Prepping in New Orleans
Much of New Orleans sits below sea level, behind levees and pumps. Your plan covers two very different paths: leaving early, or riding out a long, hot outage at home.
- Hurricanes
- Street flooding
- Long outages
Sign up today
The official New Orleans alert and lookup tools. Each takes a few minutes and works even if you do nothing else on this page.
- NOLA ReadySign up for NOLA Ready
Text NOLAREADY to 77295 for the city's emergency alerts. Text ESP to the same number for Spanish.
- City-Assisted EvacuationLearn about City-Assisted Evacuation
The city's free evacuation option for residents who can't leave on their own during a mandatory evacuation. Learn how it works before the season.
Links checked October 2026. Wireless Emergency Alerts reach most phones automatically; these add local detail.
What can go wrong in New Orleans
- Hurricanes and surge
- Levees and floodwalls protect a city that is largely below sea level. Strong storms test them.
- Street flooding
- Heavy rain can outpace the drainage pumps and flood streets within an hour.
- Long outages in heat
- Hurricane Ida in 2021 knocked out power to the whole city, for more than a week in many neighborhoods.
- Boil-water advisories
- Pressure drops in the water system can trigger citywide boil-water advisories.
What that means for your plan
If a mandatory evacuation is called, leave early. If you don't have a car or can't drive, City-Assisted Evacuation picks people up at designated spots around the city, so learn where yours is before storm season.
If you stay through a storm, plan for a week or more without power in heat. Water, a power station for fans and phones, and a generator run only outdoors with CO alarms inside.
Keep purification tablets or unscented bleach on hand. Boil-water advisories are common after storms and pressure drops.
Do these first, in this order
- NOLA Ready alerts
One text gets you official orders and boil-water notices.
Radios and communication guide - Go-bag and documents
Ready to leave early when an evacuation is called.
Go-bags and evacuation guide - Water plus purification
Stored water, and tablets for boil-water advisories.
Water storage and filters guide - Power for a hot outage
Fans and phones for a week or more.
Power stations and generators guide - Battery CO alarms
Generator CO is a leading cause of death after storms.
Power stations and generators guide - A week of no-cook food
Stores may stay closed for days.
Emergency food and cooking guide
Questions
How do I get emergency alerts in New Orleans?
Text NOLAREADY to 77295, or ESP to 77295 for Spanish. You can also sign up online at ready.nola.gov.
What is City-Assisted Evacuation?
It's New Orleans' free evacuation option for residents who can't leave on their own when a mandatory evacuation is ordered. People are picked up at designated spots around the city. Details are on ready.nola.gov.
How ready is your New Orleans home?
The quiz weights every item for hurricane coast risks and shows your top gaps. About 3 minutes, no sign-up.