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Your Friendly Neighbor

Evacuation

A go-bag, a meeting place, and a route are the whole plan, and the zone itself is on the county site.

Written for a household in St. Johns County and northeast Florida. This is a planning aid. Orders, zones, and shelter instructions come from the county and the state.

All guides · One-page card

Before

  • Look up your zone and the county’s evacuation page. Florida Division of Emergency Management says to know your zone and your home before a storm, and to travel tens of miles when you can, not hundreds.
  • Ready.gov and the Red Cross: know where you will go, how you will get there, and where you will stay. Friends or family closest to home, and outside the zone, are the first choice.
  • The Red Cross hurricane page describes a go-kit as 3 days of supplies you can carry, and a stay-at-home kit as 2 weeks. That matches this site’s 3-day and 14-day steps.
  • Pack medicines, copies of IDs and insurance, a phone charger, cash in small bills, water, food, and comfort items for children.
  • Ready.gov: take pets with you, and do not assume a public shelter can take them. Only service animals may be allowed. Line up a pet-friendly place now.
  • Agree on a meeting place and an out-of-area person who can pass messages. Write it down. Practice once.
  • Keep the fuel tank at least half full or the vehicle at least half charged (Florida Division of Emergency Management).

During

  • If an evacuation is ordered for your zone, go. Leave early enough that you are not stuck in the worst weather (Ready.gov).
  • Follow the routes officials recommend. Shortcuts may be blocked.
  • Do not drive into floodwater. Ready.gov’s figure is one foot of moving water to sweep a vehicle.
  • Take the go-bag. Tell your out-of-area contact when you leave and where you are going.
  • Lock the house. Unplug small appliances. Leave the fridge plugged in unless flooding threatens it (Ready.gov).
  • If someone needs a ride, check on them before you go, as long as it does not trap you.

After

  • Ready.gov: check with officials both where you are and at home before you travel back.
  • Bring water and food for the drive. Charge devices first in case outages continue.
  • Avoid downed lines. Report them to the utility. Do not connect a generator to the house wiring.
  • When you are home, air the house out, photograph damage, and use the water and food guides if services are still off.

Checklist

  • Zone and destination written down
  • Go-bag for 3 days
  • Medicines and document copies
  • Pet carrier, food, and a pet-friendly place
  • Meeting place and out-of-area contact
  • Vehicle at least half fueled or half charged

Sources

Official pages only. Open them for the full instructions.