Hurricane Preparation Cost Calculator
Estimate hurricane preparation costs: window protection, sandbags, roof reinforcement, supplies, generator, and evacuation.
About this calculator
This calculator builds a full hurricane-prep budget by pricing out each major protection category individually and summing them, with costs scaling to the Saffir-Simpson category (1–5) you select. Window protection uses a flat per-square-foot plywood rate — $8/sq ft for Category 1–2 storms, $12/sq ft for Category 3 and above, reflecting that stronger storms typically call for heavier board or professional shutters — multiplied by your total window area (count × average size). Sandbag needs scale directly with storm intensity: the model assumes 2 to 10 rows high around your home's perimeter (indexed by category) at one bag per linear foot per row, priced at $6 per filled bag. Roof reinforcement and tree-trimming costs step up on a fixed schedule by category rather than a formula, reflecting real-world quotes for hurricane clips, strapping, and preventive trimming.
Emergency supplies are priced per person per day at $15, for 7 days at Category 1–2 or 14 days at Category 3+, matching the longer power-outage risk of major storms. Generator and fuel costs only apply if you select "shelter in place"; choosing "evacuate" instead adds gas, lodging (at $120/night), and food costs scaled to a category-dependent number of nights away. All these line items sum into the total preparation cost. Because the underlying figures are rough market averages, not local quotes, treat this as a budgeting starting point — actual costs vary significantly by region, contractor availability before a storm, and how much protective equipment you already own from previous seasons.
Inputs
Results
Total preparation cost ($)
$6,460.00
≈ 6 smartphones
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Number of Windows and Average Window Size (sq ft).
- Select Hurricane Category (1-5) to determine the protection standard required.
- Enter Household Size, Home Perimeter (ft), and toggle Shelter in Place vs. Evacuate.
- Review Total Preparation Cost broken down by shutters, supplies, and evacuation costs.
- Use this estimate to budget annually for storm season readiness.
How the result changes with Home perimeter (ft)
| Home perimeter (ft) | Total preparation cost ($) |
|---|---|
| 80 | $5,020.00 |
| 120 | $5,740.00 |
| 240 | $7,900.00 |
| 400 | $10,780.00 |
What each input means
- Number of windows
- Total windows and glass doors to protect.
- Avg window size (sq ft)
- Average window area in square feet.
- Hurricane category (1-5)
- Expected Saffir-Simpson hurricane category.
- Household size
- Number of people in the household.
- Home perimeter (ft)
- Perimeter of home for sandbagging (typical: 140-200 ft).
- Shelter in place (0=evacuate, 1=stay)
- 0 = Plan to evacuate (adds evacuation costs), 1 = Shelter in place (adds generator costs).
What each result means
- Total preparation cost ($)
- Complete estimated cost for hurricane preparation.
- Window protection ($)
- Cost for plywood or temporary storm panels.
- Sandbags needed
- Number of sandbags for perimeter flood protection.
- Sandbag cost ($)
- Cost for sandbags (filled, ~$6 each).
- Roof reinforcement ($)
- Cost for hurricane clips, strapping, or temporary reinforcement.
- Emergency supplies ($)
- Food, water, batteries, first aid, and essentials.
- Generator cost ($)
- Generator purchase/rental (shelter in place only).
- Tree trimming ($)
- Preventive tree trimming to reduce wind debris risk.
- Evacuation cost ($)
- Gas, lodging, and food costs for evacuation.
- Supply days recommended
- Recommended days of emergency supplies to stock.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersNumber of windows = 12, Avg window size (sq ft) = 15, Hurricane category (1-5) = 2, Household size = 4 = 6 input(s) provided
- Calculate Total preparation costTotal preparation cost = windowProtectionCost + sandbagCost +6460 = $6,460
- Calculate Window protectionWindow protection = totalWindowSqFt * plywoodCostPerSqFt1440 = $1,440
- Calculate Sandbags neededSandbags needed480 = 480
Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators. Built by Paul Gunder, a software engineer, not a licensed financial, medical, or legal professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does switching from Category 2 to Category 3 raise the window protection cost per square foot, not just the total?
The calculator uses a step function on the per-square-foot plywood rate itself: $8/sq ft for Category 1-2 storms and $12/sq ft for Category 3 and above, reflecting that stronger storms call for heavier board, more anchoring hardware, or professional-grade shutters rather than just more of the same cheap plywood. So the jump at the Category 2-to-3 boundary is larger than the smooth scaling you see in sandbag count or supply days.
Why do I get generator and fuel costs even though I don't own a generator yet?
Those two line items only appear when you set 'Shelter in place' to 1 — the calculator assumes that if you're staying home through the storm, you'll need to acquire generator capacity and its fuel to ride out an extended power outage, and it scales the assumed generator cost with hurricane category (from $800 at Category 1 up to $4,000 at Category 5). If you already own a generator, you can effectively zero out that estimate when using the total for budgeting.
How does the sandbag count relate to my home's perimeter?
The calculator assumes one sandbag per linear foot of perimeter per row, with the number of rows required scaling from 2 at Category 1 up to 10 at Category 5 — so sandbagCount = perimeterFt × rows-for-category. A larger home perimeter or a stronger storm both directly multiply the bag count and its $6-per-bag cost, which is why sandbag cost can become one of the largest line items for big properties facing a major hurricane.
Why are evacuation costs sometimes zero in the results?
Evacuation gas, lodging, and food costs are only added when 'Shelter in place' is set to 0 (evacuate); selecting shelter in place skips all three and substitutes generator and fuel costs instead. The two paths are mutually exclusive in this model since a household is assumed to either leave (incurring travel and lodging costs) or stay (incurring power-backup costs), not both.
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