Hurricane Evacuation Zones in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Fort Lauderdale evacuates in two steps set by Broward County: Plan A clears everything east of the Intracoastal Waterway plus all mobile homes, and Plan B adds everything east of U.S. 1 (Federal Highway) (Broward County Evacuations).

Plan A is the county plan for a Category 1 or 2 hurricane, with storm surge of 4 to 7 feet above sea level and winds of 74 to 110 miles per hour. Under Plan A, every mobile home resident in Broward County, residents beside tidal water or in low-lying areas, and residents east of the Intracoastal Waterway should leave (Broward County).

Plan B is the plan for a Category 3 or stronger hurricane, with surge of 7 to 11 feet and winds of 111 miles per hour or more. It keeps everyone already covered by Plan A and adds all residents east of U.S. 1 (Federal Highway) (Broward County). Mobile homes are never left out: Broward says all mobile home residents must evacuate under Plan A and Plan B and may be ordered out when tropical storm conditions warrant.

A Fort Lauderdale address is checked on the Broward County Emergency Evacuation Map, which the city links from its hurricane page, or on the FDEM zone lookup map run by the state (City of Fort Lauderdale Hurricane Preparedness).

The City of Fort Lauderdale hurricane preparedness page sends readers to the Broward County Emergency Evacuation Information page and the Broward County Emergency Evacuation Map (City of Fort Lauderdale). Because both Broward lines are streets and a waterway, most Fort Lauderdale addresses can be placed by asking two questions: is the property east of the Intracoastal, and is it east of Federal Highway?

The state map uses a different vocabulary. The Florida Division of Emergency Management says its colored evacuation zones are flood zones, that Zone A is typically the most vulnerable and most likely to evacuate first, and that a household outside an ordered zone may consider sheltering in place (Florida Division of Emergency Management). The same FDEM page names Zone E as the last to evacuate in one passage and says zones run from A to F in another, an inconsistency on the state page itself. Broward orders evacuations by plan, so a Fort Lauderdale resident who sees a letter on the state map still listens for Plan A or Plan B in a county order.

Being west of Federal Highway is not the same as being safe. Broward County says that a resident who is not told to evacuate is not necessarily safe at home, because hurricane winds can be very destructive even where the sea does not reach (Broward County), and the Plan A wording also covers residents beside tidal bodies of water and in low-lying areas, wherever they are in the county.

The Broward County Administrator orders hurricane evacuations for Fort Lauderdale, and the city relays the order through Alert FTL and its Emergency Operations Center (Broward County).

Broward says its evacuations are ordered by the County Administrator to protect coastal residents from dangerous storm surge, and the type of plan ordered depends on the severity of the storm (Broward County Evacuations). The Broward County Emergency Hotline is 311 (954-831-4000).

Inside Fort Lauderdale, the Domestic Preparedness and Emergency Management Bureau, listed under Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue, is at 2200 Executive Airport Way, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309, phone 954-828-6700. The city Emergency Operations Center sits at Level 3, monitoring and assessment, under normal conditions; Level 2 partial activation initiates preparations due to a significant threat of a disaster; and Level 1 full activation runs the EOC on a 24-hour schedule due to an imminent threat or occurrence of a disaster (City of Fort Lauderdale Emergency Management).

Alert FTL is the city channel for the order. It is powered by Everbridge, reaches subscribers by phone, email or text, and shows the Neighbor Service Center number, 954-828-8000, on caller ID. The Federal Communications Commission bars Alert FTL from calling a cell phone except in life safety emergencies, so Fort Lauderdale households with only cell phones are told to register those numbers themselves (City of Fort Lauderdale Alert FTL).

Broward County listed one general population shelter in Fort Lauderdale on October 18, 2026, Arthur Ashe/Rock Island at Atlantic Technical College, marked no pets allowed, among 35 county shelters that were all closed that day (Broward County shelter dashboard).

Shelters open approximately four hours after an evacuation is ordered, and Broward tells residents to follow local radio and television or call 311 for openings (Broward County). The county Vulnerable Population Registry page calls general population shelters a refuge of last resort and says the first, best option is to stay with family or friends in the area but outside the evacuation zone (Broward County Vulnerable Population Registry), which, with the Plan B line at U.S. 1, means a host home west of Federal Highway.

Fort Lauderdale pet owners face a drive west or north: no pet-friendly shelter on the Broward list sits inside the city. The county At Risk page says Broward has three pet-friendly shelters, while the dashboard marked four as pet friendly on October 18, 2026; the two Broward pages disagree, and the dashboard is the one that shows live status (Broward County dashboard). Pet-friendly shelters accept dogs, cats, domestic birds, rabbits, gerbils, guinea pigs, mice and hamsters, first come first served, in a carrier or crate, with collars and leashes for dogs and proof of rabies certificates for dogs and cats; service animals are permitted in general population shelters so long as the animal meets the requirements under federal law (Broward County At Risk).

Fort Lauderdale residents with a medical need or without transportation pre-register with Broward County, through the Special Needs Emergency Sheltering and Transportation Program or the Vulnerable Population Registry, before a storm threatens (Broward County Special Needs).

The Special Needs program is for people dependent on electricity for their medical needs or with a condition a general population shelter cannot support. Applications come from the Broward County Emergency Management Division at 954-831-3902 (TTY 954-831-3940); the nursing team at the Florida Department of Health in Broward County reviews the physician section and sends the shelter assignment. Rides to the assigned shelter are coordinated by Broward County Paratransit or the Office of Medical Examiner and Trauma Services, depending on need (Broward County).

The Vulnerable Population Registry serves a different group: people at risk from a disability, frailty or health issue who choose to stay home. Broward says the registry is used by municipalities for planning purposes only and is not a guarantee of assistance; registration is online, through the Broward County Call Center at 311 or 954-831-4000 (TTY 954-831-3890), or through the municipality's emergency management agency (Broward County Vulnerable Population Registry). The At Risk page adds that the registry does not involve sheltering or evacuation transportation (Broward County At Risk).

The two county pages give different numbers for Special Needs sign-up. The At Risk page sends applicants to the Emergency Management Division at 954-831-3902, while the registry page says to register for a Special Needs Shelter and transportation through the Broward County Human Services Department at 954-357-6385 (TTY 954-357-5608) (Broward County Vulnerable Population Registry). Both pages were live on October 18, 2026, so either office is a starting point.

No FDOT Emergency Shoulder Use segment starts in Fort Lauderdale; when activated, the nearest begin at SR 706 in Jupiter on I-95, the West Palm Beach Service Plaza on the Turnpike and US 27 in Weston on Alligator Alley (FDOT Emergency Shoulder Use).

The Florida Department of Transportation lists I-95 northbound from SR 706 in Jupiter to SR 9B in Jacksonville, Florida Turnpike northbound from the West Palm Beach Service Plaza to Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee, and I-75 Alligator Alley in both directions between US 27 in Weston, in Broward County, and Collier Boulevard in Naples as shoulder corridors. Emergency Shoulder Use was first implemented for Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and replaced the former one-way plans, also called contraflow and lane reversal; the shoulders are about two feet narrower than standard lanes, and all motorists except large trucks, buses and trailers may use them (FDOT).

Broward advice for leaving the county is practical: plan the route and book a hotel in advance, avoid routes along the seashore, lakes and canals, get gas at least one or two days before an approaching storm, carry cash, bring insurance papers and leave early while the weather is still good (Broward County).

Coming back can take longer than leaving for anyone east of the Intracoastal Waterway. If Broward gets high winds or surge, bridge re-openings may be delayed while the Florida Department of Transportation or the Army Corps of Engineers, depending on the bridge, runs a mandatory structural survey (Broward County). For Fort Lauderdale households east of the Intracoastal, those bridge surveys can decide when the trip home begins.

Last verified: October 18, 2026, against the Broward County evacuation, shelter, special needs and registry pages, the City of Fort Lauderdale emergency pages and the FDOT shoulder use page.