Evacuation Plan: Mapping Your Routes and Timing

Contents10

• Mapping two real evacuation routes
• Deciding your leave-by time
• Evacuation plan by car, on foot, or by transit
• Evacuation plan for pets and large households
• Evacuation plan for renters and apartment residents
• What to keep in the car for your evacuation plan
• Practicing the evacuation plan
• Keeping the evacuation plan current
• A short evacuation plan checklist
• Official evacuation plan guidance

An evacuation plan is more specific than a general emergency plan. It maps the actual routes and timing you would use to leave, with a backup option, mapped out before you ever need them.

Map two evacuation routes in two different directions, not two versions of the same road. Decide your leave-by time in advance, based on your hazard, and know it before an order is ever issued.

Mapping two real evacuation routes

A single evacuation route is a single point of failure. It might flood or burn, or simply jam with traffic. If your only route fails, you have no backup at all.

• Pick two routes in different directions out of your neighborhood, not two versions of the same road.
• Drive both routes at least once, ideally at a time similar to when you would actually use them, so you know what normal traffic looks like.
• Note landmarks, not just street names, since stress makes street names harder to recall than a familiar building or intersection.
• Check for a third, slower backup if your main two routes share any common point, like a single bridge or highway.

Deciding your leave-by time

The right time to leave depends on the hazard, not a single fixed rule.

• Hurricane: leave on the voluntary order, before roads fill with everyone leaving on the mandatory one.
• Wildfire: leave the moment an evacuation warning is issued for your zone, since fire spread can outrun a forecast.
• Flood: leave once a flood warning covers your specific area, not just the general region.
• Earthquake: evacuation, if needed, happens after the shaking stops, based on visible damage or an official order.

Evacuation plan by car, on foot, or by transit

Most evacuation plans assume a car. Build in the other options too, since not every household has one on the day it is needed.

• By car: confirm your two routes handle a fully loaded car, since a route with a tight turn or a low bridge may not.
• On foot or by transit: know your nearest transit line and a walking route as backup, since transit lines can shut down during a major hazard.
• With a household member who cannot move quickly: plan an earlier departure time and a specific person responsible for helping them, decided in advance.

Evacuation plan for pets and large households

Pets add real time to an evacuation. Loading a carrier and pet supplies takes longer under stress than it does during a calm practice run.

Large households should assign a specific person to a specific task: who drives, who handles pets, who grabs the kit. A plan without assigned roles tends to have everyone assuming someone else has it covered.

Evacuation plan for renters and apartment residents

A rented home or apartment does not change the two-route rule, but it does add a few extra checks.

• Confirm your building's own evacuation route, if it has one, since it may differ from your personal neighborhood route.
• Know your building's stairwells, not just the elevator, since elevators often stop working during a hazard.
• Ask your landlord about any shared evacuation plan for the building, especially in a larger apartment complex.

What to keep in the car for your evacuation plan

A route is only useful if the vehicle using it is ready too.

• Keep the gas tank above half whenever a hazard season is active in your area.
• Store a paper map as backup, since GPS depends on both a charged phone and a working signal.
• Keep a phone charger that works from the car battery, not just a wall outlet.

Practicing the evacuation plan

A route on paper is not the same as a route your household has actually driven under a bit of time pressure.

Run a practice drive once a year. Time how long each route actually takes, then compare it to what you expected. Adjust your leave-by time if the real drive runs longer than you assumed. A route that looks fine on a map can still surprise you once school traffic or a construction zone gets added in.

Bring the whole household along on at least one practice drive, not just the usual driver. Anyone who might need to drive during a real evacuation should already know both routes firsthand, since reading directions off a phone while stressed is a poor substitute for having driven the road before.

Keeping the evacuation plan current

Road construction, new neighbors, and changes to your own household can all make an old evacuation plan less useful than it looks on paper.

Redrive your two routes once a year. Update the plan any time you move, a road closes for good, or your household size changes. A route that worked five years ago may not exist in the same form today.

A short evacuation plan checklist

Use this list to check that your plan actually covers the basics.

• Two routes mapped and driven, in two different directions.
• A leave-by time decided for each hazard your area faces.
• A backup plan for driving and walking, plus anyone who needs help moving.
• A pet plan with the carrier and pet supplies ready to go.
• The plan written down and shared with every adult in the household.

Official evacuation plan guidance

Ready.gov's evacuation page is the plain federal starting point for routes, timing, and what to pack. Many states and counties also post their own route maps and zone lookups, so check your county's emergency page too.

Questions people also ask

How many evacuation routes should a household plan?

Two, in two different directions out of the neighborhood. A single route becomes a single point of failure if it floods, burns, or jams with traffic.

Should the evacuation plan be different for each hazard?

The routes usually stay the same. What changes is timing: a hurricane evacuation plan can use a slower, longer route since you have days of warning; a wildfire plan needs the fastest route, since minutes matter.

What if my only two routes both go through the same town?

Look for a third option, even a slower back road, and note it as a backup. A route that only works if the main two are both open is not a real backup.

Does everyone in the household need to know both routes?

Yes, every adult and any teen who might drive. If only one person knows the plan, it fails the moment that person is not the one behind the wheel.