Planning for an Evacuation

Evacuations are more common than many people realize. Fires and floods cause evacuations most frequently, and residents along the coast will need to evacuate when a hurricane approaches. Listen to local officials for evacuation orders and relevant information, and do as directed.

The amount of time you have will depend on the hazard. For a hurricane, you might have a day or two to get ready. However, many disasters allow no time for people to gather even the most basic necessities, which is why planning ahead is essential.

Evacuation Routes

Know your primary and alternate evacuation routes; choose several destinations in different directions so you have options in an emergency.

Evacuate early.

Travel tens of miles, not hundreds of miles, and shelter locally.

Choose a sturdy home or hotel outside of the evacuation zone, or a public shelter.

Remember, shelter openings are incident-specific – so tune into the local news, radio, social media, or contact the Community Information Hotline (2-1-1) for open shelter locations.

Transportation Assistance to a Shelter

Transportation is free to all Special Needs and primary evacuation shelters, and will be provided to residents who register a transportation request either as a part of a special needs application or if a resident has no means of transport to a shelter. Transportation will only be provided to and from a shelter. No other destinations will be provided.

Stay or Go?

Type your address into the white box with the magnifying glass below to see what your zone is, then click the legend icon to the left of the search box for the zone letter.

Zone A (Red): When an Atlantic-approaching hurricane threatens Brevard County, a mandatory evacuation will be called for Zone A, which includes the barrier islands, Merritt Island and some mainland low-lying areas. In addition, those who live in mobile or manufactured homes, or in low-lying or flood-prone areas are also vulnerable and should also evacuate, whether on the mainland or the barrier islands.

All portions of the islands are included in an evacuation due to storm surge which can affect causeway and bridge approaches, making it impossible for vehicles to access. In addition, it is not safe for high-profile vehicles, like fire trucks or ambulances, to traverse bridges when wind speed exceeds 40 MPH. Storm surge zones are based on scientific information from the National Hurricane Center and the most recent Statewide Regional Evacuation Study. Storm surge depends on a number of different factors and is incident specific.