About

About StormPrep

StormPrep is a free website that helps people get ready for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, severe storms, extreme heat and winter storms. Check the alerts for your ZIP code, then work through a checklist made for that threat. It works offline once you've visited and is available in English and Spanish.

Who runs this site

StormPrep was founded by Ryan Knapp, a degreed meteorologist who has forecast, and lived through, numerous landfalling hurricanes and severe weather outbreaks.

In 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated Ryan's hometown of Fort Myers, Florida, and took far too many lives. The storm made one thing clear: an accurate forecast isn't enough on its own. People also need clear, practical steps they can act on while there is still time.

StormPrep was built to close that gap, and to do it for free. Information that can save your life shouldn't sit behind a paywall, a subscription or a sign-up. Every alert, checklist, guide and tool on this site is free to use, print and share, and it always will be. The site is supported by ads, so it never has to charge the people it's meant to protect.

StormPrep is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Weather Service, FEMA or any government agency.

Why it exists

Good preparedness information is available from government agencies and relief organizations, but it is spread across many websites and often written for planners rather than households. When a storm is on the way, people need two things fast: to know what's coming, and a short list of what to do about it. This site puts both on one page, for free, with no sign-up.

Where the information comes from

Weather alerts

Alerts come directly from the National Weather Service's public data service at api.weather.gov, the same source used by weather apps and broadcasters. When you enter a ZIP code, the site finds its approximate location and asks the Weather Service for all active alerts there. We do not edit or rewrite alerts. ZIP code locations come from the free Zippopotam.us service.

Checklists and guides

Our checklists and hazard guides are written in plain language, based on guidance from:

• Ready.gov and FEMA
• NOAA, including the National Weather Service, National Hurricane Center and Storm Prediction Center
• The American Red Cross
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for food, water and carbon monoxide safety

We review every page at least once a year, before the start of hurricane season, and when an agency changes its guidance. Each guide shows the date it was last reviewed.

What this site is not

StormPrep is a preparedness aid, not an official warning system. Alerts can be delayed, and our site or the services it relies on can go offline, especially during major events. Always follow instructions from local officials, and use more than one way to get warnings: Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone, a NOAA Weather Radio, and local radio or TV.

Contact

Found a mistake, have a suggestion, or want to share the checklists with your school, church or neighborhood group? Email us at stormprep.app@gmail.com. The checklists are free to print and share.