Insurance Consumer Advocate

Plan Prepare Protect: Are You Disaster Ready?

Disasters are inevitable. Tropical storms and hurricanes are an inescapable part of life in Florida. While you can’t avoid disasters altogether, you can take steps to ensure you’re prepared to withstand the storm and recover as soon as possible.

ICA Carter’s Plan Prepare Protect: Are You Disaster Ready? initiative provides actionable steps to equip you for the impact a storm can have on you and your family’s life. Plan Prepare Protect is your preparedness portal for tips, statistics, pertinent updates and resources – all to help you successfully weather the storm.

Planning is the first step to being ready for a disaster. Have you reviewed your insurance policies yet? Explore our PLAN tips to ensure you have everything covered in your disaster planning.

Take steps now to ensure you are prepared for a disaster later. Take time now to create a home inventory and meet with your insurance agent to be ready in the case of a disaster. Learn more with our PREPARE tips!

Protect your home, personal information and rights. Review our PROTECT tips to learn what you can do to protect your property after a disaster and make sure you do not fall victim to disaster-related frauds and scams.

Mitigation: Decrease the Risk of Damage During a Storm

Make improvements to your home in advance to mitigate damages. Minor changes - shutters, roof attachments, etc. - you make to strengthen your home now may decrease the amount of hurricane damage later.

Review a detailed list of mitigation options that can help strengthen your home and give you added protection against disasters on the Plan, Prepare, Protect: Mitigation Page.

Plan, Prepare, Protect: Mitigation Page

Hurricane Season

AdobeStock_171904873 - Atlantic Hurricanes

Since hurricanes can cause major damage because of storm surge, wind damage, and flooding, it is vital for Floridians to prepare early and stay vigilant throughout the entire season. Below are some key dates to help you PLAN, PREPARE and PROTECT!

Hurricane Season: June 1st - November 30th
Disaster Preparedness 2022 Sales Tax Holiday: May 28 - June 10
Home Hardening Initiative: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2024

Home Hardening Initiative

July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2024

CFO Patronis' Home Hardening Initiative allows Floridians to purchase qualifying impact-resistant doors, impact-resistant garage doors, and impact-resistant windows for commercial or noncommercial use tax-free. The sales tax exemption period begins Friday, July 1, 2022 and extends through Sunday, June 30, 2024.

For more information on the Florida Home Hardening Tax Exemption period, please visit the Florida Department of Revenue's sales tax holiday and exemption periods webpage:

Florida Sales Tax Holidays and Exemption Periods

Eye of the Storm: Hurricane Preparedness Video Series

Go YouTube: Introduction to Eye of the Storm

Eye of the Storm is a 12-episode video series to educate people about hurricanes and connect them with inspiring science. The series is unique in that each episode contains an interactive science demonstration highlighting the topic being discussed. Experts discuss their educational backgrounds and interesting STEM careers, allowing viewers to get a glimpse into their daily lives.

Eye of the Storm was developed in a partnership between the International Hurricane Research Center at FIU, the Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU, Broward County Emergency Management, the City of Fort Lauderdale Emergency Management and the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) in Fort Lauderdale. The series was sponsored by the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM).