Hurricane Evacuation in Florida: Zones, Decisions and Shelters

Type the address into the map on FDEM's zone lookup page; a colored area marks an evacuation zone, which FDEM describes as a flood zone (FDEM zone lookup).

The letters rank risk. Typically Zone A is the most vulnerable and the most likely to evacuate first (FDEM). The page carries two versions of the last letter: its instructions say Zone E is most likely to evacuate last, while its questions section says zones are designated from A to F with Zone F last (FDEM).

Not every county has zones. FDEM states that coastal counties are susceptible to storm surge, that most coastal counties have designated evacuation zones and that interior counties do not (FDEM Disaster Preparedness Maps). FDEM also notes that not all evacuation zones are always ordered (FDEM).

FDEM's rule is that anyone in an ordered evacuation zone, a low-lying flood-prone area or a mobile home should follow evacuation orders, because storm surge flooding is the greatest threat to life from a hurricane (FDEM zone lookup).

Staying home depends on the building. FDEM puts the responsibility on the homeowner to know whether a home can withstand a hurricane, and says homes built after 2002 generally include features that make them more resilient (FDEM). The deciding voice in a storm is local: FDEM tells Florida residents to always heed the advice and orders of local officials (FDEM), and its map page says the local emergency management program should always be consulted on evacuation orders (FDEM).

FDEM advises leaving before local officials issue an order if possible, and going tens of miles rather than hundreds, preferably within the same county (FDEM evacuation plan page).

The reason is time on the road: even a slight delay in starting an evacuation results in significantly longer travel times as traffic congestion worsens (FDEM). FDEM's preferred order of destinations is a friend or relative nearby who will not have to evacuate, then a hotel or motel, and, as a last resort, a public shelter; it warns that the longer an evacuee waits to reserve, the less likely hotel or motel vacancies become, especially along interstate highways and in major metropolitan areas (FDEM).

FDEM states plainly that shelters are not designed for comfort and do not usually accept pets, and asks evacuees to bring a disaster supply kit (FDEM). Its shelter packing list includes an emergency kit that can help a person live on their own for at least three days, identification with photo and current address, a Social Security card, insurance papers, emergency contacts and any special dietary needs or food, which must be non-perishable (FDEM What to Take).

FDEM's Shelters index links a local shelter information page for every Florida county from Alachua to Washington, and warns that the information may vary from county to county (FDEM Shelters index).

Most public emergency shelters do not permit pets, although they do permit service animals; pet-friendly shelters exist in some areas but must be researched in advance, and households without one nearby need another plan for their animals (FDEM).

The Shelters index also asks lodging facilities in Florida interested in potentially taking part in a non-congregate sheltering program to email [email protected] (FDEM).

Florida's special needs registry is run through the Florida Department of Health, and FDEM's page sends residents there to sign up (FDEM Special Needs Registry page).

Completing the registry does not automatically qualify a person for a special needs shelter, and the local emergency management agency provides the evacuation and sheltering options (FDEM). FDEM adds that registering is not a guarantee that emergency officials will be able to help in an emergency, and asks everyone to be ready to care for themselves and loved ones for a minimum of 72 hours (FDEM).

Privacy is protected by statute. Section 252.905, Florida Statutes, exempts information given to FDEM for emergency planning help from public records requests, and the registry data is used only for planning and providing emergency services (FDEM). Questions about registration, transportation and shelters go to the county emergency management agency, listed on FDEM's counties page (FDEM). FDEM also encourages people with a special need to identify an emergency support network and to build a disaster supply kit (FDEM).

State law sets the goal that Florida not have a deficit of safe public hurricane evacuation shelter space in any region, and has FDEM survey schools, universities, colleges and other public buildings to find ones fit to serve as shelters (section 252.385, Florida Statutes).

Private buildings can be added when the owner agrees in writing, and school boards, university and college trustees and the Department of Education coordinate the surveys of their campuses (section 252.385). Each year by October 15, FDEM must report to the Governor, the Senate President and the House Speaker with a list of buildings recommended for retrofitting and a statewide emergency shelter plan projecting shelter needs for each of the next 5 years, including special needs shelters by county and shelters that accept pets (section 252.385(3)). The Department of Health and the Agency for Persons with Disabilities help FDEM estimate how much special needs shelter space the state needs (section 252.385).

A timing note from the official record: when read on October 18, 2026, FDEM's Statewide Emergency Shelter Plans page listed the 2025 plan first, followed by the 2024, 2022, 2020 and 2018 plans, with no 2026 edition posted (FDEM Statewide Emergency Shelter Plans).

Last verified: October 18, 2026, by rereading the FDEM zone lookup, shelter, pet, registry and shelter plan pages and section 252.385 of the Florida Statutes for this statewide evacuation overview.