With the Atlantic hurricane season opening next Monday, June 1, county emergency managers across the First Coast are pressing residents to “know your zone,” the lettered evacuation maps that spell out who should leave and when. The reminder covers coastal and riverfront communities in Duval, St. Johns, Nassau, Clay and Putnam counties and extends into neighboring Georgia counties, where evacuation districts are mapped differently. Officials note that zones are drawn around storm surge, rainfall flooding and isolation risk, so living away from the beachfront does not automatically put you in the clear.
Where to find your zone
Most counties run interactive tools where you plug in your street address and see your evacuation letter along with suggested routes out. Duval County’s JaxReady website and mobile app feature an address search and updated maps, according to JaxReady. Nassau County’s emergency page hosts a “Know Your Evacuation Zone” lookup for Fernandina Beach and surrounding communities, according to Nassau County Emergency Management. For a broader view, Florida’s evacuation GIS layers are posted on ArcGIS.
How the letters vary across counties
Those letters are not standardized from one county to the next. Each jurisdiction draws its zones to match local surge and flood hazards. A breakdown compiled by First Coast News shows that Duval and St. Johns use six zones (A through F), Clay uses five (A through E), Nassau publishes 11 zones (A through K), Putnam lists four (A, B, C and F), Camden County, Georgia, maps four zones (A through D) and Glynn County, Georgia, uses two zones (A and B), as reported by First Coast News.
What the letters mean
In real-world terms, Zone A typically covers barrier islands, beaches, low-lying riverfront neighborhoods and many manufactured home communities. Zones B through E generally step farther inland as risk levels change. Duval’s guidance flags Zone F as a different category that highlights areas likely to flood from heavy rainfall or become cut off by water, and St. Johns County’s preparedness guide similarly points to Zone F along the St. Johns River as a river flood risk area. The bottom line for residents near rivers or in low-lying pockets is that you still need to pay attention, even if you are not right on the oceanfront, and rely on local maps and alerts to see the exact boundaries.
When to leave and what to do
Officials urge residents to evacuate promptly when their zone is ordered to leave and to stick to designated evacuation routes. Waiting too long can leave drivers boxed in by storm surge or flooded roads. Local guidance also treats people in mobile and manufactured homes, along with those in isolated flood-prone spots, as higher priority for evacuations. Clay County officials, for example, treat manufactured and mobile homes as Zone A regardless of where they sit, according to First Coast News. Residents are encouraged to decide in advance where they will go, pack a “go bag” that includes medications and important documents, and sign up for county alerts so evacuation notices reach them quickly.
Tools, alerts and the season
Emergency managers recommend enrolling in county alert systems such as ALERTJAX or the equivalent service where you live, and saving screenshots or bookmarks of your evacuation lookup so it is handy when a storm is on the way. Florida’s statewide evacuation zone GIS data and county map layers are available on ArcGIS, and the National Hurricane Center notes that the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30. Officials say that preparing now can make any evacuation smoother and safer if a storm takes aim at the First Coast.
