Hurricane Prep for Wilmington, NC Homes: A Handyman’s Checklist (2026)

Hurricane Florence sat on top of Wilmington for three days in September 2018. It made landfall as a Category 1 near Wrightsville Beach, then stalled — dumping over 30 inches of rain, flooding neighborhoods that had never flooded before, and cutting the city off from the rest of the state for nearly a week. Thousands of homes were damaged. Many of them didn’t need to be.

The difference between a home that weathers a storm and one that doesn’t usually comes down to preparation that happens months before the first advisory is issued. Not sandbags at the last minute — structural prep, electrical protection, water intrusion prevention, and yard hardening done early in the season when you can still get on a handyman’s schedule.

This is the checklist we use. It’s built from nearly 20 years of pre-storm preparation and post-storm repair work in Wilmington, and it covers everything a homeowner can realistically do before a hurricane hits.

When to Start: The Wilmington Hurricane Prep Timeline

Hurricane season officially runs June 1 through November 30. The peak risk window for Wilmington is August through mid-October. Here’s when each phase of prep should happen:

May – Early June: Structural prep. Roof repairs, gutter reinforcement, tree trimming, surge protector installation, shutter pre-fitting. This is the window when handymen and contractors are still available.

June – July: Systems check. Test sump pump, verify GFCI outlets, check backup power options, inventory emergency supplies, review insurance policy.

When a storm enters the forecast (3–5 days out): Activation. Install shutters, secure outdoor items, fill water containers, charge devices, fuel vehicles.

24 hours before projected landfall: Final steps. Turn off propane, set fridge and freezer to coldest, unplug electronics, photograph your home inside and out for insurance documentation.

The most important thing to understand: once a storm is named and tracking toward Wilmington, you cannot get a handyman, a roofer, or a tree service. Every available crew is booked within hours. The prep that matters is the prep you did weeks or months earlier.

Roof, Gutters, and Exterior

Your roof is the primary barrier between a hurricane and the interior of your home. If the roof fails — even partially — rain and wind enter the attic, saturate insulation, collapse ceilings, and destroy everything below. Roof prep is the single highest-impact thing you can do.

• Inspect shingles. Walk the perimeter and look up. Look for missing, cracked, curled, or lifted shingles. Every exposed spot is a potential entry point for wind-driven rain. Replace damaged shingles now — not when there’s a storm in the Gulf. If you have an older roof with widespread wear, get a roofing professional’s assessment of its storm readiness.
• Check flashing. Inspect flashing around chimneys, vents, skylights, and where roof planes meet walls. Flashing failures are the most common source of post-hurricane leaks in Wilmington homes. Re-seal any flashing that’s lifted, corroded, or pulling away.
• Inspect ridge caps and hip caps. These are the shingles along the peak and angled ridges of your roof. They take the most wind force and are often the first to fail. Make sure they’re fully adhered and nailed.
• Clean and reinforce gutters. Clogged gutters overflow during heavy rain and drive water behind fascia boards and into soffits. Clean them completely. Check that every section is firmly attached — gutters that pull away during a storm become projectiles and expose the fascia to direct water intrusion.
• Inspect soffits and fascia. Damaged soffits give wind a path into the attic. Once wind enters the attic, it pressurizes the space and can blow the roof off from the inside. Replace any soft, rotted, or detached soffit panels. Secure loose fascia boards.
• Seal exterior penetrations. Every pipe, wire, vent, and cable that passes through an exterior wall is a potential water entry point. Re-caulk around all penetrations. Check dryer vents, exhaust fan outlets, and electrical conduit entries. Use exterior-grade silicone sealant.
• Inspect exterior paint and siding. Cracked or peeling paint exposes wood to moisture. Loose siding panels can be ripped off by wind and become debris. Secure loose panels and re-caulk seams. Vinyl siding should be checked for unlocked panels — they slide back into place but come loose over time.

Windows, Doors, and Openings

Windows are the most vulnerable openings in your home during a hurricane. A broken window changes the internal pressure dynamics of the entire house — wind rushes in, pressurizes the interior, and can blow out walls and the roof from the inside. Protecting windows is not optional.

• Pre-cut plywood shutters. Use 5/8-inch CDX plywood cut to fit each window with a 4-inch overlap on all sides. Label each panel for its window. Pre-drill mounting holes and install barrel bolts, panel mates, or heavy-duty wing nuts so shutters can be deployed in minutes when a storm approaches. Do NOT nail plywood directly into window frames — it damages the frame and is difficult to remove.
• Or install permanent hurricane shutters. Accordion shutters, roll-down shutters, and Bahama shutters are a one-time investment that deploy in minutes with no lifting, no ladders, and no last-minute trips to Lowe’s for plywood that’s already sold out. If you’re in Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, or Figure Eight Island, permanent shutters are worth the investment.
• Check all exterior door weatherstripping. Wind-driven rain enters through gaps around doors — especially the bottom edge. Replace worn weatherstripping. Verify that door sweeps contact the threshold tightly. For double entry doors, check the astragal (the vertical strip between the doors) for gaps.
• Reinforce garage doors. Garage doors are the largest opening on most homes and the weakest point during high wind. A two-car garage door that fails lets wind into the house and can cause the roof to lift. Retrofit kits with horizontal bracing are available for most standard garage doors. If your garage door is old and flimsy, upgrading to a wind-rated door is one of the best investments you can make.
• Secure sliding glass doors. Place a plywood panel or commercial shutter over the exterior. On the interior, place a bar or dowel in the track to prevent the door from being pushed open by pressure. If you have impact-resistant film on the glass, it will help contain shattered glass but won’t prevent the break.

Electrical System

Lightning strikes, power surges, downed lines, and extended outages are all part of hurricane season in Wilmington. Electrical prep protects your equipment, prevents fire, and makes recovery faster after the storm passes.

• Install a whole-house surge protector. A surge protector installed at your breaker panel shields every circuit in the house from power surges caused by lightning strikes and grid fluctuations during and after a storm. Power strip protectors at individual outlets are not sufficient — they fail under the kind of surges hurricanes produce. See our electrical repair services for installation.
• Test all GFCI outlets. Every outdoor outlet, bathroom outlet, kitchen counter outlet, garage outlet, and laundry outlet should be GFCI-protected. Press the test button — the outlet should kill power. Press reset. Any outlet that doesn’t trip needs to be replaced before storm season. Water and electricity are a deadly combination during flooding.
• Verify smoke and CO detectors. Test every unit. Replace batteries in battery-operated detectors. Replace any unit older than 10 years. After a storm, gas leaks, electrical shorts, and generator exhaust are all fire and carbon monoxide risks — working detectors are critical.
• Know your breaker panel. Label every breaker in your panel if they aren’t already labeled. Know which breaker controls what. Know where the main breaker is and practice shutting it off. If you evacuate and flooding is expected, turning off the main breaker before you leave prevents electrical fire and makes it safer for crews to enter the area.
• Inspect outdoor lighting and outlets. Loose outdoor light fixtures become projectiles in high wind. Tighten mounting hardware, replace any fixtures that are corroded or wobbly, and verify that all outdoor outlet covers close securely and have weatherproof “in-use” covers (not just flat snap covers).
• Generator safety. If you have a portable generator, test it now — not during the storm. Run it under load for 30 minutes. Verify oil level and fuel condition. Stock fresh fuel. Generators must run outside, at least 20 feet from any window, door, or vent — carbon monoxide from generators kills more people during hurricanes than the storms themselves.

Plumbing and Water

Flooding and power outages create plumbing issues that most homeowners don’t anticipate. A little prep prevents burst pipes, sewer backflow, and contaminated water from becoming secondary disasters after the storm.

• Know your main water shut-off. Locate it, mark it, and make sure it turns. If the valve is corroded or stuck, have it replaced now. A seized shut-off valve during an active pipe emergency is a catastrophe. See our plumbing repair services if yours needs attention.
• Test the sump pump. If your home has a sump pump — and many Wilmington homes should, given the high water table — pour water into the pit and verify the pump activates and drains properly. Check the float switch. If you don’t have a battery backup sump pump, strongly consider adding one. Grid power fails during almost every hurricane, and that’s exactly when you need the sump pump most.
• Check exterior faucets and hose bibs. A damaged or corroded outdoor hose bib can fail under surge pressure or heavy rain infiltration. Turn each one on and check for leaks at the handle, spout, and the wall penetration behind it. Replace any that are corroded or dripping.
• Inspect supply lines under sinks. Corroded or rubber supply lines are the weak link in your plumbing during any high-stress event. If you still have rubber hoses under your kitchen or bathroom sinks, replace them with braided stainless steel lines. This is cheap insurance against water damage.
• Fill bathtubs and containers before the storm. Fill bathtubs with water for flushing toilets during a power outage (the water system may lose pressure). Fill dedicated containers with drinking water — one gallon per person per day for at least five days. Wilmington was without reliable water service for over a week after Florence.
• Consider a backflow preventer. Heavy flooding can overwhelm the municipal sewer system and push sewage backward through your drains. A backflow preventer valve installed on your main sewer line prevents this. If you’re in a flood-prone area of Wilmington — especially near the Cape Fear River, Greenfield Lake, or Burnt Mill Creek — this is worth the investment.

Yard, Trees, and Outdoor Items

Everything loose in your yard becomes a projectile in hurricane-force wind. Everything hanging over your house becomes a threat. This section is about removing danger and reducing debris.

• Trim trees and remove dead branches. Any branch that could reach your roof, windows, siding, or power lines during high wind needs to be removed. Dead branches and dead trees should be removed entirely — they’re the first to fail. Live oaks in Wilmington are generally wind-resistant, but pine trees snap and uproot routinely during hurricanes. If you have tall pines near your house, consult an arborist.
• Secure or store outdoor furniture. Patio furniture, grills, planters, bird baths, decorative items, fire pits, trash cans, and anything not bolted down needs to go inside — garage, shed, or house interior. If it can’t go inside, strap it down with hurricane straps or heavy-duty ratchet straps. A patio chair at 100 mph is a battering ram.
• Secure the shed. Anchor the shed to the ground with concrete anchors or auger-style tie-downs if it isn’t already. Check the door latch — a shed door that blows open lets wind inside and can rip the roof off. Lock it with a padlock or secure it with a barrel bolt.
• Remove or reinforce fencing. Wooden fences act as sails in high wind. There’s little you can do to save a 6-foot privacy fence in a Category 2+ storm, but you can remove loose sections so they don’t become airborne debris. If you have sections already leaning or loose, take them down before the storm does.
• Clear storm drains near your property. Walk the street in front of your house and clear any leaves, pine straw, or debris from the nearest storm drain grate. A clogged storm drain causes street flooding that backs up into yards and crawl spaces. This takes five minutes and can prevent thousands of dollars in water damage.

Interior Prep

• Move valuables off the floor. If flooding is a possibility — and in Wilmington, it always is — move important documents, electronics, photo albums, and irreplaceable items to upper shelves or the second floor. Waterproof containers or sealed plastic bins are ideal.
• Photograph everything for insurance. Walk through every room and take photos and video of your home’s condition, contents, and any pre-existing damage. Open closets, cabinets, and storage areas. This documentation is essential if you file a claim — insurance adjusters need proof of pre-storm condition. Store the photos in cloud storage so they aren’t lost if your phone is damaged.
• Check your insurance policy now. Standard homeowners insurance in North Carolina does NOT cover flood damage. You need a separate flood policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) or a private flood insurer. Flood policies have a 30-day waiting period — you cannot buy one after a storm is forecast. If you don’t have flood insurance and you’re anywhere in the Wilmington area, get a quote this week.
• Set fridge and freezer to coldest settings 24 hours before the storm. A full freezer stays frozen for approximately 48 hours without power. A half-full freezer lasts about 24 hours. Fill empty freezer space with water bottles. Keep the doors closed during the outage.
• Unplug sensitive electronics. Even with a surge protector, unplugging computers, TVs, routers, and other sensitive equipment before the storm eliminates risk entirely. Power surges when the grid comes back online are just as damaging as surges during the storm.
• Identify interior safe rooms. The safest place during a hurricane is an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows — a bathroom, closet, or hallway. Know where this is for every member of the household. Keep shoes, a flashlight, a phone charger, and a weather radio in that room.

Emergency Supply Kit for Wilmington

Wilmington was effectively an island after Florence — roads flooded, bridges closed, and supply chains were cut for days. Your emergency kit needs to sustain you for at least five days without power, water service, or the ability to drive anywhere.

• Water: 1 gallon per person per day, minimum 5 days
• Non-perishable food for 5 days (manual can opener)
• Prescription medications (7-day supply minimum)
• First aid kit
• Flashlights and extra batteries (not just phone flashlights)
• Battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio (NOAA)
• Phone chargers and portable battery banks (fully charged)
• Cash in small bills (ATMs and card readers are down during outages)
• Important documents in waterproof bag: insurance policies, IDs, property deed, medical records
• Fuel: fill all vehicles before the storm. Gas stations lose power and run dry within hours.
• Propane or charcoal for outdoor cooking (never use indoors)
• Tarps, duct tape, and a staple gun for emergency roof covering if shingles are lost
• Bug spray — standing water after a storm breeds mosquitoes fast in Wilmington’s climate

After the Storm: What to Do First

Once the storm passes and it’s safe to go outside, here’s the priority order for assessing and addressing damage:

1. Check for gas leaks and electrical hazards. If you smell gas, leave immediately and call 911. Do not flip light switches or use anything electrical in a flooded home until the main breaker has been off and the system inspected.

2. Document everything before you touch it. Photograph all damage — roof, siding, windows, interior water damage, yard debris, fallen trees — before making any repairs. Your insurance adjuster needs to see the damage as it occurred.

3. Tarp the roof. If shingles are missing or you see daylight from the attic, get a tarp over the exposed area immediately. Tarping prevents further water damage from any rain that follows the storm. Use a tarp that extends over the ridge and is weighted or stapled to the undamaged section of the roof.

4. Remove standing water. If your home has taken on water, begin removing it as quickly as possible. Mold begins growing within 24 to 48 hours in Wilmington’s humidity. Open windows and doors, run fans if you have power, and extract standing water with pumps, wet-vacs, or buckets. If drywall has been saturated, it likely needs to be cut out and replaced — drying it in place often isn’t enough to prevent mold in this climate.

5. Beware of storm-chasing contractors. After every hurricane, unlicensed out-of-state contractors flood Wilmington offering cheap repairs. Many take deposits and disappear, or do substandard work that fails within months. Use local, licensed professionals with verifiable Wilmington addresses and reviews. If someone knocks on your door unsolicited offering to fix your roof, that’s a red flag.

Wilmington-Specific Resources

• New Hanover County Emergency Management: nhcgov.com/999/Emergency-Management — evacuation zones, shelter locations, and real-time updates during storm events
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center: msc.fema.gov — look up your flood zone by address
• National Hurricane Center: nhc.noaa.gov — official storm tracking and forecasts
• Duke Energy Outage Map: duke-energy.com/outages — real-time outage status and restoration estimates
• City of Wilmington Sandbag Locations: Published each season — check the City of Wilmington website when a storm is forecast

Get Your Home Storm-Ready

Most of the items on this checklist are tasks a handyman can handle — roof shingle repair, gutter reinforcement, shutter installation, surge protectors, caulking and sealing, tree limb removal, outdoor fixture securing, and plumbing inspections. The key is doing it early, before a storm is in the forecast and every contractor in Wilmington is booked.

Call (910) 360-8515 or book online to schedule hurricane prep for your home. Our Wilmington handyman services cover every item on this list.

For a full year-round maintenance plan, see our Home Maintenance Checklist for Wilmington, NC Homeowners.

Hurricane Prep FAQs