What to check before a storm, and what to check before you flip a breaker after one. Updated July 2026.
Before Storm Season — Ideally by May
Test your generator or interlock kit now, not during a watch. Run it under load for at least 20–30 minutes. A generator that hasn't run since last season is the wrong time to find out it won't start.
Have a licensed electrician look at your panel if you haven't had one out in a few years — corrosion, loose connections, and aging breakers are exactly what a storm's power surges and outages will find first. See electrical repair & troubleshooting.
Check your panel brand. If it's a Federal Pacific or Zinsco panel, get it looked at before hurricane season, not after — see our guide to why insurers flag these panels.
Confirm whole-home surge protection is installed at the panel. Florida sees more lightning strikes than almost anywhere in the country, and grid power surges during storm restoration are common.
Know where your main breaker is and make sure everyone in the household can find and operate it without you.
Photograph your panel (door open), meter, and any exterior electrical equipment before the season starts — useful for insurance if something is damaged.
If you've been putting off a standby generator, book the estimate in spring. Lead times and installer schedules both get tight the moment a storm enters the forecast.
Right Before Landfall
Charge phones, power banks, and any battery backups.
Unplug sensitive electronics if you don't have whole-home surge protection.
If you have a portable generator, stage it somewhere it can run outdoors, away from windows and doors, once the weather allows — never indoors or in a garage.
After the Storm — Before You Touch Anything
Don't restore power yourself if there's been water intrusion into your panel, meter, or any outdoor electrical equipment. Wet service equipment is a job for a licensed electrician, not a breaker flip.
Downed lines: stay away and call FPL or Lee County Electric Cooperative, not an electrician — that's utility company territory.
A breaker that won't reset, or trips again immediately, usually means a real fault somewhere in the circuit — get it diagnosed rather than repeatedly resetting it.
Burning smell, buzzing, or a warm panel or switch plate after the power comes back — kill the circuit (or the main) and call an electrician. That's not a scheduling decision.
Standing water anywhere near outdoor outlets, the meter, or a generator transfer switch — treat the area as live until a licensed electrician confirms it's safe.
If any of this turns up a problem, request a free estimate and a licensed,
insured local electrician will take it from there.