Can You Run a Generator During a Hurricane? | FL Guide
By Joseph Myers · June 5, 2026
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Yes — but how you run it matters. Generator safety rules, placement, and CO risks Florida homeowners should know before the storm hits.
The short answer is yes. But how you run it and what type you have matters significantly. This is not a decision to figure out while a hurricane is making landfall.
Portable Generators Cannot Run Outside During a Hurricane
A portable generator runs on gasoline and produces carbon monoxide. Running one inside your home, garage, carport, or any enclosed or semi-enclosed space will kill you. That is not an exaggeration. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of generator-related deaths in the United States, and Florida sees multiple fatalities after every major storm.
The problem is that running a portable generator outside during a hurricane is also dangerous. At sustained tropical storm or hurricane-force winds, a portable generator becomes a hazard. Rain, flooding, and wind can damage the unit, create electrocution risks from wet connections, and pose a fire risk if the generator is near combustibles.
The guidance from FEMA and the National Weather Service is clear. Once sustained winds exceed 35 to 40 mph, you should not be outside for any reason, including managing a portable generator. At those wind speeds, a portable generator left running unattended outside in driving rain creates additional risks.
If you rely on a portable generator for hurricane backup power, your window to get it running and set up safely is before the storm arrives. Once conditions deteriorate, you lose safe access to it.
Standby Generators Are Built for Exactly This Situation
A Generac whole-home standby generator is permanently installed on a concrete pad outside your home, enclosed in a weatherproof housing rated for hurricane-force winds. When grid power goes out, it starts automatically without anyone going outside. When power restores, it switches back automatically.
You do not touch it during the storm. It runs on natural gas or LP, so there is no fuel to store and no refueling required. The transfer switch is mounted inside your home or in a weatherproof enclosure, and it isolates your home from the grid before the generator powers up, which protects both your equipment and the utility workers restoring your power.
Generac generators are tested to withstand hurricane-force wind conditions. Units we install in Palm Beach County and on the Space Coast are required to meet local wind-load requirements under the Florida Building Code. We position and anchor every installation to meet those specs as part of the standard installation process.
What About Running a Generator After the Storm?
Once winds drop below tropical storm force and it is safe to be outside, you can run a portable generator safely. Keep it at least 20 feet from any door, window, or vent opening. Do not run it in a carport or open garage. Use a battery-operated carbon monoxide detector inside the home.
Even after the storm passes, flooding is a concern on the Space Coast and in low-lying parts of Palm Beach County. Do not operate a generator in standing water or on a surface that is wet from flooding. Generator electrocution from flooded conditions is a documented cause of post-hurricane deaths in Florida.
The Real Issue Is the Week After the Storm
Running a generator during the storm itself is often less of a problem than the week that follows. Extended outages after a direct hit in our service area have lasted seven to fourteen days in parts of Palm Beach County and Brevard County after major storms. In a Florida summer, that means seven to fourteen days with no air conditioning, no refrigeration, and no way to charge medical equipment or keep sump pumps running.
A portable generator can handle some of that. A standby generator handles all of it without any management from you.
If you are in a zone that has experienced multi-day outages, the decision about what type of generator to have is not really about the storm itself. It is about what happens after.
Others Electric Installs Standby Generators in Palm Beach County and the Space Coast
We are an authorized Generac dealer and licensed electrical contractor. We install whole-home standby generators in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Wellington, Palm Bay, Melbourne, Viera, Rockledge, and the surrounding communities.
Generator installations require a permit, which takes one to three weeks depending on the county. The time to call is not when a storm is in the forecast. It is now.
Call us at (561) 567-7929 or request a free estimate at otherselectric.com.