JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It's been more than 50 years since Jacksonville felt the fury of a full blown hurricane. Nonetheless, the clock is ticking and you need to know when and how to evacuate if the order is given.
The National Weather Service reminds us of the following:
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1. If you live in Duval County, check the city of Jacksonville map. to see if you live in an evacuation zone, and which one. Clay and St. Johns each offer their own evacuation maps. For To see if your home would be affected by flooding, type your address into the interactive map from FloridaDisaster.org.
2. Plan today where you would go and how you would get there in the event of an evacuation.
3. If you don't live in an evacuation zone, identify somebody who does and be their designated destination.
4. Leave immediately if ordered to evacuate by local officials.
5. Identify an evacuation destination that will allow your pets. Most shelters do not permit pets.
Remember that if a hurricane threatens our area, do not evacuate if you do not live in an evacuation zone. The rule of thumb is to run from the water and hide from the wind. Even in the most extreme hurricanes, wind does not kill. The water does. If you're bent on leaving the area, wait until after the immediate surge zone areas have evacuated.
If you choose to evacuate because you don't want to be without electricity for 3 weeks, stay in your home until the hurricane passes. Then feel free to leave assuming the roads are passable.
If you haven't downloaded our News4Jax hurricane app, now is the perfect opportunity to do so. You can find all this information and more by going to your app store and searching WJXT and hurricane.