Plans & Evacuation

Evacuation Planning: Guides for Every Household

Start here: build a family emergency plan, then work through the evacuation guides that match your household.

Last updated September 2026

A packed backpack, sturdy shoes and car keys on a hook by a front door, calm late-afternoon light
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Most preparedness advice starts with a shopping list. We start with the plan, because a full kit does not help a family that has not agreed on where to meet or who calls whom.

Evacuation starts with a family emergency plan: two meeting places, one out-of-area contact, and two routes out. Everything else, from hazard kits to workplace plans and recovery steps, builds on that one page.

This hub covers the evacuation decisions every household needs, whatever the hazard. It links to each guide in this section, in the order most people need them.

What belongs in an evacuation and family emergency plan

  • Two meeting places. One right outside your home. One outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot get back.
  • One out-of-area contact. Everyone texts this person first. Local lines jam in a disaster, but a text to someone far away often gets through.
  • Two routes out. Pick routes in two different directions, in case one is blocked.
  • A pet plan. Ready.gov notes many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside, so plan a pet-friendly place to stay.
  • A grab list. Documents and medicine, plus phone chargers and the go-bag.

The family emergency plan guide walks through each line, with a plan you can fill in at the kitchen table. Ready.gov's make-a-plan page has the official version.

When to leave: evacuation orders explained

Local officials decide when an area must leave. Follow their orders over anything general you read online.

  • A voluntary order means officials advise you to leave. Going now means lighter traffic and more room at shelters.
  • A mandatory order means leave now. Waiting can put you and responders at risk.
  • Some hazards give no notice. A wildfire can move in minutes. Plan so you can leave within an hour.

Ready.gov's evacuation page covers what to take and when to go. The emergency evacuation guide explains how orders and timing work, and what traffic looks like. The evacuation plan guide shows how to map real routes and a leave-by time.

The four-part base behind any evacuation plan

Every guide here builds on the same four parts:

  1. A written plan everyone in the house knows.
  2. A basic kit with water, food, light, first aid and medicine.
  3. News without power, like a battery or crank radio.
  4. Contact with each other, including the out-of-area contact.

The emergency preparedness guide breaks down each part. The emergency planning guide turns them into a five-step process. Calamity preparedness shows how one plan covers many hazards with small add-ons.

Evacuation supplies worth having

A plan tells you where to go. Supplies keep you safe on the way and once you get there. Start with what you own, then fill the gaps.

After an evacuation: recovery

Getting out is only half of it. Coming home safely is the other half. Check for hazards before you go back in, take photos of any damage, and call your insurer early. The emergency recovery plan guide lays out the steps in order.

Evacuation plans for workplaces and buildings

A household plan does not scale to a workplace on its own. A building holds more people with more kinds of needs. It needs a written, posted plan with named roles. The occupant emergency plan guide explains what a building-level plan needs.

On the word "prepper"

Some people build a deeper version of the same plan and call it prepping. The prepper and prepping guides show what that looks like day to day. The doomsday prepper guide sorts the TV stereotype from real, useful prep.

Evacuation for renters, pet owners and older adults

A rented home changes storage, not the plan. Keep your kit in space you control, and ask the landlord about the building's fire plan.

Pets need their own line in the plan: a carrier and shot records, plus food. Ready.gov's pet page lists what to pack. Older adults should keep extra medicine and a written list of health needs with the kit. Anyone who cannot drive should arrange a ride well before an order comes.

Evacuation planning for kids

Kids cope better when they already know the plan. Practice the meeting places twice a year, the same way schools run fire drills. Give older kids a small job, like carrying their own bag. A clear task gives them something to focus on.

Evacuation for other hazards

This hub covers the plan. The hazard hubs add what changes by event. The emergency hurricane kit guide covers storm season, with days of warning and a clear leave-by time. The emergency kit for earthquake guide covers a hazard with no warning at all, where the kit has to be reachable from bed.

Keeping your evacuation plan current

Check the plan twice a year. The spring and fall clock changes are easy dates to remember. Update it any time your household changes: a new address, a new pet, a new school or a new medicine. A plan built for last year's household will not fit the people who need it today.

More Plainly Prepared guides

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Questions people also ask

What is the first step in making a family emergency plan?

Agree on two meeting places (one near home, one outside the neighborhood) and one out-of-area contact everyone will text. Write it down and keep a copy in every phone, wallet and go-bag.

Do we need a different plan for each type of disaster?

No. One family emergency plan covers the decisions that stay the same across hazards (meeting places, contacts, evacuation routes, pet plan). Hazard-specific guides below add the details that differ, like hurricane timing or earthquake drop-cover-hold.

How often should we update the plan?

Review it twice a year, for example when clocks change, and any time your household, pets, address or school situation changes.

What's the difference between evacuation and general emergency preparedness?

Evacuation is one specific piece: the routes, timing, and decisions around leaving. General preparedness is broader, covering the plan, the kit, and staying informed whether you leave or stay.