severe localized damage, and they often form in outer rain bands far from the storm’s center. Section 5 covers why this matters for inland facilities.

Power Outages

After a major storm, power can be out for days. That affects anything at a facility that runs on electricity, including gates, lighting, cameras, and heating and cooling in climate-controlled buildings. Section 7 covers what to ask about this before the season, and Section 14 covers what it means for climate-controlled units.

The takeaway is that “protecting a unit from a hurricane” is really five separate jobs. Getting items off the floor addresses rain flooding. Choosing where to rent addresses surge. Nothing a renter does inside the unit will stop a tornado, which is why insurance and inventory matter as much as packing does.

Hurricanes Are Not Just a Coastal Problem: Inland Flooding and Tornadoes

If you store in Raleigh, Durham, Macon, Columbia, Little Rock, or East Tennessee, it is tempting to treat hurricane season as someone else’s problem. The federal data says otherwise.

Inland Flooding Is Where Many Hurricane Deaths Happen

The National Weather Service calls flooding from heavy rain the second leading cause of death from landfalling tropical cyclones, and notes that the torrential rain from these storms often causes flooding hundreds of miles inland that can last for days after the storm itself falls apart. Its own analysis found that since 1970, nearly 60 percent of deaths from tropical-cyclone flooding happened inland from where the storm made landfall.

Storm strength at landfall is also a poor predictor of rain. NOAA points out that even weak tropical systems can drop enormous amounts of water, and that mountainous terrain can intensify rainfall further. The most recent large example is Hurricane Helene in 2024, which NOAA cites as a case of deadly inland flooding. Helene’s worst flooding hit the mountains of western North Carolina and upper East Tennessee, hundreds of miles from where it came ashore in Florida’s Big Bend. An earlier example: when Hurricane Dennis tracked from the Florida Panhandle into Mississippi in 2005, the heaviest rain and flooding fell well to the northeast, in western Georgia and around Atlanta.

Tornadoes Travel With the Storm

Tornadoes are the other inland threat. The National Weather Service notes that tornadoes spawned by hurricanes most often form in thunderstorms embedded in the outer rain bands, well away from the center, and they can keep forming for days after landfall as the storm’s remnants move inland. In 2024, Hurricane Beryl produced more than 60 tornadoes along a track that ran from the Texas coast to upstate New York.

What Inland Renters Should Do Differently

For an inland facility, storm surge is not a concern, but the rest of the prep list applies in full, and a few items become more important:

• Check flood exposure anyway. Inland flooding follows creeks and rivers, and it can hit properties that have never flooded before. The flood map check in Section 6 is just as useful in the Piedmont as it is on the coast.
• Take remnant storms seriously. A storm that has been downgraded to a tropical depression by the time it reaches you can still bring flooding rain. Downgrades describe wind, not water.
• Do not skip the insurance review. Inland renters are the most likely to assume flood coverage does not matter to them, and the most likely to be surprised.
• Watch the whole track, not just the landfall point. Where a storm comes ashore matters less than where its rain and rain bands will go over the next two or three days.

None of this means inland renters should panic. Most storms that reach the interior bring heavy rain and gusty wind, then move on. But the preparation that protects a unit from a coastal storm (items off the floor, sealed containers, a current inventory, and a clear understanding of coverage) protects it just as well from an inland flood. The work is identical and it takes about an afternoon.

How to Check Your Facility’s Flood Exposure Before You Rent or Renew

Location is the only protection that works against every water hazard at once, and it is the one decision you cannot change during a storm. It is worth 20 minutes before you rent, or before you renew for another season.

Look Up the FEMA Flood Map

FEMA publishes official flood hazard maps through its Flood Map Service Center, which you can search by address. Enter the facility’s street address and look at the zone designation. Zones beginning with A or V are Special Flood Hazard Areas, which FEMA considers at high risk (V zones add coastal wave action). Zone X generally indicates moderate or minimal risk. Many state and county emergency management websites also offer local flood viewers that are easier to read than the federal maps.

Keep in mind what the maps can and cannot tell you. Flood maps show modeled risk based on historical data and are updated periodically. They are a starting point, not a guarantee. Plenty of flood claims come from properties outside high-risk zones, and storms like Helene flooded places no one expected to flood.

Check the Storm Surge Picture if You Are Coastal

If the facility is near the coast, check whether it falls inside your county’s hurricane evacuation zones, which are drawn mainly around surge risk. A facility inside an evacuation zone is one you should assume you will not be able to reach once an evacuation is ordered.

Look at the Ground Itself

Maps miss things you can see in person. On your next visit, look at:

• Where the property sits relative to the road. A facility below street grade collects runoff. One above grade sheds it.
• Where water goes. Look for drains, ditches, and retention ponds, and for stains or debris lines on building walls that suggest past standing water.
• Nearby water. Creeks, drainage canals, and low-lying roads nearby are the usual source of rain-driven flooding.
• Your unit’s position. Within the same facility, a drive-up unit at the low end of a sloped lot is more exposed than one at the high end. An interior unit on an upper floor avoids ground-level water entirely.

Compare the Facility With Your Home

The point of this check is comparison. Storage makes the most sense during storm season when the unit is less exposed than your home: farther inland, higher up, or outside the flood zone you live in. If the unit is in the same flood zone as your house, or a worse one, moving belongings there does not reduce their risk. It only moves it. Section 24 covers that situation honestly.

If you are choosing a facility for the season, you can compare 10 Federal locations by state on our unit finder and run each address through the flood map before you rent.

Storm Prep at a Contactless Facility: What Changes When No One Is On Site

Every other hurricane storage guide we reviewed assumes a manager on site: someone who walks the property before a storm, checks that doors are closed, and answers questions at the front desk. 10 Federal facilities are fully automated and have no staff on site. Rentals, payments, and account changes all happen online, and our friendly customer support team handles questions by phone and online.

For storm prep, that model has a few real advantages and a few things you need to plan around. Here is both, plainly.

What Works in Your Favor

• You can rent the moment you decide. There is no office to visit and no business hours to work around, so you can rent a unit online in minutes, day or night, well before a storm forms.
• Access follows your schedule. Nearly all of our facilities offer 24/7 gate access with your personal code, so the setup visit and mid-season check can happen early in the morning or late in the evening, when lots are quiet and traffic is light.
• Your account goes wherever you evacuate. Payments, account details, and contact information all live in the online account portal, so managing your rental from a hotel or a relative’s house works the same as managing it from home.

What You Need to Plan Around

• Nobody will prep your unit for you. No one will move your belongings off the floor, check your lock, or shift boxes away from the door. The inside of the unit is entirely your responsibility, which is why the setup work in Sections 9 through 13 matters so much.
• Nobody can accept deliveries. Our facilities cannot receive packages or shipments. Do not have storm supplies, shelving, or bins shipped to the facility address. Have them delivered to your home and bring them with you.
• Gates run on power. Electronic gates, keypads, and lighting depend on electricity. Before the season starts, ask our customer support team how the gate at your specific facility behaves during a power outage, so you know what to expect if you need to visit after a storm.
• Access may be limited during a declared emergency. Like other facilities, ours may restrict access during mandatory evacuations or when conditions make the property unsafe. Plan to be finished before that point.

Three Account Settings to Check Before June 1

Because communication runs through your account, a few minutes in the portal before the season is part of storm prep:

1. Update your phone number and email. If a facility notice goes out before or after a storm, it can only reach you through the contact information on file.
2. Add or update your emergency contact. The emergency contact field exists so someone else can be reached if you cannot be. During an evacuation, that matters.
3. Turn on autopay. Rent is easy to forget when you are displaced for a week or two. Autopay keeps your account current while your attention is elsewhere, so you are not returning to a billing problem on top of storm cleanup.

The contactless model rewards people who prepare early, and that is exactly what every other section of this guide recommends anyway. If you set up the unit in May and check your account settings at the same time, a named storm should require little more than watching the forecast.

Insurance Before June 1: The Protection Plan, Your Home Policy, and Flood Coverage

Insurance is the part of hurricane prep people put off, and it is the part that matters most if something goes wrong. It is also the part where this guide will be deliberately careful. Coverage depends on policy language, state law, and your specific situation. What follows is general information to help you ask the right questions early. It is not legal or insurance advice, and your agent, your policy documents, and your state insurance department are the authorities.

The Protection Plan at 10 Federal

Every 10 Federal rental includes a protection plan, which is required at checkout at all of our facilities. That means your stored belongings have a baseline of coverage from the day you move in. What matters for hurricane season is the fine print: how the plan treats wind damage, flooding, and damage from named storms, what its limits are, and what it excludes. Read the plan terms you received at signup before June 1. If anything is unclear, our friendly customer support team can point you to the details.

Your Homeowners or Renters Policy

Many homeowners and renters policies extend some coverage to personal property kept away from home, including in a storage unit. Two limits are common and worth checking:

• Off-premises limits. Coverage for belongings kept away from your home is often capped at a fraction of your overall personal property limit. If most of your valuable belongings are in storage, that cap can be much lower than you expect.
• The flood exclusion. Standard homeowners and renters policies generally exclude flood damage entirely. Wind damage and flood damage are often treated very differently, and a single storm can cause both.

Call your agent and ask directly: does my policy cover belongings in a storage unit, up to what limit, and does that coverage include wind, rain, and flood?

Federal Flood Insurance and Storage Units

This is the detail almost everyone misses. A National Flood Insurance Program policy covers personal property at the described location, which is the address listed on the policy’s declarations page, typically your home. FEMA’s standard policy includes limited coverage for property temporarily moved to protect it from an imminent flood, but that coverage is short-term and specific. It is not designed to cover belongings kept in a storage unit for the season. If flood protection for your stored items matters to you, ask your agent specifically what covers property at a second location.

And remember the timing from Section 3: new NFIP policies typically take 30 days to go into effect, and many private insurers pause new policies and coverage changes when a storm threatens.

A Pre-Season Insurance Checklist

• Read the protection plan terms you received at signup and note how they treat wind and flood.
• Ask your agent whether your home or renters policy covers off-premises property, and at what limit.
• Ask specifically about flood for belongings in the unit, and do it at least 30 days before you want coverage in place.
• Consider separate coverage for any single item whose value exceeds the limits you find, or keep that item out of storage entirely (see Section 10).
• Save your policy documents digitally alongside your inventory, so you can reach them after an evacuation.

Build a Storm-Proof Inventory in One Afternoon

If your unit is ever damaged, your ability to file a clear claim depends almost entirely on the documentation you made before the storm. A good inventory is the single highest-value hour of hurricane prep, and it costs nothing.

Step 1: Photograph and Film Everything

Walk the unit with your phone. Take a slow video of the whole space first, narrating what you see, then go back for individual photos. Open boxes that hold anything of value and photograph the contents. For electronics and appliances, capture the brand, model, and serial number labels. For furniture, get a clear shot of each piece from a couple of angles. Close-ups of existing scratches or wear help establish the condition before any storm.

Step 2: Write It Down

Photos show what you had. A written list makes a claim easier to process. A simple spreadsheet or notes file works: number each box or item, then add a short description, the approximate purchase date, and your best estimate of replacement value for anything significant. Match the numbers to labels on the boxes themselves so your list and your unit line up.

Step 3: Save It Somewhere the Storm Cannot Reach

This is the step people skip. If your inventory lives only on your phone, and your phone is lost or damaged during an evacuation, the inventory goes with it. If it lives on a laptop at home and your home floods, same problem. FEMA’s guidance on safeguarding critical documents recommends keeping electronic copies in a password-protected format, either on a portable drive stored somewhere safe or in a secure cloud service. Do both if you can. Email a copy to yourself as a third backup.

Step 4: Gather the Supporting Paperwork

Add digital copies of receipts, appraisals, and warranty documents for higher-value items to the same folder. Include your rental agreement, your protection plan terms, and your home or renters policy. After a storm, having all of it in one place saves days.

Step 5: Keep It Current

An inventory from two years ago is only a little better than none. Update it every time you add or remove something meaningful, and do a quick refresh at the late-July check described in Section 2. Rename the file with the date each time so you always know which version is current.

A Label System That Helps Before and After

Label every box on the top and on at least two sides with its number and a short description. If you need to grab something quickly before a storm, you can find it without unstacking the unit. If something is damaged, you can match the box to its photos and list entry immediately. Our guide to packing a self storage unit the right way covers labeling and stacking in more detail.

What Should Never Be in Your Unit During Hurricane Season

Some items should come out of a storage unit before the season starts, no matter how well the unit is packed. These are the ones where no amount of preparation reduces the risk enough, or where the item is prohibited to begin with.

Original Vital Documents

Birth certificates, passports, Social Security cards, property deeds, wills, titles, and insurance policies belong with you, not in a storage unit. After a storm, you will need them to file claims, apply for assistance, and prove your identity, possibly from somewhere other than home. FEMA and Ready.gov recommend keeping originals in a waterproof and fireproof container you can take with you, or in a bank safe deposit box, with digital copies stored separately. If you need paper backups in storage, store copies, never originals.

Irreplaceable Items

Family photos that exist in only one copy, heirlooms, one-of-a-kind artwork, and anything with sentimental value that no claim payment could replace should be moved to the safest place you have before the season. Often that is your home’s highest interior room, or a relative’s home farther inland. If an item cannot be replaced, the right question is not how to protect it in storage but whether it should be in storage at all. For photos and papers you plan to keep in storage, scan them first, then store the originals in sealed, waterproof containers as described in Section 11.

Jewelry, Cash, and Small Valuables

Small, high-value items are easy to carry and hard to replace. They are also the category most likely to exceed coverage limits. Keep them with you or in a safe deposit box.

Fuel, Propane, and Other Flammables

Gas cans, propane cylinders, kerosene, and other flammable or hazardous materials are prohibited in our units at all times, not just during hurricane season. Storms make the risk worse: a leaking fuel container in a flooded or damaged unit can contaminate everything around it. Store fuel for your generator where local fire codes allow, never in a storage unit.

Food

Perishables are prohibited. Even sealed, non-perishable food is a poor fit for storage during storm season, because a damaged unit attracts pests quickly. Keep your storm food supply at home, where you will actually need it. Stored water is a different matter, covered in Section 16.

Anything You Will Need During or Right After the Storm

Your emergency kit, medications, flashlights, radios, chargers, tools you will need for cleanup, and important keys should not be sitting in a unit you may not be able to reach for days. It sounds obvious, but storage units fill up with generators and chainsaws that owners then cannot get to when they need them most.

A good test for every item: if the unit were inaccessible for two weeks after a storm, would I be in trouble without this? If the answer is yes, it belongs at home.

Packing for Water: Containers, Wrapping, and What Cardboard Cannot Do

If water reaches your belongings, the container is the last line of defense. Packing for storm season is mostly about choosing containers and wraps that buy time against water, even if they cannot guarantee a perfect seal.

Why Cardboard Fails

Cardboard is fine for ordinary storage and it is what most people move with. Against water, it has three problems. It wicks water upward from the floor, so a box sitting in an inch of water soaks well above the waterline. It loses its strength when wet, so stacked boxes can collapse onto each other. And it holds water against its contents long after a flood recedes. For anything that matters, replace cardboard before the season.

Choosing Plastic Bins

• Look for gasketed, latching lids. A lid with a rubber or foam gasket and locking clips resists water far better than a lid that simply snaps on. Bins sold as “weathertight” or “waterproof” are worth the difference for important items.
• Pick sturdy walls. Thin bins crack under stacking weight. If you plan to stack, choose heavier-walled bins and put the heaviest ones on the bottom.
• Stay with one or two sizes. Uniform bins stack stably, which matters if the building shakes in high wind.
• Clear or labeled, your choice. Clear bins let you see contents at a glance. Opaque bins keep light off photos and textiles. Either way, label them on multiple sides.

Double Protection for Paper and Photos

Inside a bin, put papers, photos, and small electronics in sealed zip-top bags or vacuum-sealed bags first. If the bin leaks, the inner bag is a second barrier. For photos, keep them flat and separated so they do not stick together if they get wet.

Wrapping Furniture

Upholstered furniture and mattresses absorb water fast and are among the hardest items to save once soaked. Wrap them in heavy plastic furniture covers or mattress bags, sealed with tape. For wood furniture, wrap the legs and lower portions in plastic first, then cover the rest with moving blankets to prevent scratches. Keep wrapped furniture off the floor as described in Section 12.

Electronics and Appliances

Store electronics in their original boxes inside a sealed plastic bin, or wrapped in plastic and placed high in the unit. Remove batteries from anything that takes them, since batteries can leak or corrode. For appliances, make sure they are completely dry and clean before storage, and store them upright on a raised surface.

A Note on Sealing Everything Airtight

Sealed containers are the right choice for storm season, but make sure everything going into them is completely dry first. Sealing damp items inside an airtight container traps the water with them. Pack on a dry day, and let anything freshly cleaned dry fully before it goes in a bin.

None of these steps make belongings waterproof. They make them water-resistant for long enough that a few inches of water at the door does not destroy everything in the unit, which is the realistic goal.

How to Arrange a Unit So Water Hits the Least Important Things First

How you arrange a unit matters almost as much as what you pack things in. Water in a storage unit behaves predictably: it usually enters at the door, spreads across the floor, and rises from the bottom up. Arrange the unit around that pattern.

Rule 1: Nothing Sits Directly on the Floor

Even an inch of water can ruin boxes, rugs, and furniture legs. Raise everything with plastic pallets, wood pallets, sturdy risers, or freestanding shelving units. A few inches of clearance handles the most common scenario, which is shallow water entering at the door. Plastic pallets hold up better than wood if they get wet, and they do not absorb water.

Use freestanding shelving only, never anything bolted or attached to the unit’s walls. Place heavy items on the lower shelves so the unit stays stable.

Rule 2: Most Important Items Go Back and High

Think of the unit as having zones. The zone nearest the door and closest to the floor gets water first. The zone farthest from the door and highest off the floor gets it last, if at all. Put the items you care about most at the back of the unit, on the highest stable shelves. Put durable items that tolerate water (metal tools, plastic lawn furniture, sealed bins of less important things) near the door and lower down.

Rule 3: Heavy on the Bottom, Light on Top

Stacks should get lighter as they go up. A low center of gravity keeps stacks from toppling if the building takes a hard gust or if a stack’s bottom layer gets wet and weakens. Keep stacks to a height you can reach safely without climbing.

Rule 4: Keep Things Off the Door and Walls

Leave a gap of a few inches between your belongings and the roll-up door. Doors can flex inward in high wind, and anything pressed against them takes the impact. The door is also where water enters, so items touching it are the first to get wet. A small gap along exterior walls helps for the same reasons.

Rule 5: Keep a Path to the Back

If you need to reach something quickly before a storm, or inspect the back of the unit afterward, a narrow walkway down the middle saves you from unstacking everything. It also lets you see the whole floor when you check for water after a storm.

Rule 6: Put Your Grab Items Near the Front

This is the one exception to the back-and-high rule. If there is anything you might want to retrieve on short notice before a storm, like a spare set of tools or a box of supplies, keep it in a sealed bin near the door, raised off the floor. You will be able to grab it in one trip without disturbing the rest of your setup.

Drive-Up vs. Interior Units

Drive-up units open directly to the outdoors, so their doors face the weather and sit at ground level, where water collects. That makes the back-and-high arrangement especially important. Interior units open onto indoor hallways, which adds a layer between your door and the storm. Interior units on upper floors avoid ground-level water altogether, though they depend on the building’s roof. Neither type is immune, and both benefit from the same arrangement rules.

Protecting Specific Items: Furniture, Electronics, Photos, Appliances, and More

Different belongings fail in different ways when water or wind reaches them. Here is item-by-item guidance for what most people keep in storage.

Upholstered Furniture and Mattresses

These are the most vulnerable large items, because foam and fabric absorb water and are very hard to dry thoroughly. Wrap them fully in plastic covers or mattress bags, seal the seams with tape, and raise them well off the floor. Stand mattresses on their long edge on a raised platform if space is tight, and keep them away from the door. If you are storing a sectional or sofa you are not especially attached to, this is a good year to ask whether it is worth storing at all.

Wood Furniture

Solid wood can often survive brief contact with water if it is dried quickly. Veneered and particleboard pieces swell and delaminate and are usually lost once soaked. Raise all wood furniture, wrap legs and bases in plastic, and cover the rest with moving blankets or breathable covers. Store tables with the top facing up so the most visible surface is farthest from the floor.

Electronics

Televisions, computers, audio equipment, and game consoles should go in their original boxes if you still have them, or be wrapped in plastic and placed in sealed bins. Store them on the highest shelves at the back of the unit. Remove batteries first. Keep cords and small components bagged together with the device so nothing gets separated.

Photos, Papers, and Books

Scan anything irreplaceable before storing it (and ideally, keep the originals at home, per Section 10). For what you do store, use sealed bags inside gasketed bins, placed high and at the back. Books should be stored flat or upright in bins, never loose on the floor or on low shelves.

Clothing, Linens, and Textiles

Wash and dry everything completely before storing. Vacuum-sealed bags compress soft goods and protect them from water at the same time. Put the bags inside bins rather than directly on shelves.

Appliances

Clean and fully dry refrigerators, washers, and dryers before storage, and store them upright on pallets. Prop refrigerator and freezer doors slightly open with a towel or block so odors do not build up. Secure any doors or lids that could swing open if the appliance shifts.

Tools and Lawn Equipment

Metal tools tolerate water better than most items, but they rust. A light coat of oil on bare metal helps. Hang or shelve hand tools off the floor, and store power tools in cases on raised surfaces. Gas-powered equipment and fuel containers raise the flammables issue covered in Section 10.

Musical Instruments and Artwork

These are temperature-sensitive, costly, and often irreplaceable. For storm season, the honest recommendation is to keep high-value instruments and art at home or with a relative farther inland. If they must be stored, use hard cases, store them high at the back of a climate-controlled unit (see Section 14 for what that does and does not protect against), and consider coverage for their full value.

Holiday Decorations and Seasonal Items

These are good candidates for the zone nearest the door, because most are durable and replaceable. Put fragile ornaments and anything with sentimental value in sealed bins higher up.

Climate-Controlled Units in Hurricane Season: What They Do and Do Not Protect Against

A lot of storage marketing in hurricane country leans on climate control, sometimes implying it protects against storms in general. We would rather be precise about it.

What Climate Control Does

Our climate-controlled units use heating and cooling to keep a consistent temperature year-round. That protects items that are sensitive to extreme heat and cold, such as wood and upholstered furniture, electronics, artwork, instruments, antiques, and documents. In a Southeast summer, when a standard unit can get very hot, that temperature stability is valuable for those items. That is the benefit, and it is real.

What Climate Control Does Not Do

• It does not keep floodwater out. If water rises into a building, it enters climate-controlled units the same way it enters any other interior space.
• It does not stop roof leaks or wind-driven rain. Those depend on the building’s structure, not its heating and cooling.
• It does not run without power. Heating and cooling need electricity. If the grid is down for days after a storm, expect indoor temperatures to drift toward outdoor conditions until power returns.
• It does not replace the rest of your prep. Everything in Sections 9 through 13 applies to climate-controlled units just as much as to drive-up units.

Where Climate-Controlled Units Can Help in Storm Season

Many climate-controlled units are interior units inside a larger building, reached by an indoor hallway rather than a door that opens straight to the outdoors. That building envelope can add a layer of separation between your door and wind-driven rain, and upper-floor interior units avoid ground-level water. Those advantages come from the building’s layout, not from climate control itself, so ask about the specific unit’s location when you rent.

Climate-controlled units are available at select facilities. Learn more on our climate-controlled storage page.

Who Should Choose One

Choose climate control if you are storing temperature-sensitive items through a Southeast summer, which covers most furniture, electronics, and documents. Do not choose it expecting it to solve a flood or storm problem. For that, location, elevation, and packing are what count.

Vehicles, Boats, and RVs: Storm Prep for What You Park

Vehicles, boats, and RVs face the storm more directly than boxed belongings, and they come with a different prep list. Vehicle, RV, and boat storage is available at select 10 Federal locations, and parking options vary by facility.

Before the Season

• Keep registration and insurance current. We require proof of current registration and proof of insurance for vehicle storage, and that paperwork is also what your insurer will want to see after a storm. Check your auto, RV, or boat policy for comprehensive coverage, since that is usually what covers wind, flood, and falling debris.
• Photograph the vehicle. Add exterior and interior photos, the odometer reading, and the VIN to your storm inventory.
• Remove valuables and documents. Take out anything you would not want to lose, including the original title.
• Keep motorized RVs operable. Motorized RVs stored with us must be operable, and that requirement also works in your favor during storm season: an RV that starts reliably can be moved farther inland if you decide to relocate it ahead of a storm. Keep the battery maintained and the tires inflated.

For Boats

• Strip the windage. Remove canvas, bimini tops, enclosures, and anything else that catches wind.
• Remove electronics and loose gear. Take portable electronics, cushions, and loose equipment home or store them in sealed bins.
• Secure the boat to the trailer. Use the bow strap and additional tie-downs so the boat cannot shift on the trailer.
• Deal with rainwater. Heavy rain can fill an open cockpit and add enormous weight. Follow your manufacturer’s guidance on drain plugs for a boat stored out of the water, and make sure cockpit drains are clear.

For Travel Trailers, Fifth Wheels, and Pop-Ups

• Retract everything. Awnings, slide-outs, and antennas should be fully retracted and locked. Awnings in particular act like sails in high wind.
• Close every opening. Shut and latch vents, roof hatches, windows, and storage compartments.
• Chock the wheels and make sure the tongue jack or stabilizers are set properly.
• Remove external items like chairs, mats, and grills, which become projectiles.

For Cars and Motorcycles

Cars in outdoor parking face the same wind and water exposure as everything else outdoors. Fold in mirrors, remove car covers that could tear loose and damage the paint, and close all windows and the sunroof. If your car is your evacuation vehicle, it obviously should not be in storage when a storm approaches. If it is a second vehicle, consider whether it would be safer at a location farther from the coast.

The Honest Limitation

No outdoor parking space protects a vehicle from a direct hit, surge, or a tornado. If a boat, RV, or classic car is especially valuable to you, the strongest protection is to move it well inland before a storm, which takes planning and a driver. Decide now whether that is your plan, not when the cone of uncertainty appears.

More detail on each type is on our vehicle storage, RV storage, and boat storage pages.

Using Storage as Part of Your Home Storm Plan

Storage is not only something to protect during a hurricane. Used well, it can make your home safer before a storm and your recovery easier afterward. Here are the common ways Southeast households fold a storage unit into their storm plan.

Getting Projectiles Out of the Yard

The National Hurricane Center warns that items left outside become flying debris in hurricane winds. Patio furniture, grills, planters, yard decorations, kayaks, and play equipment can damage your home, your car, and your neighbors’ property. Moving them into a unit for the season, rather than scrambling to tie them down when a watch is issued, takes one job off your storm-day list entirely.

For this use, a small drive-up unit near home often makes sense, since outdoor furniture and grills tolerate a non-climate-controlled space well. Do it in June, not during a watch, and store them near the door where durable items belong (see Section 12).

Clearing Space to Harden the House

Preparing a home for a storm often means moving furniture away from windows, clearing a garage so a car fits inside, or freeing floor space so shutters and plywood can be stored and installed. A unit can hold the overflow for the season.

Moving Belongings Off Flood-Prone Floors

If your home has a ground floor, garage, or basement that has flooded before, moving less-used belongings out of those spaces for the season can reduce your exposure, but only if the storage unit is less exposed than your home. Run the flood map comparison in Section 6 first.

Holding an Overflow Emergency Supply

Some households, especially larger ones, keep a bigger emergency water supply than fits at home. Stored water keeps well in a unit, and our guide to storing water long term covers containers and rotation. The key is to keep your immediate supply (at least several days’ worth) at home, because you may not be able to reach the unit during or right after a storm. The unit holds the reserve, not the essentials.

What Storage Should Not Replace

A storage unit is not a shelter, and it is not the place for your go-bag, medications, documents, or anything you need to evacuate with. Keep the essentials where you are.

A Note on Timing

Demand for storage can rise in coastal markets as a season heats up and especially when a storm is in the forecast. Renting early gives you the widest choice of unit sizes and locations, and it gives you time to set the unit up properly instead of throwing things in during a watch. Because leases are month-to-month, renting in May for the season does not commit you past it.

When a Storm Is Named: The 72-Hour Checklist

If you did the setup work before the season, this section is short. When a named storm threatens your area, the goal is quick adjustments, not a reorganization. Work through this list as soon as your area appears in the forecast cone, and aim to finish before a watch is issued.

As Soon as Your Area Is in the Forecast

1. Check your coverage status. Pull up your protection plan terms and any personal policy. If you were planning to adjust coverage, understand that it may already be too late (see Section 3), but confirm what you have.
2. Confirm your inventory backup. Make sure the latest version of your inventory and photos is saved in the cloud and on a portable drive, not only on your phone.
3. Check your account. Confirm your contact information and emergency contact are current in the portal, and that autopay is on.
4. Decide whether anything needs to come out. If anything irreplaceable is still in the unit, this is the last reasonable moment to retrieve it.

One Short Visit, if You Need One

1. Retrieve anything you will need. Tools for cleanup, a generator (without fuel stored in the unit), or supplies you kept in storage.
2. Look at the floor. Make sure nothing has been set on the floor since your last visit.
3. Move the most important items up and back if they are not already there.
4. Check the door and lock. Make sure the door closes fully and latches, and that your lock is in good condition with no rust or play in the shackle. Every move-in at 10 Federal includes a free lock. If you use your own, a disc-style lock is harder to cut or pry.
5. Take a final quick video of the unit’s interior and the closed, locked door. This is your most recent record of the unit’s condition before the storm.
6. Leave. Do not linger rearranging. Traffic, supply runs, and your home prep all need your time.

What Not to Do in This Window

• Do not start a full reorganization. A half-finished rearrangement leaves more on the floor than you started with.
• Do not bring in new items that need protection unless the unit is clearly less exposed than where they are now.
• Do not have anything delivered to the facility. Our facilities cannot accept deliveries.
• Do not try to seal the door from outside with sandbags or tarps that could block drainage or create a hazard for others.

Once a hurricane watch is issued for your county, treat the unit as finished. Once a warning is issued, your focus belongs entirely on your household and your evacuation plan.

Evacuation Orders and Your Unit: Why You Should Not Go Back

This section is short because the advice is simple: when an evacuation order is issued, do not go to your storage unit. Nothing in it is worth the risk.

Why the Advice Is So Firm

NOAA notes that most evacuation orders are issued because of water, not wind, and that historically more than half of direct U.S. hurricane deaths have come from water hazards. The National Weather Service’s flood guidance explains why: just six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult off their feet, and about twelve inches can carry away a small car. Floodwater can also hide washed-out roads and carry debris, chemicals, and bacteria.

A storage run during an evacuation also puts you on crowded roads heading the wrong direction, and it adds time to your own departure. If conditions are bad enough for an evacuation order, they are bad enough that access to the facility itself may be limited or unsafe.

What to Do Instead

• Evacuate on the timeline officials give you. Follow your local emergency management agency.
• Take your inventory with you, which is easy if it is already saved in the cloud.
• Monitor the storm from where you are. Your account portal and our customer support team are reachable from anywhere.
• Accept that the unit is finished. Whatever you did before the watch is what protects it now. That is exactly why the earlier sections push the work into May and June.

If You Have Not Evacuated but Conditions Are Deteriorating

The same logic applies. Once tropical-storm-force winds arrive, outdoor activity becomes dangerous, and it stays that way until the storm passes. Stay put. Your unit will be there after the storm, and you will be able to deal with whatever happened to it more clearly when you are safe.

After the Storm: Returning to Your Unit Safely

After a storm, the urge to check on your belongings is strong. Wait until authorities say it is safe to travel in your area, and then approach carefully. The hours and days after a storm carry their own hazards.

Before You Go

• Wait for the all-clear. Follow your local emergency management agency’s guidance about when roads are open and safe.
• Remember that flooding can peak late. River flooding can crest days after the rain ends and after the storm has moved on. Check conditions along your route, not just at home.
• Bring what you need. A flashlight, your phone charged, gloves, sturdy closed-toe shoes, trash bags, a few empty bins, and your inventory.
• Consider asking about the facility first. Our customer support team may be able to tell you about general conditions at your facility before you drive over.

When You Arrive

• Look before you walk. Watch for downed power lines, standing water, and debris. Never walk or drive through floodwater, and treat any downed line as live.
• Check the building before the unit. Look for obvious structural damage to the roof, walls, or door frame. If the structure looks compromised, do not open the unit. Contact our customer support team instead.
• Look at the door threshold. Mud lines, debris, or water at the base of the door tell you whether water got in before you open it.
• Photograph before you touch anything. Take photos and video of the exterior, the door, and then the interior before you move a single item. This is critical for any claim.

If Water Got In

• Open the door fully to let air move while you work.
• Treat floodwater as contaminated. NOAA warns that floodwater can carry bacteria, chemicals, and other hazards. Wear gloves and avoid direct skin contact with anything that sat in water.
• Move wet items out so they can dry, starting with the most valuable. Time matters, as Section 21 explains.
• Contact our customer support team to report the damage.

If the Gate or Power Is Out

If power has not been restored, the gate, keypad, and lighting may not work normally. Before you drive over, check with our customer support team about access at your facility.

Documenting Damage and Filing a Claim

If your belongings were damaged, a clear, well-documented claim is the fastest way to recovery. The documentation you gathered before the storm (Section 9) now does its job.

Document Everything Before Cleanup

Photograph and film all damage before you throw anything away. Capture the water line on walls or boxes, damaged items individually, and serial numbers of damaged electronics and appliances. If you must discard something for health reasons, photograph it first and note it on your list.

Match the Damage to Your Inventory

Use your numbered pre-storm inventory to build a list of damaged items. Note each item’s number, description, and whether it is damaged, destroyed, or salvageable. Side-by-side before-and-after photos are powerful evidence.

Notify the Right Parties Promptly

• Report the damage to our customer support team so it is on record with the facility.
• Follow your protection plan’s claim process as described in your plan documents.
• Contact your own insurer if you have a homeowners, renters, or other policy that may apply. Ask how it coordinates with other coverage.

Most policies require prompt notice and set deadlines for filing and documentation. Read your documents for the specific requirements, and do not wait until cleanup is finished to start.

Keep Records of Everything

Save receipts for cleanup supplies, replacement bins, or any costs to move or dry belongings. Keep a simple log of every call and email: the date, who you spoke with, and what they said. Store it all in the same folder as your inventory.

Watch for Post-Disaster Scams

After major storms, state attorneys general routinely warn about contractors, adjusters, and others who take advantage of disaster victims. Be cautious of anyone who approaches you unsolicited, asks for large payments upfront, or pressures you to sign quickly. Verify licenses through your state’s licensing board.

This section describes general steps, not legal or claims advice. If a claim is large or disputed, consider talking to a licensed professional, and your state insurance department can explain your rights as a policyholder.

What to Save, What to Dry, and What to Let Go

When belongings get wet, the clock starts. EPA guidance on water damage says porous materials should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth. That window shapes every decision in this section.

Triage in Order of Value and Speed

Start with the items that are most valuable and most likely to be saved. Move them out of the unit to a dry place where air can circulate, such as a garage, porch, or covered area at home. Items that have been sitting in water for days are less likely to be saved, so prioritize by what can still be rescued.

Usually Salvageable With Prompt Care

• Hard, nonporous items: Metal, glass, hard plastic, and ceramic items can usually be cleaned with detergent and water, disinfected, and dried.
• Solid wood furniture: Wipe it off, let it dry slowly out of direct sun, and watch for warping. Rapid heat can crack wood.
• Clothing and linens: Machine-washable textiles can often be saved if they are washed quickly, especially if the water was not heavily contaminated.

Often Lost Once Soaked

• Mattresses and upholstered furniture: EPA notes upholstery can be hard to dry completely within 48 hours. When soaked by floodwater, these are generally discarded.
• Particleboard and veneered furniture: These swell and come apart and are rarely worth saving.
• Cardboard boxes and their contents: Anything packed in cardboard that sat in water needs individual inspection.
• Food: Discard anything that contacted floodwater.

Special Handling for Photos, Papers, and Books

EPA guidance suggests that valuable water-damaged papers can be frozen, or freeze-dried, which stops further damage and buys time. For photos, rinse gently in clean water if needed, separate them, and lay them face-up to dry. For truly irreplaceable items, consider a professional conservator or document restoration service, and act quickly.

Electronics and Appliances

Do not plug in or power on electronics or appliances that got wet. Let a qualified technician inspect them first. Photograph serial numbers for your claim before anything is discarded.

Protect Yourself While You Work

Wear gloves and sturdy shoes, and consider a well-fitted N95 mask if you are handling items that have been wet for a while. If you have respiratory conditions, let someone else handle heavily damaged items. And if an item is contaminated with floodwater and has little value, letting it go is often the right decision.

Price Gouging, Rent Changes, and Your Rights After a Declared Emergency

Storms create demand for storage, and in some markets that demand has historically led to sharp price increases. State laws address this.

Florida Names Self-Storage Specifically

Florida’s price gouging statute (section 501.160, Florida Statutes) makes it unlawful to charge unconscionable prices for renting or leasing a self-storage facility during a declared state of emergency. The statute uses the average price during the 30 days before the emergency declaration as its reference point, with exceptions for increases that reflect added costs or broader market trends. The Florida Attorney General’s office runs a price gouging hotline during declared emergencies.

Other Southeast States Have Their Own Laws

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas all have price gouging laws that apply during declared emergencies, though what they cover and how they define excessive pricing varies. If you believe you are being charged an excessive price after a declared emergency, your state attorney general’s consumer protection office is the place to report it.

What This Means in Practice

• Rent before the season, not during an emergency. Renting early is the simplest way to avoid storm-driven demand altogether.
• Read your lease terms so you know how rent changes are handled on your rental.
• Keep records of any pricing offers you receive during an emergency.

This section is general information about state consumer protection laws, not legal advice. Statutes change, and your state attorney general’s office has the current details.

How Much Space Do You Need for Hurricane Season Storage?

The right unit size depends on what role storage plays in your storm plan. Here are rough starting points for the most common uses. They are estimates, not guarantees: how much fits depends on how you pack, and storm-season packing (pallets, a walkway, gaps along the door and walls) uses a little more space than packing a unit wall to wall.

Outdoor Furniture, Grills, and Yard Items

A patio set, a grill, planters, and a few yard decorations usually fit in a small unit like a 5x10. If you are adding kayaks, bikes, or a large sectional patio set, a 5x15 or 10x10 gives you room to keep durable items near the door and still keep a path open. Drive-up access makes loading bulky outdoor pieces much easier.

Clearing a Flood-Prone Garage or Ground Floor

Moving less-used belongings out of a garage or ground floor for the season usually calls for a medium unit, such as a 10x10. A heavily loaded garage with tools, bins, and a few furniture pieces can push you toward a 10x15.

Furniture and Belongings During Post-Storm Repairs

If a storm damages your home, storage often becomes the staging area for everything that has to move out while floors, walls, or roofs are repaired. Clearing a room or two usually calls for a medium unit. Moving out most of a house for major repairs usually calls for a large unit, such as a 10x15 or 10x20, and larger homes may need a 10x30. Month-to-month terms let you keep the unit exactly as long as repairs take.

An Overflow Emergency Supply

Cases of water and non-food emergency gear for a household take up surprisingly little floor space. A 5x5 or 5x10 is usually plenty.

Getting a Better Estimate

For a size estimate based on what you are actually storing, try our storage size calculator, or compare dimensions in the storage unit size guide. When you are ready, you can browse available units by size:

• Small units for outdoor furniture, grills, and an overflow supply
• Medium units for a garage clear-out or a room or two of furniture
• Large units for most of a household during repairs

Whichever size you choose, pick the unit’s location within the facility with the same care: higher ground, farther from low spots, and interior or upper-floor where that matters for what you are storing.

When Renting a Unit for Hurricane Season Does Not Make Sense

We would rather you rent a unit that actually helps you than one that does not. Here are the situations where storage is the wrong answer, or at least not the whole answer.

When the Unit Is More Exposed Than Your Home

If the facility sits in the same flood zone as your house, or a higher-risk one, moving belongings there does not lower their risk. It just moves it and adds a rent payment. Run the comparison in Section 6. If you cannot find a facility that is meaningfully less exposed than your home, your belongings may be safer on an upper floor of your own house.

When the Items Are Irreplaceable

No storage unit is hurricane-proof. For heirlooms, one-of-a-kind documents, and anything no payment could replace, the best option is usually to keep them with you or with a relative well inland. Storage is for belongings you want to protect, not for things you cannot afford to lose.

When You Only Need to Tie Down a Few Things

If your only projectile risk is a couple of chairs and a small grill that fit in your garage or can be securely anchored, you may not need a unit at all. A unit earns its place when the volume of outdoor items is too large to manage on storm day.

When a Storm Is Already Bearing Down

Renting a unit and moving belongings in during a hurricane warning puts you on the road at the wrong time and rushes the setup that makes storage worthwhile. If a storm is less than two days out, focus on your home and your family. Storage can help afterward, during cleanup and repairs.

When the Items Are Not Worth the Rent

Before storing a water-sensitive item you are only lukewarm about, like an old mattress or a worn-out couch, compare what storage costs over a season with what the item is worth. For some belongings, donating or discarding before the season is the honest answer.

When a Shed or Garage Would Do

For lawn equipment and durable yard items, a well-built shed or a cleared garage at home may serve you just as well, especially inland. Storage makes more sense when you do not have that space, or when your home is in a higher-risk location than an available facility.

If none of these apply, and you have outdoor items to clear, a flood-prone floor to empty, or a home that needs repairs, storage is one of the most practical tools in a Southeast storm plan.