Hurricane Season Checklist for South Louisiana Families

If you've lived on the bayou for more than a season, you already know the drill — but it never hurts to run through it again before the next storm is actually in the Gulf. This is a practical checklist for South Louisiana families, not a scare piece. Print it, save it, or just skim it once a year.

Before Storm Season Even Starts (June 1)

• Sign up for local alerts. Terrebonne Parish's alert system, Lafourche Ready, and your parish's emergency preparedness office all offer free text/call alerts — sign up before you need them, not during.
• Know your evacuation zone. Terrebonne and Lafourche both use contraflow plans on major routes during major storms. Know which zone you're in and which route applies to you well before a storm is named.
• Photograph your important documents. IDs, insurance policies, deeds, vehicle titles, and any court paperwork — photograph or scan them and store copies somewhere other than your house (cloud storage or with an out-of-town family member).
• Check your generator, if you have one. Test it before hurricane season, not during the first outage. Make sure you also know the carbon monoxide safety rules — generators need to run well away from windows and doors, always.

When a Storm Is in the Gulf

• Fill up on gas early. Lines get long fast once a storm is a few days out.
• Build (or restock) your kit: water (one gallon per person per day, several days' worth), non-perishable food, medications, flashlights, batteries, a battery or hand-crank radio, phone chargers/power banks, and cash — ATMs and card readers don't work in a power outage.
• Check on elderly or disabled neighbors. A lot of storm-related emergencies happen to people who can't easily evacuate or prep on their own — a five-minute knock on the door matters.
• Decide early whether you're evacuating or sheltering in place, and make that call based on your parish's official guidance, not just gut feeling. Mandatory evacuation orders are not optional, and waiting until the last minute puts you on the road at the worst possible time.

A Word on Curfews and Storm-Related Charges

After a major storm, parishes commonly put local curfews in place to protect residents and discourage looting while power and services are being restored. These curfews carry real legal consequences — violating one, or looting during a declared emergency, can lead to arrest and enhanced charges under Louisiana's emergency statutes. It's worth knowing this ahead of time so nobody in your family is caught off guard by it in the chaos of storm recovery.

After the Storm

• Stay off the roads until officials say it's safe — downed lines and flooded roads are more dangerous than they look.
• Document any property damage with photos before you start cleanup, for insurance purposes.
• Check in with family and neighbors, especially anyone elderly or living alone.

More reading: How long does it take to get out of Terrebonne Parish jail? · Contact A1 Affordable Bail Bonds