COORDINATE AND COMMUNICATE

C = Coordinate and communicate vital information in a        timely manner

Evacuations

Emergency evacuation is the movement of persons from a dangerous place due to the threat or occurrence of a disastrous event.

Let’s be honest. No one likes leaving their homes and belongings behind with no idea of what will happen to them. Unfortunately, there are events – and not just Hurricanes – that warrant evacuation from your home, neighborhood or city. Wildfires, floods, chemical or other hazardous material spills can all force you and your family from your home.

Please know that we will never ask you to evacuate unless we truly believe the situation could threaten the safety of you and your family. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience an evacuation order may cause but your safety is our #1 priority and our #1 responsibility. We will always err on the side of caution.

Below you will find our plans to help you evacuate for short and long term events. A short-term event would typically be a hazardous materials type of event like a tanker truck accident near your home, a bomb threat at work or an approaching tropical storm. A long-term event is one that requires additional time away from the area to ensure your safety like a hurricane or flood. Wildfires, depending on their location and current weather conditions, could be either type of event. As events unfold, we will assess them and call for the appropriate level of response (e.g., length of evacuation).

Short-term or “In-County” Evacuation

Short-term evacuations are just as important as large-scale ones and you need to be prepared. Typically a short term event only requires that you leave your home/school/office for a short period of time and within a certain distance from the event. In the event of such an occurrence, local EMA officials with the assistance of police, fire and/or others, will notify you to leave and point you in the appropriate direction. It would be wise to have several points of contact in the area with whom you could stay. As soon as the event is contained and every assurance has been made that you will be safe, the “All Clear” will be given and you will be allowed to return to your previous location.

Some extremely rare situations will require that you Shelter-in-Place. Please review this material so you will have the supplies available should you need them, as well as the knowledge of how to protect yourself and your family/
co-workers/students, etc.

Long-term or “Out of County” Evacuation

The most common long-term evacuation is in advance of a large Hurricane (typically Cat 3 or higher).  Other events may qualify depending on the type of event but the procedures below would apply for any long-term evacuation.

Hurricane Evacuation Zones

South of Interstate 10

North of Interstate 10
East of Interstate 65
East of US 43

North of Interstate 10
South of US 98
West of Interstate 65

North of US 98
West of Interstate 65
West of US 43

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Know your evacuation zone
• Zones to evacuate will be announced using local media
• Evacuate immediately when asked to do so

Click Image to Enlarge

Hurricane Emergencies that occur within Mobile County may require evacuation of distinct zones at different times (with a primary focus on Zone I). Each storm threat will dictate its own combination of levels and types of evacuation to be authorized by government officials. For Categories 1 or 2 storms, either a voluntary full or a mandatory partial, evacuation will be issued. For Categories
3 - 5, only a mandatory full evacuation order will normally be issued.