Every Florida family is told to build a hurricane kit. For a family with an autistic child, the standard list is only half the job. Water, food and a flashlight keep everyone alive. Headphones, a favorite snack, a charged device and a picture card that says "break" are often what keep your child regulated through a long night with no power, a loud shelter or a crowded car. This guide gives you a printable go-kit list that starts with the official Florida and federal lists, adds sensory, communication and safety items, and ends with a simple plan to rehearse the kit before a storm is on the map.
What is a sensory hurricane go-kit, and why does my child need one?
A go-kit is a bag (or a labeled bin) you can grab in minutes if you leave home, and use at home if you stay. A sensory go-kit is the same idea built around your child: the things that help them cope with noise, light, heat, crowds, waiting and changes in routine.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30 each year, according to the National Weather Service. During a storm, many of the things that help an autistic child feel safe can disappear at once: the air conditioning, the night light, the tablet charger, the usual foods, school and therapy sessions. Ready.gov's guidance for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities suggests noise-canceling headphones, sheets and twine or a small pop-up tent to cut down visual stimulation in a busy room, comfort snacks, and handheld devices kept charged and loaded with videos and activities. It also says to plan for children and adults who may have difficulty in unfamiliar or chaotic environments. A go-kit is how you put that advice in one place.
For the bigger picture (when to stay, when to leave, and what to tell your child's school and therapy team), start with our Florida hurricane checklist for families with an autistic child.
What goes in the basic family kit first?
Build the sensory kit on top of the household kit, not instead of it. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) publishes a Disaster Supply Kit Checklist on FloridaDisaster.org. Its core items include:
- Water: 1 gallon per person per day.
- Food: nonperishable packaged or canned food and drinks, snack foods, juices, baby food and any special dietary items to last at least 7 days, plus a non-electric can opener, paper plates, cups and utensils.
- Light and news: flashlights (FDEM says do not use candles), a battery-operated or hand-cranked NOAA Weather Radio, and batteries.
- Cash: FDEM notes that banks and ATMs may not be available after a storm.
- Phones: cell phone chargers and a list of important phone numbers, including your county emergency management office, evacuation sites, doctors, schools and an out-of-town contact.
- First aid: first aid supplies and a first aid manual, hand sanitizer, sunscreen and basic over-the-counter items.
- Documents kept in a waterproof container: insurance cards, medical records, identification and other personal papers.
- Specialty items for infants, small children, older adults and family members with disabilities. This is the line your sensory kit fills in.
- Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children.
Ready.gov's basic kit list adds a whistle, a dust mask, moist towelettes and garbage bags, local maps and a backup phone battery. Use whichever list you like as the base, then add the items below.
The printable sensory go-kit list
Not every item fits every child. Cross out what your child does not use and add what they do. If your child has a calm-down kit at home, copy what works from it; our guide to making a calm-down kit and plan explains how to choose items.
Sensory and comfort items
- Noise-canceling headphones or ear defenders your child already tolerates (shelters, generators and wind can be loud).
- Sunglasses, a cap or hood, or an eye mask for bright or flickering light.
- A light sheet and clips or twine, or a small pop-up tent, to make a low-stimulation corner in a shelter or relative's house (a Ready.gov suggestion).
- One or two comfort objects: a stuffed animal, a familiar blanket or pillowcase that smells like home.
- Fidget items and any chewable items your child already uses safely.
- Preferred snacks and drinks in sealed packs, in addition to the family's 7 days of food. If your child eats only a few foods, pack more of those foods than you think you need.
- A battery-powered or hand-held fan, a cooling towel and light clothing, because a house without air conditioning in Florida heat can be hard for a child with heat or texture sensitivities.
- A tablet or phone with downloaded videos, music and games that work offline, plus a power bank and charging cables.
- A small flashlight or battery lantern your child can hold, so the dark feels less scary.
Communication and routine items
- Your child's AAC device and charger, plus a low-tech backup: a laminated picture board or cards for "help", "break", "bathroom", "eat", "drink", "hurt" and "all done". Ready.gov suggests planning how you will communicate if equipment is not working, including laminated cards with phrases or pictures.
- A portable visual schedule or first-then card. Our guide to visual schedules at home has printable templates.
- A printed copy of a storm social story your child has already read, such as our example hurricane social story.
- A visual timer, if your child uses one for waiting.
- An "About me" card for shelter staff and responders: your child's name, how they communicate, what upsets them, what calms them, whether they may wander or run, food allergies, and two emergency contacts.
Safety items for a child who may wander
- A current photo of your child on your phone and printed in the kit.
- An ID bracelet, shoe tag or clothing label with a contact phone number.
- A bright-colored shirt for travel days, so your child is easier to spot in a crowd.
- A portable door alarm if you will stay somewhere unfamiliar, and a written copy of your family's wandering plan. See our wandering and elopement safety plan and, if your child goes missing, what to do in the first minutes.
Medical and medication items (plan these with your child's doctor)
Medication planning is a question for your child's doctor and pharmacist, not a checklist. These official lists give you a starting point for that conversation:
- FDEM's home kit checklist lists a two-week minimum supply of medication and regularly used medical supplies, a list of allergies, and information about where you get medication, the drug name and dosage.
- FDEM's "What to Take to a Shelter" page lists a 30-day supply of all required medications, copies of prescriptions and dosage information, and the name and phone number of your child's doctor.
- Ready.gov advises talking with your doctor or pharmacist about how to create an emergency supply of medicines and keeping a list of prescriptions.
- If a medicine must be refrigerated, ask the pharmacist now what to do if the power goes out. Ready.gov's power-outage guidance says to have an alternate plan for refrigerating medicines.
Florida law can help with early refills. Under s. 252.358, Florida Statutes, insurers and other entities licensed by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation that cover prescriptions must waive "refill too soon" limits and pay for at least a 30-day supply when your county is under a hurricane warning, a state of emergency declared by the Governor, or has activated its emergency operations center. You need refills remaining on the prescription, and the request must come within the time window the law sets. Many employer plans are self-funded and regulated by federal law rather than the state, so call the number on your card or ask your pharmacist whether your plan follows this rule.
Do not start, stop or change any medicine, supplement or sleep aid because of a storm unless your child's doctor tells you to. If you worry about sleep or anxiety during evacuations, raise it at a regular appointment before the season.
Paperwork
- Copies of insurance cards (front and back) and a photo ID for each adult.
- A one-page summary of your child's diagnosis, doctors and therapists, with phone numbers.
- Contact information for your child's BCBA and therapy provider, and the name of your insurer's care manager if you have one.
- Keep paper copies in a zip-top bag or waterproof pouch, and photos of the same papers on your phone.
How do I rehearse the kit before a storm is coming?
A kit that appears for the first time on the night the wind starts can be one more scary change. A short, calm rehearsal plan lets the kit become familiar. Here is an example plan you can adapt with your child's team. It is an example, not a schedule your child must meet.
- Before June 1: let your child explore the bag. Let them open it, pick a color, put in their own comfort item and pair the bag with something they enjoy.
- Practice the sensory items in ordinary places. Wear the headphones at the grocery store or a school pickup line. Try the tent or sheet corner at home during a favorite show.
- Play "lights out". Turn off the lights for a few minutes in the evening and use flashlights and a battery lantern. Lengthen it slowly if your child is comfortable.
- Read the social story a few times when nothing is happening, then again when a storm is in the news.
- Do a practice trip to the place you would most likely go: a relative's house, a hotel route or the outside of your county's shelter, if your county lists it in advance.
- Practice the "About me" card. If your child can, practice handing it to a trusted adult.
- Refresh the kit each season. Check sizes, snacks, batteries, device content, medicine dates with your pharmacist, and the photo.
Skills like tolerating headphones, waiting, following a visual schedule and staying with an adult are teachable. If they are hard for your child, they can become goals in ABA therapy and parent training.
Should we register for a special needs shelter?
Florida keeps a special needs registry. Under s. 252.355, Florida Statutes, FDEM and each county emergency management agency keep a registry of people with physical, mental, cognitive or sensory disabilities who would need help to evacuate or shelter, using one electronic form linked from each county's emergency management site. Caregivers may shelter with the person they care for, and registry records are confidential. You can sign up through FloridaDisaster.org or directly at snr.flhealthresponse.com.
Registration does not guarantee a special needs shelter space. Each county sets its own eligibility, and special needs shelters mostly serve people with medical needs, such as oxygen or electricity-dependent equipment. An autistic child without medical needs may be directed to a general shelter, which makes the sensory kit even more important. Call your county emergency management office to ask how they handle families like yours. Our guide on how to register for your county's special needs shelter walks through the steps, and evacuating with an autistic child compares shelters, hotels and long car rides.
How can Hope Center help my family prepare?
Storm readiness fits naturally into ABA therapy and parent training. With your input, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) can write goals such as wearing headphones in noisy places, using a picture card to ask for a break, following a portable schedule, waiting, and staying with a caregiver in a crowded room. Every Hope Center program is written by a BCBA, reviewed by our clinical director and delivered by Registered Behavior Technicians, and parents are trained weekly, so you can practice these skills at home before the season starts.
If you would like help building a storm plan into your child's program, contact Hope Center or call 561-337-8865 for a free consultation and a free check of your insurance benefits.