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Hurricane Evacuations
Evacuations can be caused by a variety of emergencies, including but not limited to hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and nuclear events. This webpage is dedicated to household evacuation planning for hurricanes and other tropical events.
Mandatory & Voluntary Evacuations
There are three ways evacuation orders can be issued. If you live or are visiting a property within a town/city, you should check the municipality’s website to see if it has issued any kind of evacuation order for the areas within its jurisdiction.
- County-issued Evacuation Order: The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners grants the County authority to issue a voluntary or mandatory evacuation order for the unincorporated areas of the county.
- Municipal-issued Evacuation Order: The mayor or elected official/body for the town/city has granted the municipal government the authority to issue an evacuation order for properties within the town/city’s incorporated jurisdiction.
- Governor-issued Evacuation Order: The Governor has authority to issue evacuation orders within both incorporated and unincorporated areas, usually based on the State’s Know Your Zone predetermined evacuation zones.
Mandatory or Directed Evacuation
A mandatory or directed evacuation is a warning to people within the designated area that an imminent threat to life and property exists and individuals MUST evacuate in accordance with the instructions of local officials.
Voluntary Evacuation
A voluntary evacuation is a warning to people within a designated area that a threat to life and property exists or is likely to exist in the immediate future. Under a voluntary evacuation order or warning, individuals are NOT required to evacuate but it would be to their advantage to do so.
- Know Your Evacuation Zone. Use the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Know Your Zone tool to determine your property’s predetermined evacuation zone.
- Decide Where to Go. Decide where you would go, such as:
- A hotel/motel
- The home of friends or relatives a safe distance away
- An evacuation shelter
- Choose Evacuation Routes. Choose what route you will take to get to your destination.
- Your main route should follow the state’s major evacuation routes to decrease the risk of getting stranded or lost. Law enforcement officers, the NCDOT Safety Patrol, and other emergency responders are typically positioned along the major evacuation routes to help motorists.
- Check flood hazard areas along your route to determine if there is a high risk of flooding.
- Make a Family Communication Plan. Determine who needs to be part of your evacuation plan by making a Family Emergency Communication Plan.
- Plan for Locations. Find out what plans are available for the locations you go to regularly. Customize your personal plans based on what you and/or household members would do if an emergency occurred while they were at that location. Learn more at ready.gov/plan-for-locations
- Examples of locations to consider and plan for include:
- Home
- Workplace
- Vehicles and regular methods of transportation (download the Commuter Emergency Plan)
- School and daycare
- Places of worship
- Sports arenas and playing fields
- Entertainment locations such as theatres
- Shopping areas such as malls and retail centers
- Tourist and travel locations such as hotels
- Examples of locations to consider and plan for include:
- Determine What to Bring. Pack your disaster kit, plus any specific add-on items.
- Be aware of any unique needs for children, elderly, or disabled members of your household.
- Plan ahead for your pets. Keep a phone list of pet-friendly hotels/motels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes. Remember, if it’s not safe for you to stay home, it’s not safe for your pets either. Learn more at ready.gov/pets
- Practice Your Plan. Practice evacuating your home twice a year.
- Grab your emergency kit, just like you will in a real emergency, then drive your planned evacuation route. Plot at least two alternate routes on your map in case roads are impassable.
- Make sure you have locations and maps saved on devices—such as cell phones and GPS units—and on paper. (Tip: You can create custom maps using Google Maps.)
- Have Ways to Receive Notifications.Stay informed about evacuation orders.
- Sign up for the ReadyBrunswick Emergency Notification System, download the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office mobile app, and follow Brunswick County and the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office on social media.
- If you live in a municipality (an incorporated town, city, or village), check with your local municipal official about their emergency communication methods.
Learn more evacuation preparedness tips at ready.gov/evacuation
Mandatory evacuations are coordinated through a combination of real-time monitoring, and interagency collaboration. Local officials coordinate their evacuation plans to release groups of traffic in phases to manage flow and prevent congestion. During evacuations, people should follow instructions from officials and should follow the blue evacuation route signs installed along highways. As long as community members follow instructions during an evacuation, the routes will function as intended.
Some evacuations will come with a day or two of warning, others may provide no warning at all. It’s ideal to have a few plans in mind depending on how much time you have.
If you have a few hours or days:
- Have alerts set up from multiple systems and make sure your notifications are on.
- Have your family emergency kits ready and put them in your vehicle.
- Make sure you know where you are going and the best way to get there. Follow recommended evacuation routes. Do not take shortcuts; they may be blocked.
- Have pets nearby and ready to go.
- If a flood is incoming, move valuable items to upper levels in your house.
- Prepare farm animals for transport.
- Leave early enough to avoid severe weather.
- Let family members know where you are going.
- Clear your yard of hanging branches or anything that may damage your house.
- When leaving, consider shutting off your utilities and be sure to lock your door.
- Use plywood to protect glass windows and doors from breaking in the wind, unless you already have storm shutters.
If you only have a few minutes:
- Grab your emergency kit and pets and evacuate.
If you have no time:
- The highest priority in an evacuation is to get yourself and loved ones to safety as soon as possible. If you need to evacuate immediately (for example, during a house fire) leave all belongings and get to safety!
- Check with local media to find out when it is safe to return home.
- Keep in mind that returning home early can be dangerous. Even if the weather has passed, local agencies will need time to clear debris from streets and locate downed power lines.
- Make sure your gas tank is full before returning and bring plenty of non-perishable food and water to account for any supply shortages in the affected area.
- Don’t light matches or use any open flames until you are sure there are no natural gas or propane leaks. You may need a gas company service technician to confirm that it's safe.
| Resources | Description |
|---|---|
| Coastal Routes | Interstates and major highways that are used as official evacuation routes to and from coastal North Carolina. They can accommodate heavy traffic volumes and have higher speed limits to allow motorists to leave threatened areas more quickly and efficiently than using local roads. |
| Safe Driving Guidelines | Safety information related to driving in severe weather and other conditions. |
| DriveNC.gov | NCDOT’s traveler information management system, which provides real-time information on events affecting travel across the state. |
| 511 information line | North Carolina's toll-free travel information line, which provides the latest on current travel conditions, including major closures and wrecks, on interstate, state and U.S. routes. |
| Motorist assistance | In certain areas of North Carolina, there is free traveler assistance (including changing flat tires, providing gasoline, and jump-starting batteries). |
| Ferry services | Ferry schedules and routes. |
| ReadyNC.gov | A comprehensive resource for emergency preparedness, weather conditions, evacuations, and other emergency management information. |
| Travel emergencies | Dial *HP on a mobile phone for help from the N.C. State Highway Patrol. |