Know if your home in flood zone
Hurricane Milton formed in the Gulf of Mexico Sunday and is expected to intensify to major hurricane strength on its way to Florida.
Milton is forecast tobecome a Category 3 hurricane with landfall possible somewhere between the Nature Coast and Marco Island on Wednesday.
Expect “potential major, major impacts,” from Hurricane Milton, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said, including what’s now predicted to be 10 to 20 feet of storm surge that could deluge Tampa Bay, among other places, and flooded rivers.
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Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie said he’s preparing for the largest evacuation since 2017’s Hurricane Irma as Florida prepares for Milton.
But how do you know if you live in an evacuation zone and what’s the difference between Zone A and Zone F?
Radar images of Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton: Where is it going?
What you should know if you live in Florida when it comes to hurricanes
- Do you live in an evacuation zone?
- Do you live in a low-lying, flood-prone area?
- Do you live in a mobile home?
- Do you live on the barrier island?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, officials may ask you to evacuate ahead of a storm.
Know your home. Generally, homes built after 2002 include features to make them more structurally sound during a hurricane. See more details in the Florida Building Code.
If you live in a home only accessible by bridge, be aware emergency officials generally close bridges to traffic after winds reach a certain speed.
Residents of mobile home communities are asked to evacuate their homes for safer locations based on the threat of an approaching hurricane.
How do you find out if you live in an evacuation zone?
The Florida Division of Emergency Management has a website to determine whether you live in an evacuation zone and what zone it is.
Go to the website and enter your address. If your home is in one of the colored areas, those are flood zones where you may be asked to evacuate by local officials.
What are the different evacuation zone colors on the map?
Typically, Zone A is the most vulnerable and the most likely to be asked to evacuate first. Zone F is most likely to evacuate last.
Greatest threat from hurricanes is storm surge
The greatest threat to life comes from storm surge, not winds, according to officials with the National Hurricane Center and Emergency Management.
If you live in an evacuation zone, flood-prone area or mobile home and local officials issue an evacuation order, plan to leave your home.
When is hurricane season?
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
How do you prepare for a hurricane? What supplies are needed?
The basic supplies to have on hand include:
- Nonperishable food for last two weeks.
- One gallon of drinking water per person per day, for one-week minimum.
- Canned vegetables and fruits.
- Dried fruits
- Prepared foods
- Snacks
- Snack spreads
- Cereals.
- Flashlights
- Batteries
- Cellphone chargers
- Battery-operated radio
- NOAA emergency weather radio
- Garbage bags
- Fire extinguisher
- Battery-operated lanterns
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