Louisiana: 2026-27 El Niño preparation
In an emergency, or if life is at risk, call 911. Follow evacuation orders and instructions from local officials and the National Weather Service. They override this checklist.
Download the printable checklist (PDF)
Top 10 actions
- Tornado warnings indicate imminent danger; mobile homes and tents are unsafe shelters
- Identify flood-cover gaps before a loss
- Assistance needs advance planning; Medical Special Needs Shelters have eligibility criteria and require a caregiver
- State alert registration
- Most homeowners and renters policies exclude flood damage; waiting until a storm approaches can leave a coverage gap
- NFIP reauthorization statusKey date: NFIP authority runs to Dec 11, 2026. If it lapses, FEMA stops selling and renewing policies but can still pay valid claims. source
- Ready.gov: know your risk for floods using FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, but flooding does not follow lines on a map; where it rains it can flood
- NWS: a Tornado Watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the area, so review plans and check your safe room; a Tornado Warning means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar, so move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows; from a mobile home, vehicle or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter
- Ready.gov: be familiar with alternate routes; choose destinations in different directions; leave early enough to avoid being trapped by severe weather; do not take shortcuts
- Ready.gov: discuss how people in your network can assist each other
Official live tools and local help
- Know that Wireless Emergency Alerts reach WEA-enabled phones in the targeted area without an app or sign-up
- Choose a NOAA Weather Radio with battery backup and SAME alerts; look up your parish SAME code and program it per the manufacturer's instructions; confirm reception
- Sign up for emergency alerts through the 'Get alerts and notifications' link on gohsep.la.gov (it registers you with Smart911)
- Find the NWS forecast office for your area at weather.gov (offices serving Louisiana include New Orleans/Baton Rouge (Slidell), Lake Charles and Shreveport)
- Louisiana 211: dial 211 or text your ZIP code to 898-211 for shelters and recovery help
- Find your parish emergency office in the GOHSEP directory and save its number
- GOHSEP Get a Game Plan: state guides on floods, power outages, pets, disabilities
- If Entergy is your provider: check outage status at myentergy.com/s/outagemap; report emergencies like downed lines via 800-9OUTAGE (800-968-8243)
- If a CO alarm sounds or CO poisoning is suspected, move everyone outside to fresh air immediately and call 911. Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 can also advise
- Learn the difference between a Flood Watch (be prepared) and a Flood or Flash Flood Warning (take action now), and agree what each household member does for each
- Learn the difference between a Tornado Watch (be prepared) and a Tornado Warning (take shelter now), and agree where each household member goes for each
- New Orleans: sign up for NOLA Ready emergency alerts (text NOLAREADY to 77295, Spanish: ESP, or use the online Smart911 sign-up); subscribers receive NWS severe thunderstorm, flash flood, tornado, tropical storm and hurricane warnings
- Agree with neighbors how you will check on each other, especially older or disabled people living alone
Water and food
- Flood can foul tap water; outages hit pumps. Ready.gov says 'several days'; we use 3 days as the minimum
- Keeps the store safe through the Dec-Mar window
- Floods can make tap water unsafe; use bottled water when available
- Road closures and power loss after floods/storms
- Power outages can make refrigerated and frozen food unsafe
- CDC: food that may have had contact with floodwater or storm water may be unsafe to eat, and unsafe food can make you sick even if it looks and smells normal
Power, heat and light
- Outages from Gulf lows and severe storms
- CO is colorless and odorless; outages push people to generators and stoves
- Generator exhaust can cause fatal carbon monoxide poisoning
- CO risk; symptoms: headache, dizziness, nausea, confusion. Move everyone outside to fresh air first, then call 911 or Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
- Ready.gov lists a sleeping bag or warm blanket per person, a complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes as kit items
Flood and storm protection
- Helps prevent floodwater backing up through household drains
- Reduces flood damage
- Flood preparation must not delay evacuation
- Over half of flood-related drownings happen when a vehicle is driven into hazardous floodwater
- Tornado warnings indicate imminent danger; mobile homes and tents are unsafe shelters
- Ready.gov: know your risk for floods using FEMA's Flood Map Service Center, but flooding does not follow lines on a map; where it rains it can flood
- Ready.gov: a full tank helps in an evacuation or power outage; six inches of water can cause a vehicle to lose control or possibly stall
- Ready.gov: be familiar with alternate routes; choose destinations in different directions; leave early enough to avoid being trapped by severe weather; do not take shortcuts
Home preparation
- A household inventory helps support flood-insurance claims
- Flood and storm damage to gas, water, electric lines
- Floodwater can hide live wires; underground or downed power lines can electrically charge the water
- Identify flood-cover gaps before a loss
- Ready.gov: prepare a go-bag you can carry when you evacuate on foot or by public transportation
- Ready.gov lists a first aid kit and a whistle (to signal for help) in a basic kit
Documents
- Ready.gov lists copies of important family documents
- Floods destroy paper
- Household plan: contact, reconnecting if separated, and a family meeting place
- A picture helps if you become separated from your pet
- Local phone networks fail in storms
Children
- Ready-to-feed formula needs no mixing water and is especially important for infants under 2 months, premature infants or those with weakened immunity
- Prepared formula can become contaminated; saliva promotes bacterial growth
- Reduces stress during shelter or outage
- Storms can close schools and roads
- Post-disaster stress in children and adults
Older, disabled and medical needs
- Emergencies can interrupt pharmacy access and prescription refills
- Outage planning for oxygen, CPAP, insulin
- Assistance needs advance planning; Medical Special Needs Shelters have eligibility criteria and require a caregiver
- Check-in plan during outages
- Safety guidance
Pets
- Evacuations and shelter stays
- Keep registration information and other relevant documents in a waterproof container and available electronically
- Shelter policy varies
Alerts and communication
- WEAs do not track your location; they are broadcast from area cell towers to mobile phones within the defined geographic location
- Radio provides an additional alert channel independent of cellular service; reception and transmitter availability still matter
- State alert registration
- Official forecasts and warnings
- NWS: a Flood Watch means conditions are favorable for flooding, which is possible but not certain; a Flood Warning means flooding is imminent or occurring; a Flash Flood Warning means move immediately to high ground if you are in a flood-prone area
- NWS: a Tornado Watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the area, so review plans and check your safe room; a Tornado Warning means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar, so move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid windows; from a mobile home, vehicle or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter
- City of New Orleans NOLA Ready 'Emergency Alerts' page (stay-connected section)
Money and insurance
- Most homeowners and renters policies exclude flood damage; waiting until a storm approaches can leave a coverage gap
- NFIP reauthorization statusKey date: NFIP authority runs to Dec 11, 2026. If it lapses, FEMA stops selling and renewing policies but can still pay valid claims. source
- ATMs fail in outages
- Claim process
Local help
- Non-emergency local help
- Local contacts for emergency planning and parish news. Examples: Orleans nola.gov/ready; Lafayette lafayetteohsep.org; Calcasieu cppj.net; Terrebonne tpcg.org; Jefferson jeffparish.gov; Caddo caddosheriff.org. GOHSEP main line: (225) 925-7500
- Statewide preparedness
- Utility outage reporting. Not every Louisiana home is an Entergy customer; ask your utility for its outage line
- CO poisoning symptoms include headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea and confusion
- Ready.gov: discuss how people in your network can assist each other