Jacksonville Hurricane Evacuation Zones and Routes

Duval County splits Jacksonville into six lettered evacuation zones, A through F, with Zone A the first to be evacuated and Zone F covering areas likely to flood from rainfall or other hazards of concern (JaxReady, Evacuation Zones).

The letters are not storm categories. Jacksonville builds the zones with a tiered approach that weighs storm surge, fresh water flooding and isolation, and the city says this moves away from past years where the category of storm was directly correlated with the evacuation zone (JaxReady, Evacuation Information).

Zone A covers the areas most vulnerable to those factors and is the first evacuated, including manufactured homes and mobile homes (JaxReady). As storm effects intensify, the level of evacuation moves from Zone B to Zone E. Zone F is different because it accounts for areas likely to flood from rainfall or other hazards of concern.

JaxReady explains the complexity plainly: the unique interaction of river systems with the Atlantic Ocean makes the Duval County zones more complex than those in most counties. JaxReady adds that the majority of Duval County's low lying areas are along the coast and rivers. The maps were drawn by the City of Jacksonville and Duval County Emergency Management with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, the North East Florida Regional Planning Council and public safety experts (JaxReady).

A Jacksonville address is matched to its zone with the Find Evacuation Zone by Address tool on JaxReady, and evacuation orders for Duval County come from the Jacksonville Mayor's Office.

The city also offers the JaxReady app for iPhone and Android, and the zone map sits beside the address lookup on the JaxReady evacuation zones page. When a storm approaches, local government works with the National Weather Service and other partners to give specific information on which zones need to evacuate, and JaxReady carries a banner listing the zones being asked to evacuate. The City of Jacksonville Beach page states that evacuation orders and instructions for Duval County will be issued by the Jacksonville Mayor's Office, with public instructions coming from the City of Jacksonville Emergency Operations Center (City of Jacksonville Beach). Duval County Emergency Management answers zone and route questions at (904) 255-3110 (JaxReady, Evacuation Routes).

An evacuation zone is also not the same as a storm surge risk map. The National Hurricane Center publishes national storm surge risk maps for the coast, but it warns that this map should not be used to replace the maps used for hurricane evacuation zones, because local and state zones weigh extra criteria (National Hurricane Center). The state agrees on the stakes: the Florida Division of Emergency Management says the greatest threat to life from a hurricane is storm surge flooding (Florida Division of Emergency Management). For a Duval County household the order of authority is simple: the JaxReady zone and the Mayor's order decide who leaves.

Duval County has three major routes west from the Beaches, on Butler, Beach and Atlantic Boulevards, and two interstates to travel north or west.

Residents are sent west from the Beaches community, then through the downtown area to I-10 West until they reach a public shelter, a safe area in the county or leave Duval County; other evacuation zones generally follow the same downtown to I-10 West path (JaxReady, Evacuation Routes). Visitors and non-residents are kept apart from that flow: traffic will be routed from the southern point of entry into Duval County on I-95 North, onto I-295 North, and back onto I-95 North to exit the county.

JaxReady asks every Jacksonville household to settle in advance where it will go and which evacuation route it will take, and to leave with enough gasoline, medicines, maps, contact information, food, water and pet supplies (JaxReady; JaxReady, Evacuation Routes).

Beaches residents leave over the Intracoastal Waterway bridges, which close once winds hold at 40 miles per hour for one minute at the top of the bridge, and return only after the beach cities are assessed.

The City of Jacksonville Beach writes that bridge traffic will be stopped when winds reach a sustained 40 miles per hour for 1 minute (at the top of the bridge), and that the decision to close the Intracoastal Waterway crossings is shared among agencies (City of Jacksonville Beach, Evacuation and Re-Entry). Any vehicle may leave the beach by the route of its choice, though law enforcement may redirect traffic. North of Atlantic Boulevard the city's route runs to Interstate 295 North across the Dames Point Bridge (Broward Bridge). The city adds that there are no public hurricane shelters at the beaches, and that for expected landfall by a Category 1 through 5 hurricane the entire civilian population of Jacksonville Beach will be evacuated.

Getting back onto the island is a separate step. After the storm, the beach cities are assessed and re-entry may come in phases based on health, safety and damage, with curfews possible. Jacksonville Beach says re-entry passes are not required at this time, but a returning resident needs a valid driver's license showing a Jacksonville Beach address or other proof such as a vehicle registration or a utility bill; business owners who live elsewhere can bring a utility bill or similar document (City of Jacksonville Beach).

During a Duval County evacuation order the Jacksonville Transportation Authority gives free rides to open public shelters, and residents with special medical needs must register with the city in advance, every year.

JTA offers two ways to ride: board any JTA bus marked Evacuation Shuttle on a regular route before the announced cutoff time, or go to one of four designated pickup sites (JaxReady, JTA Evacuation Information). JaxReady states that JTA does provide free transportation to open public shelters only.

Jacksonville residents who depend on electricity for life supporting equipment or on oxygen, or who have physical, medical, cognitive or sensory disabilities needing basic help from medical professionals, qualify for the Special Medical Needs Registry (JaxReady, Special Medical Needs Registration). Registration is online or through the Emergency Preparedness Office at (904) 255-3172, and each client must re-register every year; the city sends a reminder at the start of the calendar year. JTA moves registered residents to designated special needs shelters, but registration does not carry over from year to year (JaxReady). A caregiver or family member must accompany the registrant to the shelter, and a Department of Health representative contacts registrants in an evacuated zone to confirm plans and transportation needs (JaxReady).

Three Jacksonville details trip people up: the season's peak runs to late October, the beach city page still uses older storm category wording, and two official lists name different Fletcher schools as Beaches gathering points.

JaxReady puts the Atlantic season at June 1 to November 30 and says the peak runs from mid August to late October (JaxReady, Hurricanes and Tropical Storms). On October 15, 2026, the JaxReady zone page showed the Emergency Operations Center as not activated, but Jacksonville is still inside that peak window.

The City of Jacksonville Beach page says a beaches evacuation is usually called for a Category 1 hurricane or greater (City of Jacksonville Beach). JaxReady, by contrast, says the Duval County zones no longer track storm category, so the zone letter and the Mayor's order are the better guide for a Beaches household. The same Jacksonville Beach page lists evacuation centers at Fletcher Middle School and Jacksonville Beach Elementary, while the JTA list names Fletcher High School at 700 Seagate Avenue in Neptune Beach (JaxReady, JTA Evacuation Information). Fletcher High is the address on the current JTA list, and Emergency Management at (904) 255-3110 can confirm sites before a storm.

Finally, the special needs list resets. Each client must re-register every year to remain in the system, and JaxReady asks families to report the death of a registrant so the list stays accurate (JaxReady).