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Evacuation Zones: How to Find Yours

The most important thing to know before a storm is whether you're in an evacuation zone — and they're based on storm-surge risk, not wind. Here's what the zones mean, why officials call them by zone (not by category), and exactly how to find yours before you need it.

Published June 20, 2026 · 3 views

If a storm threatens, the single most important thing you can know in advance is whether you're in an evacuation zone — and which one. Looking it up before the season, not during a warning, is what makes an orderly evacuation possible. What an evacuation zone actually is Evacuation zones are set by your local and county emergency-management officials, and they're based mostly on storm-surge risk — where rising water is expected to reach — not on wind. That's why the zones hug the coast, bays, and low-lying inland waterways. They're usually labeled by letter (A, B, C…) or by level, with the mo…

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