JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Do you know your hurricane evacuation zone? Most Floridians don't.
A state survey found only 1 out of every 4 people living in Northeast Florida could correctly identify their evacuation zone.
But it's not too late. The time to figure out what zone you're in is before a storm heads our way, because when the decision is made to order evacuations, it might be harder to get out of some communities than others.
Streetlight Data, a traffic analytics company, has released a map of areas with limited evacuation routes: areas with high populations and limited exits.
In Northeast Florida, those include Jacksonville Beach, Oakleaf Plantation, Fleming Island, Fruit Cove, Vilano Beach and Butler Beach.
In Southeast Georgia, St. Simons Island made the list.
According to The St. Augustine Record, an independent expert told commissioners that St. Johns County has the fastest worst-case scenario for evacuation time in the region -- meaning if a worst-case storm headed our way, St. Johns County residents could get out faster than other areas. But the estimate is still 26.5 hours, which is 10 hours longer than the county's goal.
With Florida officials keeping a wary eye on Dorian as it approaches our coast, it's a good time to get your hurricane plans finalized. That means making sure you have a disaster kit that fits your needs and knowing your evacuation zone and the route you would take to leave town if it becomes necessary.
We are closely monitoring #TropicalStormDorian with @FLSERT. While forecasts are unclear about impacts to Florida, all residents should begin preparing for a potential Hurricane. This includes having 7 days of food, water and medicine.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 26, 2019
To find your evacuation zone, click here, and then type your address into the map.
You can find more information on preparing for hurricanes, including how to build a kit that fits, on our news4jax.com/hurricane page.
