What to Do in the First 72 Hours After a Hurricane
A hurricane opens the building; the days afterwards decide how much of the inside is lost. Every subsequent rain enters through the same opening, soaks insulation and drywall, runs down inside walls, and in Florida temperatures starts microbial growth within a day or two.
The second problem is capacity. After a landfall, demand vastly exceeds the number of legitimate contractors available, which produces long waits for real companies and a wave of operators who are not licensed, not insured, and not going to be here in six months. This guide covers both problems in the order they arrive.
What this covers
- Safety checks before you assess anything, including carbon monoxide
- Why storm water that crossed the ground is treated as grossly contaminated
- Documenting the damage before temporary protection hides it
- Emergency tarping and board-up, and how long they actually last
- How to vet a contractor in five minutes after a storm
- Price gouging and unlicensed contracting, and what Florida law says
Step by step
- 1
Check for hazards before you assess damage
Downed lines, gas smell, standing water near electrical, and compromised structure come before any inspection. Do not walk a roof. If the power is out and you are running a generator, CDC guidance is to use it outside only and more than 20 feet away from any windows, doors, and vents, never in a garage or crawl space, because carbon monoxide is odorless and can be fatal before symptoms appear.
- 2
Treat any water that crossed the ground as contaminated
Storm water and surge are handled as Category 3 under the IICRC S500 standard, grossly contaminated, because they carry soil, sewage from overwhelmed systems, fuel, chemicals, and debris regardless of how clear the water looks. Keep people and pets out of it, do not walk from the wet area into clean parts of the house, and do not attempt cleanup yourself. CDC publishes clean-up guidance for flood-affected homes worth reading first.
- 3
Document from the ground, thoroughly, before anything is covered
Photograph the exterior from all four sides, the roof from ground level or a safe distance, every opening the storm created, the debris line, the exterior grade, and the interior water line on walls and cabinetry. Video a narrated walkthrough with the date. A tarp installed before this has hidden the evidence that the roof was open.
- 4
Record the water line before anything is removed
Mark and photograph how high water reached inside, at multiple points, with something in frame for scale. That measurement defines the removal boundary for a contaminated-water scope, and it disappears the moment demolition starts.
- 5
Get emergency protection in place
Tarp roof openings, board up broken windows and doors, shore compromised structure, and extract standing water. The point is to close the envelope before the next rain, because a building left open accumulates far more damage than the storm itself caused. Keep the written scope and the invoice for every bit of it.
- 6
Check for the damage you cannot see from the ground
Soffit and vent failures are the sneaky ones: from the street the house looks intact while wind-driven rain has been loading the attic. Attic inspection, moisture readings on upper ceilings and top plates, and thermal scanning of upper-floor ceilings are what find an envelope breach that no amount of looking at the exterior will reveal.
- 7
Vet any contractor before you sign anything
Ask for the license number and check it against the state’s public license lookup. Under section 489.128 of the Florida Statutes, contracts entered into by an unlicensed contractor are unenforceable in law or equity by the unlicensed contractor, and unlicensed contractors cannot file liens for their work. Get a written scope and price. Never sign a blank or open-ended authorization.
- 8
Know the price gouging rule
During a declared state of emergency, section 501.160 makes it unlawful to rent or sell essential commodities or services at an unconscionable price, meaning a gross disparity from the average price in the 30 days before the declaration, absent added costs or market trends. That covers goods and services needed because of the emergency and dwelling units necessary for habitation. Keep quotes in writing so a comparison is possible.
- 9
Get drying started, not just cleanup
Removing debris and mopping is not mitigation. Materials that absorbed water need extraction and metered drying to a documented dry standard, and the mold clock is 24 to 48 hours regardless of how long the contractor queue takes. If a crew is stabilizing your property, ask specifically what the drying plan is and whether they are taking daily moisture readings.
The clocks that are already running
- 24 to 48 hours: wet materials dried inside this window usually will not grow mold (EPA).
- Immediately and continuously: carbon monoxide risk while generators are running. CDC advises outside only, more than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents.
- Weeks, not months: how long a roof tarp realistically lasts under Florida sun and wind before fasteners work loose and it fails.
Where this goes wrong
Tarping before photographing. It is the most common documentation mistake after a storm, and it removes the proof of what the storm actually opened up.
Signing with the first crew that knocks. Verify the license and get a written scope and price, and remember that an unlicensed contractor cannot enforce the contract or lien your property, which is small comfort once your deposit is gone.
Assuming floodwater is clean because it looks clear. Clarity says nothing about contamination, and porous materials that absorbed storm water come out rather than get dried.
Waiting for someone to inspect before drying begins. After a mass-casualty storm, the queue can be weeks and the mold clock is two days.
Questions we get asked
- The floodwater looked clean. Do my floors and drywall really have to come out?
- Porous materials that absorbed storm water do, because contamination that penetrated the material cannot be reached by surface cleaning or by drying. Hard, non-porous surfaces are cleaned and kept. Storm water is treated as Category 3 based on where it came from, not on how it looks.
- My roof looks fine from the ground. Could there still be damage?
- Yes, and it is common. Soffit and vent failures, lifted but re-seated shingles, and deck movement can all admit wind-driven rain without being visible from the ground. Attic inspection and moisture readings on upper ceilings are what find it.
- How long can a roof tarp stay on?
- Weeks, not months, and less under sustained Florida sun and wind. Tarps degrade and fasteners work loose, and a failed tarp during the next storm produces a fresh interior loss.
- How do I check that a contractor is licensed?
- Florida publishes a license lookup where you can verify a contractor or a mold licensee by name or license number. Ask for the number before any work starts, and be aware that under section 489.128 an unlicensed contractor cannot enforce the contract or lien your property.
Official sources
Every deadline, percentage, and requirement above comes from one of these. They are all free to read.
- ANSI/IICRC S500, Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration
- EPA, Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings (Chapter 3)
- CDC, Mold Clean-Up Guidelines and Recommendations
- CDC, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics
- Florida Statutes § 501.160, Rental or sale of essential commodities during a declared state of emergency; prohibition against unconscionable prices
- Florida Statutes § 489.128, Contracts entered into by unlicensed contractors
- NOAA National Hurricane Center, Storm Surge Overview
- Ready.gov, Hurricanes
- Florida DBPR, verify a contractor or mold licensee
Last reviewed against these sources on August 26, 2026. These guides are general information about restoration and remediation work, not legal advice or a coverage opinion. Swift Response Restoration Inc is a licensed restoration contractor. We do not file, adjust, negotiate, or handle insurance claims, and we are not an insurer, a public adjuster, or a law firm. Questions about your policy or your claim belong with your carrier, a licensed public adjuster, or an attorney.
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