Make a family evacuation plan in one evening

When an evacuation order comes, the decisions should already be made. Sit down once with your household and settle these.

Reviewed October 2026

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1. Know your zone and your trigger

Look up your evacuation zone on your county emergency management website and write it down. Then agree on your trigger for leaving: when an order covers your zone, or earlier if anyone in the house uses medical equipment that needs power, has limited mobility, or you live in a mobile home.

2. Pick two destinations

• First choice: friends or family outside the evacuation area, ideally less than a tank of fuel away. Ask them now, not when the storm is forecast.
• Backup: a hotel further inland, or the public shelter for your area. Check in advance which shelters accept pets.

3. Plan two routes

Traffic and closures can block the obvious route. Map a second one, and keep a paper map in the car in case phones and navigation apps are down. You can print maps of your area here.

4. Decide how you will stay in touch

Phone calls often fail after a disaster while texts still go through. Choose one relative or friend outside the area who everyone in the family checks in with. Write their number on a card in every go bag and wallet, because many people no longer know numbers by heart.

5. Pack go bags ahead of time

Each person needs a bag they can carry, with enough supplies for about three days: water, food, medications, a change of clothes, a flashlight, a phone charger and copies of key documents. Our emergency kit checklist lists everything, and you can tick items off as you pack.

6. Plan for your pets

Pack food, water, medications, leashes or carriers, and vaccination records. Pets are part of the plan from the start, not something to sort out on the way.

7. Know how to shut off utilities

Find your main water valve, electrical panel and, if you have one, gas shutoff. Keep a wrench near the gas meter. If officials tell you to turn utilities off, do it before you leave. Once gas is turned off, only the utility company should turn it back on.

8. Practice once

Walk through the plan with everyone, including where the go bags are and who grabs what. Doing it once makes it far faster under pressure.

When it's time to go

• Leave as soon as an order covers your zone. Roads get crowded, and conditions worsen before a storm arrives.
• Follow the routes officials give, even if your navigation app suggests a shortcut.
• Never drive through flooded roads. One foot of moving water can carry a car away.
• Let your out-of-area contact know when you leave and when you arrive.
• Return only when local officials say it is safe.