Hurricane season is here, and if you live in Norfolk or anywhere in Hampton Roads, preparing your home shouldn't wait until a storm is headed our way.
Here in coastal Virginia, hurricane preparation isn't just about boarding up windows and buying bottled water. Flooding, storm surge, heavy rainfall, high winds and power outages can all affect our homes and neighborhoods.
And your yard matters, too.
The way we prepare our landscapes can help protect our property, reduce loose debris and make our yards more resilient to heavy rain.
The City of Norfolk's hurricane preparedness guidance boils preparation down to three simple ideas:
Get a Kit. Get a Plan. Stay Informed.
Here's how we can put those ideas into practice—inside and outside our homes.
🌪️ 1. Know Your Evacuation Zone Before You Need It
One of the most important things you can do before hurricane season is know your evacuation zone and have a plan for where you'll go.
Norfolk currently uses Zones A, B and C. When a storm threatens the city, officials determine which zones need to evacuate based on the anticipated risk, particularly from life-threatening storm surge.
Don't wait for a hurricane to approach before figuring this out.
Know:
- Your evacuation zone
- Where you will go if you need to leave
- How you will get there
- Where your pets will go
- How family members will communicate
- What you will take with you
Norfolk recommends identifying the safest place close to home, which may be with family or friends. Depending on the evacuation order, you may not have to travel far from Norfolk.
🚗 Know Your Evacuation Routes
If an evacuation is ordered, follow posted hurricane evacuation signs and directions from emergency officials rather than relying solely on GPS. Norfolk specifically warns that GPS systems may not follow designated evacuation routes.
For the Southside, the Virginia Hurricane Evacuation Guide identifies routes including:
- I-264 West / I-64
- I-664 North
- U.S. Route 17 North
- U.S. Route 58 West
- U.S. Route 460 West
- Route 10 West
Check your evacuation zone and route before a storm:
Norfolk Evacuation Information & Know Your Zone
Virginia Know Your Zone Map & Hurricane Guide
Save these resources now—not when you're watching a hurricane approach the coast.
🏠 2. Prepare Your Home
Before a storm, take a walk around your property.
Look at your home the way a strong wind would.
What could become loose? What could fall? Where would rainwater go?
Norfolk recommends:
- Bringing patio furniture, garbage cans, bicycles and children's toys inside
- Anchoring items that cannot be brought inside
- Securing windows and doors
- Trimming damaged trees and limbs near structures
- Cleaning gutters and drainage systems
- Securing loose gutters and downspouts
- Moving vehicles to higher ground when flooding is a concern
- Photographing your home and belongings for insurance documentation
🌧️ Don't Forget Your Rain Barrel
If you've invested in a rain barrel, don't overlook it during storm preparation.
Check that your barrel is:
- On a stable, level surface
- Properly secured according to the manufacturer's instructions
- Connected securely to its downspout
- Equipped with a secure lid
- Connected to a properly directed overflow
If your barrel is elevated on a stand, the stand itself needs to be stable and secure.
A full 50-gallon barrel contains more than 400 pounds of water, so don't improvise an anchoring system that could damage the barrel, stand, home or foundation.
If your rain barrel system isn't designed for hurricane-force conditions, follow the manufacturer's recommendations for storm preparation.
🌳 3. Check Your Trees Before the Storm
Trees provide tremendous benefits to our neighborhoods, but damaged or dead limbs can become dangerous during high winds.
Walk around your property and look for:
- Dead branches
- Broken limbs
- Hanging branches
- Damaged trees
- Branches close to your roof
- Limbs near power lines
Norfolk specifically recommends trimming or removing damaged trees and limbs that could fall on structures.
If a tree appears hazardous or requires significant work, don't attempt dangerous tree work yourself. Contact a qualified professional.
And remember: hurricane preparation isn't a reason to dramatically prune every healthy tree in your yard.
Focus on existing hazards and damaged material, rather than trying to make a healthy tree "hurricane proof."
🌱 4. What Should You Do With Your Garden?
You don't need to tear apart your garden every time a hurricane approaches.
Established plants are generally better left in the ground than pulled up or aggressively cut back.
Instead, focus on the things that can actually become hazards.
Bring inside:
- Hanging baskets
- Lightweight planters
- Garden decorations
- Small containers
- Garden furniture
- Loose trellises
- Tools and equipment
Secure:
- Young trees
- Vulnerable shrubs
- Trellises
- Compost bins
- Rain barrels
- Garden structures
Clear:
- Gutters
- Downspouts
- Drainage paths
- Storm drains near your property
- Areas where leaves and debris could block water flow
The goal isn't to make your garden look perfect before a storm.
The goal is to remove hazards and give water somewhere to go.
💧 5. Think About Where the Water Goes
For Norfolk homeowners, hurricane preparation isn't only about wind.
It's also about water.
Norfolk identifies storm surge, heavy rainfall, flooding and coastal flooding among the hazards associated with hurricanes and nor'easters.
That makes the way we manage water around our homes especially important.
Look at your property before the next storm and ask:
Where does the water go when it rains hard?
Does it:
- Run directly toward your foundation?
- Pool in your yard?
- Run quickly from a downspout?
- Overflow onto a sidewalk?
- Collect in a low area?
- Have somewhere to soak into the soil?
These observations can help you identify opportunities to make your landscape more resilient.
🌿 6. Your Yard Can Help Slow Stormwater
A hurricane can produce far more rain than any residential landscape can handle on its own.
But over time, there are ways to make your yard better at slowing, absorbing and filtering rainfall.
Consider incorporating:
🌳 Trees
Trees intercept rainfall through their leaves and branches while their roots help support healthy soil.
🌱 Native plants
Native plants adapted to our region can provide habitat while contributing to a more diverse and resilient landscape.
🌧️ Rain gardens
A properly designed rain garden can capture runoff from areas such as downspouts and allow water to infiltrate gradually.
🍂 Healthy soil
Soil that's covered with plants and organic matter is generally more useful for managing rainfall than compacted, bare soil.
💦 Rain barrels
Rain barrels can capture a portion of roof runoff for later use in the landscape.
None of these solutions will stop a hurricane or prevent serious flooding.
But together, small landscape improvements can be part of a larger approach to stormwater resilience.
🌧️ 7. Don't Forget About Nor'easters
Hurricane season ends November 30—but that doesn't mean Hampton Roads is finished with coastal storms.
Norfolk says nor'easters can occur throughout the year but are most frequent and most violent between September and April. They can bring many of the same impacts as hurricanes, including heavy rain, flooding, storm surge, coastal flooding and strong winds.
That means the work you do now can benefit your property well beyond hurricane season.
A resilient landscape is useful all year long.
🐶 8. Make a Plan for Your Family and Pets
Don't forget the people—and animals—who depend on you.
Before hurricane season:
- Create an emergency supply kit
- Make a family communication plan
- Have a plan for pets
- Know where you will go if you evacuate
- Keep important documents accessible
- Have medications and essential supplies ready
- Identify an out-of-town contact
Norfolk recommends having an out-of-town contact because local phone and cell networks may become overloaded during an emergency.
⚡ 9. Prepare for a Power Outage
Hurricanes can cause extended power outages.
Have flashlights, batteries, chargers and other emergency supplies ready before a storm threatens the area.
If you use a portable generator, Norfolk advises keeping it outside, at least 20 feet from your home and protected from moisture. Never operate a generator inside a garage.
📋 Your 30-Minute Hurricane Yard Checklist
When a storm is approaching, save this list:
Bring Inside
☐ Patio furniture
☐ Lightweight planters
☐ Hanging baskets
☐ Garden decorations
☐ Toys
☐ Tools
☐ Loose yard equipment
Secure
☐ Rain barrel
☐ Young trees
☐ Trellises
☐ Compost bins
☐ Garden structures
Clear
☐ Gutters
☐ Downspouts
☐ Drainage paths
☐ Debris around storm drains
Check
☐ Damaged tree limbs
☐ Roof and gutters
☐ Flood-prone areas
☐ Vehicles
☐ Emergency supplies
☐ Evacuation zone and plan
🌊 After the Storm: Don't Rush to Rip Out Your Garden
Your landscape may look rough after a hurricane.
Branches may be broken. Plants may be flattened. Leaves may be stripped from trees.
Before removing everything, take a closer look.
Some plants that look terrible immediately after a storm can recover.
Start by:
- Removing obvious hazards.
- Checking trees for dangerous damage.
- Removing broken branches when it is safe to do so.
- Checking whether plants are still rooted.
- Giving damaged plants time to recover before replacing them unnecessarily.
And be especially cautious around standing or moving floodwater.
Norfolk advises residents to follow official instructions and stay out of dangerous flood conditions.
🌱 A Resilient Yard Is a Prepared Yard
We can't control hurricanes.
We can't prevent every flood.
But we can prepare.
We can know our evacuation zone.
We can secure our homes.
We can take care of hazardous trees.
We can protect our gardens.
We can manage stormwater thoughtfully.
And we can design landscapes that are better suited to the conditions we experience here in coastal Virginia.
At Root & Bloom Norfolk, we believe a yard can be more than something beautiful to look at.
It can be a place that supports wildlife, conserves resources, manages rainwater and contributes to a more resilient community.
Prepare your home. Prepare your garden. Know your zone. And have a plan before you need one.
Helpful Local Resources
City of Norfolk — Hurricanes & Nor'easters
City of Norfolk — Evacuation Information
City of Norfolk — Before a Hurricane
Virginia Hurricane Evacuation Guide
Sources
Information about Norfolk's evacuation zones, evacuation procedures and hurricane preparation was reviewed against current City of Norfolk guidance.
Information about regional evacuation routes and Virginia's Know Your Zone program was reviewed against Virginia Department of Emergency Management resources.