living in myrtle beach during a hurricane

Hurricane Season in Myrtle Beach: How to Be Prepared

Living in Myrtle Beach means enjoying ocean breezes, world-class beaches, and a relaxed coastal lifestyle. But if you call this slice of paradise home, it’s important to understand what comes with it—including hurricane season. From June 1 to November 30 each year, residents must stay alert, informed, and prepared to protect their homes, families, and peace of mind.

Whether you’re new to the Grand Strand or a long-time homeowner, this guide will walk you through exactly how to prepare for hurricane season while enjoying the benefits of living in Myrtle Beach.

How to Prepare for Hurricane Season in Myrtle Beach

Step 1: Create a Hurricane Preparedness Plan

Start with the basics: determine your Horry County evacuation zone (A, B, or C). Authorities will issue zone-based evacuation orders depending on storm strength. Know your zone in advance, map out your evacuation route, and have a destination ready if you need to leave quickly. If you have pets, make arrangements for pet-friendly accommodations early, as most emergency shelters do not allow animals.

Step 2: Assemble a Complete Emergency Kit

Every home in Myrtle Beach should have a stocked emergency kit ready before a storm is even on the radar. Your kit should include:

Three days’ worth of non-perishable food and two gallons of water per person, per day
Flashlights, batteries, a battery-operated radio, and phone chargers
First-aid kit, prescription medications, and hygiene items
Cash, important documents in waterproof containers, and clothing

boarding your myrtle beach home for hurricane

Step 3: Secure Your Home and Property

Protecting your home from high winds and flooding is crucial. Trim trees, clean gutters, and secure or store outdoor furniture and decorations. Install storm shutters or board up windows with plywood if a storm is approaching. Check the roof for loose shingles and secure entry points, especially garage doors, to reduce wind intrusion.

Step 4: Review Your Insurance Coverage

If you’re living in Myrtle Beach full-time, understanding your home insurance is a must. Standard policies typically don’t include flood coverage. Look into a separate flood insurance policy and make sure your coverage limits reflect current property values. Take photos or videos of your home’s interior and exterior in advance for claims documentation.

Step 5: Know When to Evacuate

When evacuation orders are issued, don’t wait. Leave early to avoid traffic and worsening weather conditions. Fuel up your vehicle in advance, and have a go-bag ready. If you’re not required to evacuate and choose to shelter in place, stay indoors, monitor local news, and avoid driving through flooded roads.

Step 6: Stay Safe After the Storm

After the storm has passed, proceed with care. Watch for downed power lines, broken glass, and flood-contaminated water. Wear protective gloves and boots when cleaning debris. Take photos of any damage before beginning repairs, and work only with licensed contractors to avoid scams.

Living in Myrtle Beach Means Being Prepared

Part of living in Myrtle Beach is learning how to balance paradise with preparedness. While hurricanes aren’t guaranteed each season, being ready gives you confidence and peace of mind. A little planning now will protect your property, your family, and your lifestyle on the coast.

Final Thoughts

Hurricane season is simply a part of coastal living, and with the right steps in place, you can continue enjoying everything Myrtle Beach has to offer without worry. Make your preparations early, review your plan regularly, and stay connected to local alerts and weather forecasts.

If you’re relocating or considering a move, our team at Myrtle Beach Homes Blog is here to help you find a safe, beautiful home that fits your lifestyle and your long-term plans for coastal living.

Thinking of making a move to Myrtle Beach in the near future? Book a Call with Jeremy to discuss your upcoming move to Myrtle Beach!

Gated homes in the Carolina Forest area are a rather popular option to people looking to purchase in the Myrtle Beach area because of their added advantages. The gates provide added levels of security for your home and are a perfect option for those looking for a second home in the Myrtle Beach area.

Surprisingly, the Carolina Forest area or the 29579 zip code of Myrtle Beach is filled with several gated home communities. When I last checked, there were over 20 different subdivisions in Carolina Forest that are gated.

Now, you might think that in order to have a home in a gated community in Myrtle Beach, you would have to spend top dollar. But that is not the case. You can actually purchase a home in a gated community for as low as the mid 200’s and they can range up to some of the most expensive homes in Myrtle Beach at close to 4 million.

Here’s the current most expensive gated homes for sale in Carolina Forest:

There are plenty of gated home communities that showcase new construction homes. Some of these neighborhoods include Waterbridge, which is not only gated, but also has amazing Waterbridge Amenities has, which we have talked about in the past. Some other amazing communities that are gated & also have great amenities include The Bluffs On The Waterway, Grand Dunes, Carolina Waterway Plantation, & Waterway Palms which are also on the Intracoastal Waterway.

Here are the newest gated home listings in Carolina Forest:

Make sure to bookmark this page as it will update daily as new listings come onto the market and others sell.

Gated Community Benefits

So why would you consider a gated community? The biggest reason people choose to live in a gated community is to give an extra level of security to your home. Some of the neighborhoods have simple gates where you can click a button and enter on your own, others have keypads where you enter a code & others have a bar code scanned to access. There are even some that have 24 hour monitored gates with guards.

By there being a gated entrance, it limits who can and cannot enter a community to just those with the correct access. That is why it is really important to make sure you do not give out access codes to those who shouldn’t have it or you have lost that extra level of security.

This has been an ideal feature for several clients who were purchasing a second home in the area and do not live here year round. They feel more comfortable having more security when out of town. I’ve also had some elderly clients and single parent clients who feel much more secure knowing there is a gate to help protect their dwelling.

Why Wouldn’t You Want Gated Home Communities

So while in Atlanta recently visiting family, I had a conversation with one of my brother-in-laws regarding gated homes to which he simply told me, he wouldn’t want to live in one, so I obviously asked him what the reasons were. He simply responded, it’s too difficult. So as we continued to talk, it became apparent the reasons why he did not want to live in one which I will share below.

Extra time entering or leaving neighborhood. He said he didn’t want to have to open his window every time he was entering his neighborhood just to get in and the idea having to do this in freezing gold weather, rain, or other ugly weather situations had zero appeal to him. Also, the fact that it would increase his time in the car was a turn off.
Access for friends. I had never thought about this one that much, but after he explained the reason it did make some sense. He is constantly having friends over to his home and didn’t want to always have his phone in his hand during a gathering to page in people trying to come over to visit, or the need to have to call a guard gate ahead to add friends onto a list with their make & model of vehicle.
The “Exclusivity” status. He also felt that some that live in gated home communities feel that because they live in these neighborhoods with gates that they are “better” or more “exclusive” that those not living in them and that he did not want to ever be given this type of label.
H.O. No Way! He also then shared that the other main reason a gated neighborhood would not appeal to him is that he knew if he lived in one it would be a neighborhood with some sort of HOA that would limit what he could or could not do with his home. As I’ve shared in the past, there are benefits & disadvantages to an homeowners association.

I hope that you found this information on Gated Homes in Carolina Forest valuable. If you need additional information, do not hesitate to contact me.