Which parts of your daily routine would stop if the power went out, and what would your household need to leave home? For families in Daphne and Baldwin County, answering those questions together makes hurricane preparation more useful. A generator can support selected electrical needs. Your plan also needs clear decisions about communication, supplies and evacuation.
Start with a one-page household plan that everyone can find. Use Baldwin’s hurricane preparedness tips alongside the steps below to connect your backup-power priorities with the rest of your preparations.
Put essential circuits on paper
Walk through the house and write down what you would need during an outage. Describe the equipment, where it is and why it matters. A refrigerator, a hallway light and a place to charge phones serve different purposes, even though all need electricity.
Divide your list into three groups:
- Daily essentials: Refrigeration, basic lighting and the devices you use to receive information or contact family.
- Needs to discuss with an installer: Selected heating, cooling or other equipment you would like the system to support.
- Items that can wait: Appliances and activities you can pause during an outage.
Have a qualified professional match those priorities to the proposed circuits and equipment. A “whole-home” description does not mean every appliance can always run together. Baldwin’s generator installation team can assess your electrical system, fuel supply and installation space, then explain what the recommended system would power.
If anyone uses powered medical equipment, make a separate emergency plan with their care team and equipment provider. Discuss backup arrangements and relocation before an outage; do not make a home generator the only contingency.
Give each person a job before you need to leave
Decide who will gather medications and important documents, who will handle pets and who will contact relatives. Choose where you would go and how household members would reconnect if separated. Keep a printed contact list with your supplies so a dead phone or unavailable internet does not erase the plan.
Charge phones and power banks ahead of hazardous weather. Pack flashlights and the supplies you would take with you. Review evacuation directions from local officials, and leave when instructed. An operating generator does not change the risks from storm surge, flooding, damaged roads or wind.
Use the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service Mobile/Pensacola for weather information. Check advisory times as conditions change rather than relying on an older forecast image.
Check that the equipment matches the written plan
If you already own a standby generator, confirm which circuits it serves and where its instructions are kept. Review the service record and normal status display while conditions are safe. Arrange generator maintenance for overdue care or generator repair for a fault or unusual operation. Do not bypass warnings or repeatedly restart a malfunctioning unit.
Keep the owner’s manual and service contact with your household plan. Ask your installer to explain the manufacturer’s operation and shutdown instructions. Leave electrical compartments, transfer equipment and fuel-line work to qualified professionals, and do not go outside during dangerous weather to inspect the unit.
Include generator safety in the household conversation
Portable generators need an outdoor location at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents, as outlined in the CDC’s generator safety guidance. Direct exhaust away from occupied buildings. Never operate one inside a home, garage, basement or other enclosed space, and keep working carbon monoxide alarms in the home.
Never plug a generator into a wall outlet to feed household wiring. Proper transfer equipment requires professional installation. Permanently installed standby units have their own manufacturer and applicable code requirements for placement and ventilation; the portable-generator distance is not a standby installation specification.
After an evacuation, follow officials’ return instructions and the National Weather Service’s after-hurricane guidance. Stay clear of floodwater and downed lines. Do not operate flooded or damaged generator equipment before a qualified professional has inspected it.
Bring your household priorities to Baldwin
Explore Baldwin’s Generac generator services with your essentials list in hand. Ask which system fits your plan and which offers apply.
$0 down, 0% financing for up to 60 months on Generac Generators
Get up to $1700 off Select Whole Home Generators
Restrictions may apply. See Dealer for Full Details.
Contact Baldwin or call (251) 286-5378 to discuss the circuits your household wants to support and the next steps for installation or service.
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