Evacuation Plans and Routes

• When a storm is forecast, learn the evacuation route from your location and the amount of time needed to evacuate. Think about where you will go. If you need to go to a shelter. Most shelters do not allow pets, so decide how you will care for them.

• If you live in a mobile home, plan to evacuate to a safer structure. No mobile or manufactured home is safe in hurricane-force winds.

• Map out your evacuation route. Determine how long it will take to pick up everyone in your family, and notify other family members where you plan to be. Bring a three-day survival kit with you.

• Learn the evacuation route from your location and the amount of time needed to evacuate.
  
  

• Estimated Evacuation Times for the North Carolina coast:
  
  

  Coastal County	Peak Tourist Population	Estimated Hours for Evacuation
  Brunswick	190,000	8
  Carteret	200,000	12
  Currituck	20,000	12
  Dare	160,000	18
  Hyde (Ocracoke)	5,200	30
  New Hanover	147,761	10
  Onslow	180,840	13
  Pender	35,000	9

Planning to Leave

• Before you leave, turn off gas, water and electricity. Lock the door.

• Take care of your pets. Public shelters might not take them.

• Do not travel farther than necessary.

• Take blankets, first-aid supplies, medicine, several days’ clothing and essential personal items to the nearest shelter.

• Return home only after authorities say it is safe to do so.

Planning to Stay

• If you decide to stay in your home, be sure to have shutters for all windows and openings and determine how long it will take you to put them up. Will rising water be an issue in your home?

• Notify any out-of-area friends and relatives that you are staying. Determine what special supplies and food you will need to have on hand and how you will cope with any family member with medical needs.