The most common mistake I would think is to not get started collecting what you have. Most people have what they need to survive 3 days in their home or nearly. Start with what you have and get going!

Another common mistake is overdoing it. Your goal here is survival. You can live without deodorant. You can live without food for three days (granted, we wouldn’t want to). But, the point is, you don’t need a stocked mobile home to survive. Think simple and survival, then make it more comfortable later.

Recognize that you are actually preparing for 2 things. 1–evacuation (this is what you need your kit for–your home becomes unsafe)
2–sheltering at your home: power outage, water out, stuck inside your home for whatever reason.

These needs are different. Start with 72 hr survival kit, then work up to surviving a week in your home with no power, water, etc.
For people with wells, no power = no water.
For example: A generator has no place in a 72 hr kit, but might solve a lot of problems when sheltering at home for a longer time period.

Not trusting yourself
You know best what you and your family need. If you don’t, keep track of everything you use for a few days. Then, simplify it to what you actually need to survive. Take care to include baby, hygiene, medical, weather, important papers, etc.

Use a list, but more importantly, use your brain and trust yourself. No one has everything they need handy in an emergency, but hopefully we will have something to share as well. Together neighbors will work together. Do your part. START

Not Gathering Reliable information:

Talk to people who have lived through several hurricanes. Talk to long time neighbors. Visit Red Cross and Government hurricane preparedness websites. Find out what they know. Get tips from experience. Get tips from people who live in your similar type of home and location. Get tips from people with a similar family set up. Get tips from community emergency resources. Take the time to find out what you don’t know, especially if you are new to the area.

Assuming one hurricane is like another
There are several classifications of hurricanes all with different risks. If you made it through a category 1 sheltering at home, don’t assume a category 4 will be the same.

Not checking the News or Weather

Don’t blindly head home during hurricane season without checking the weather. I often joke that I was on a ship during a hurricane. It is true only because I was headed straight into hurricane Charley after a trip to visit family out of state. If my husband hadn’t warned me, I would have been driving right into it. Thankfully he contacted me in time and we stayed in Alabama and visited the battleship there for a day while avoiding the storm.