Know Your Evacuation Zone

No one wants to be told they must leave their home, even when their personal property is in danger.  Evacuation orders are issued to protect lives and allow first responder resources (police, paramedics and fire fighters) to conduct important operations during and after a disaster.  Chapter 252.38 of the Florida Statutes gives local governments the authority to take necessary steps to provide for the health and safety of people and property within the jurisdiction, including issuing evacuation orders and curfews. 

 

Evacuation orders apply to everyone in the affected zone:  residents, pets, businesses, hospitals, assisted living facilities, and government entities.  Chapter 252.50, F. S., makes refusal to follow an evacuation order a second-degree misdemeanor. 

 

If an evacuation is ordered, follow instructions from Emergency Management officials.  You don't have to travel hundreds of miles when an evacuation order is issued, just to a safe place outside of the evacuation zone.  Temporary mass care shelters will be opened so that residents with no other options can have a secure place to stay until it is safe to return home.  

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Nassau has established All-Hazards Evacuation Zones throughout the county.  Evacuation Zones are not Flood Zones, but flooding potential was one of the factors considered when local zones were determined.  While most evacuations in Nassau have been ordered in response to the threat of tropical cyclones and flooding, they may also be issued when wildfire, an accidental release of hazardous materials, or other hazard threatens an area.  Sometimes, an order to shelter-in-place may be issued for a zone, rather than an evacuation order.  Listen closely and follow emergency warning messages from local officials.  

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To see larger, high-resolution versions of the Evacuation Zones maps below, click the map images.