You are in: Front page / Storm Season
Section · June 1 to November 30
Storm Season at Home: Water, Wells, Septic and Generators
Hurricane plumbing prep in Florida comes down to four jobs: store water and know your shutoff, follow boil notices, treat a flooded well or septic tank with care, and keep generators outside.
In this section
Before a Hurricane: Getting the House's Water Ready
Hurricane plumbing prep means storing at least a gallon of water per person per day, knowing how to close your main shutoff, and knowing how to draw on the water heater tank.
Under a Boil Water Notice: What It Asks of You
A boil water notice means bringing tap water to a rolling boil for one minute before you drink it or brush your teeth with it, or using bottled water, until your utility lifts the notice.
When Floodwater Reaches the Well or the Septic Tank
After a flood, don't drink well water until the well has been disinfected and tested, and don't pump a septic tank while the ground is saturated. Cut water use and call the county health department.
Generators and Carbon Monoxide: Keep the Engine Outside
Generator carbon monoxide safety starts with placement: run it outdoors, at least 20 feet from the house, windows, doors and vents, and never in a garage, even with the door open.
Every year from June 1 to November 30, households from Sanford down to Orlando keep one eye on the tropics. The National Hurricane Center puts the peak of the Atlantic season on September 10, with most activity falling between mid-August and mid-October. That busy stretch arrives after a summer of afternoon rain, when the ground around Lake Jesup and the Wekiva is already wet.
This section gathers the plumbing side of storm season in one place. None of it needs special tools. Most of it is about knowing where things are and what not to do while the lights are out.
Before the wind picks up
Start with what to do before a hurricane. That story covers how much drinking water to set aside, how to find and close the main shutoff, and how the water heater tank can serve as a reserve if the taps go bad. It also explains why Peoples Gas asks customers to leave the gas meter on during a storm, and what to do instead if you ever smell gas: leave the house first and call from outside.
When the tap water is in doubt
If your utility issues a notice after the storm, our page on boil-water notices walks through the one-minute rolling boil, the bleach method for when you can't boil, and the small stuff people forget, like ice makers and toothbrushes.
Homes east of Lake Jesup, around Geneva, Chuluota and Black Hammock, and anyone else on a private well or septic tank, should read flooded wells and septic before using either system again. The short version: don't drink well water until the well has been disinfected and tested, and don't pump a septic tank while the ground is still saturated.
When the power stays out
Portable generators keep the fridge cold, and they also make carbon monoxide. The story on generators and carbon monoxide covers placement outdoors and well away from the house, where CO alarms belong, and what to do if one sounds: everybody out first; the calls to 911, and to the gas company in a house with gas appliances, are made from the yard.
Heavy rain is also one of the triggers the Florida Geological Survey lists for sinkholes. If a hole opens in the yard after a storm, see sinkholes and pipes.