Florida is the southernmost state in the continental United States (second only to Hawaii, of all the states). And with 8,436 miles of coastline, including bays, inlets, islands and estuaries, it's not surprising that it ranks first with regard to the highest number of hurricanes (120) of all the states.
It has been hit by 5 major hurricanes (at least category 3). The most powerful storm ever to make landfall in the US, the "Labor Day" hurricane walloped Florida in 1935 with 185 mph winds. Other notable storms have been Andrew (1992) with maximum winds of 160, and Michael (2018) and Ian (2022) both with wind speeds of 150 mph.
Florida has forty-one coastal counties, each one with a dedicated Emergency Management agency (listed below). With so many hurricanes making landfall in Florida, these professionals have a wealth of experience and expertise to draw from that will help keep your family and pets safe if a storm is forecast in your area.
Find your County below and click on Local Emergency Info to go to their website for critical storm preparedness information and alerts in your area. You can also click on Shelter Info (if applicable) to find information and/or locations for Emergency Shelters for your pet.
Description: The FloridaDisaster.org website offers tons of advice and guides for getting prepared and staying safe. This includes Preparing for the Hurricane Season, a Disaster Supply Kit Checklist, Evacuations Plans, a Pet Plan, Shelters and much more.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Bay County Emergency Management Division website provides a Disaster Preparedness Guide that covers all the bases including Preparing to Evacuate, Sheltering in Place, Shelters, Special Needs Shelters, Disaster Planning for your Pets, an Emergency Checklist/Disaster Supply Kit, Flood Zone awareness, a sign-up page for AlertBay Emergency Notifications, tips for what to do after the storm and much more.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Brevard County Emergency Management website provides critical information regarding Building an Emergency Kit, Creating a Plan for Evacuation, Shelters, Special Needs and your Pets, Being Informed, and Getting Involved. There is also a sign up for AlertBrevard notifications and a Hazard Type chart, that explains what to do in the event of a Storm Surge and/or Tropical Cyclones, among other emergencies.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Broward.org Official Hurricane Site counts down the minutes and seconds until the current hurricane season ends. They also provide information about what defines a storm category, storm surges, how to prepare for evacuation, shelter registration, and much more.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Charlotte County Emergency Management page provides information about the Alert Charlotte Emergency Alert Program which immediately lets you know about emergencies by signing up for Alert Charlotte. It provides you with critical information quickly regarding severe weather, road closures, missing persons and evacuations. The site also offers a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, Flood and Flood Insurance Information, Hurricane Information, Shelter Listings and Storm Recovery.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Citrus County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management provides plenty of information on how to deal with hurricanes and other emergencies including an All-Hazards Disaster Planning Guide that covers everything you'll need to know to reduce risk for you and your family when bad weather heads your way.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The City of Jacksonville Emergency Preparedness website offers a new 2022-2023 Preparedness Guide, a sign-up page for AlertJax notifications, a Plan for Hurricane Emergencies that includes Evacuation Information, what to include in your Emergency Supply Kit and Vehicle Emergency Supply Kit and Social Media Toolkit. There is also Shelter Information and Disaster Recovery advice for families and businesses.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Collier County Emergency Management site plenty of emergency information and tips including an All Hazards Guide, Emergency Contacts, Evacuation Zones, Gas Stations with Generators, a Personal Disaster Plan, Shelter Info, and much more. There is also a registry for the ALERTCollier mass notification system.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Dixie County Emergency Management is "responsible for reducing the loss of life and property, as well as protecting our critical infrastructure from natural and man-made disasters. Dixie EM successfully accomplishes its mission through a comprehensive, risk-based emergency management program of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery." Their website provides a Dixie Alert sign-up page, an Evacuation Route Map and a Storm Surge Map. They also offer a Disaster Planning strategy and a Public Shelter Plan.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Escambia County Emergency Management webpage offers a huge amount of information regarding Disaster Preparedness, Tropical Storms and Hurricanes, Severe Weather Tips, Evacuation Shelters, Pets and Special Needs as well as way to sign up for alerts using Alert Escambia.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Flagler County Emergency Managment website offers information on Personal Preparedness & Special Needs, Business Preparedness, Countywide Emergency Planning and updates on local weather conditions and Evacuation Zones. There is also a sign-up page for the ALERTFlagler Emergency Notification service.
Local Emergency InfoDescription: The stated mission of Franklin County Emergency Management is to "minimize loss of life, personal injury, damage to property or the environment caused by natural or man-made disasters that affect the community." Their website provides an Emergency Management Pet Resource Guide as well as a comprehensive Disaster Survival Guide that includes a Build Your Bucket checklist, information on Flood Insurance, AlertFranklin sign-ups, Evacuation Routes, Hurricane Watch Actions, Shelters, Recovery and Repairs, and a Useful Contacts directory.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: According to the Gulf County Emergency Information website, "Gulf County Emergency Management is responsible for planning for emergency preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation efforts for all types of emergencies and disasters in Gulf County, Florida." Their site backs that up with Facebook updates, links to weather sites and stations, state hazard information, planning and preparedness sites, emergency media and outlets, as well as an Evacuation Zone map for Gulf County.
Local Emergency InfoDescription: The Hernando County Emergency Management site offers AlertHernando, an app that allows residents to receive alerts about emergencies and provides critical information about Tornadoes, Mandatory Evacuations, Hurricanes and severe Weather Updates. The site also lists evacuation routes and information on how to to Make a Plan and a Special Needs Registry.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue Office of Emergency Management is responsible for planning and coordinating actions to prepare, respond, and recover from natural or man-made disasters in Hillsborough County. On their web page you can register for HCFL Alerts as well as access Evacuation Planning information, create a Comprehensive Emergency Management and Pet Disaster Plan as well. A very useful site with good plenty of information.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Indian River Emergency Management Department's function is to develop, coordinate and promote comprehensive emergency plans for all disaster events in Indian River County. It offers a lot of useful information including Evacuation Routes, Storm Surge Zones, a Public Shelters List/Map, a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Review, and much more.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Lake County Office of Emergency Management offers a lot of good information about Storm Updates, Preparedness and Safety, Special Needs, Primary Risk Shelters, Utility Outage Contacts, and Developing a Family Disaster Plan.
Local Emergency InfoDescription: Lee County has a comprehensive page dealing with hurricane preparedness for pets, cover topics such as Guidelines for Pets, Disaster Supplies for Pets, If You Must Leave Your Pets Behind as well as a Have a Plan for Your Pets Video.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Leon County has a page dedicated to Preparing for Disasters with Pets covering Evacuations, a Summary of Key Considerations, and What to do After the Storm, in addition to much more. They also have a sign up for Leon Alerts which provide critical information related to incidents such as severe weather, evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods, and other emergencies.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Levy County's dedicated disaster site covers all the bases with regard to providing information for Personal Preparedness, Business Preparedness, Current Tropical Weather, Post Storm Recovery and an 8 Week Disaster Kit Shopping List. They also provide a list of Primary and Secondary Shelters.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Manatee County's website provides an Emergency Information Center Map, an Evacuation Map and a Resident Information Tool that allows residents to find their evacuation level and nearest emergency shelters and their status. Manatee also has site-dedicated Severe Weather Information which includes a live Tropical Storm Outlook map. In addition, there is a sign up for Alert Manatee emergency alerts that provides emergency updates such as evacuation notices, weather warnings, and hazardous traffic or road conditions.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Marion County's site bullet-points the preparations needed to be made for the hurricane season. Other information includes Securing Your Home, Living without Electricity, Protecting Your Pets, Disinfecting Water, and much more. They also put together a Marion County Public School list of Shelter Sites.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Shelters, Mitigation & CEMP are all covered on the Martin County Emergency site. There is also a video dedicated to emergency shelters as well as information on pet sheltering and special needs shelters.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Miami-Dade County supports the community's disaster preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation needs through the coordination of information and resources countywide. They give information on Emergency Evacuations, Storm Surge Planning Zones, How to Prepare for Foods and what to include in an Emergency Kit. They also have a page dedicated to Pet Preparedness.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Monroe County Emergency Management site offers information on a ton of important topics including Hurricane Preparedness, Evacuations, and Pet Sheltering as well as a Business Hurricane Early Re-entry Placard Program, Tree Trimming information and Boat Preparedness.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Nassau County Emergency Operations Center website offers information including current conditions updates, flood zone identification, evacuation zones, AlertNassau sign-ups, and how to make a Go-Kit that details what to pack in case of an emergency, including supplies for your pet. They also have a page dedicated to Emergency Public Sheters.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Okaloosa County Emergency Management states that they are dedicated to providing professional and fiscally responsible service to our community. To that end they provide daily situation reports, evacuation zones information and routes, road closures and delays, a Kid Plan, pet shelter during emergency, shelter in place and special needs registration.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Osceola County Emergency Management's mission statement is "to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the people of Osceola County through a comprehensive, all hazards emergency management system of prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation." Their website reflects that commitment by providing a huge amount of information on Emergency Orders, Local Mitigation strategies, an Emergency Management Pan, Flooding Info, Shelters, Preparation and much more.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The four main tenants of Palm Beach County Emergency Management is 1. Make a Plan 2. Build a Kit 3. Get Involved 4. Be informed. They have an "all-hazards" approach to emergency management meaning that "whether it is a tropical storm, a hazardous materials accident, or a domestic security incident Palm Beach County will be able to provide the same world class response and recovery efforts.​​" They also define the 12 Core Hazards and go onto provide practical emergency information regarding Survival Strategies, Developing a Plan Post Disaster Priorities, Physical Asset Protection and Weather Monitoring/Storm Tracking. They also have a list of shelters, stores and gas stations along with maps showing their location. ​
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: According to the Pasco County Emergency Management website, "The Department of Emergency Management plans for and responds to both natural and man-made disasters. These range from floods and hurricanes to incidents involving hazardous materials or nuclear power." They cover a lot of information when it comes to Emergency Preparedness. This includes Evacuation Zones, Flood Safety, a Comprehensive Emergency MGMT Pan, and Pet Preparedness.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Pinellas County Emergency Management have a page dedicated to Preparing Pets for Emergencies. It has a video on the subject as well as Pet Preparation Tips , how to build a Pet Emergency Kit, Basic Supplies for Pets, Evacuating with Pets and Pet Friendly Shelters.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Polk County Emergency Management provides AlertPolk sign-ups as well as information on Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Shelters, Special Needs, Healthcare Facility Emergency Planning, a 7 Day Hurricane Food Supply for Family of 4, Shopping Lists for Hurricane and Food Supplies plus much more.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Putman County Emergency Management's mission statement is, "Working together to ensure that Putnam County is Prepared to Respond to Emergencies, Recovery from them, and Mitigate Local Hazards." To that end they provide a Hurricane Evacuation Zone Map, Disaster Assistance, Evacuation Zone Address Lookup, Shelter Information, a Pet Friendly Registration Form and Basic Information for Sheltering Pets.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Santa Rosa County Emergency Management's motto is, Serving our community - committed to excellence. Their website reflects that commitment by providing information on Evacuation Zones, signing up for AlertSantaRosa, Current Road Closures, a form for Citizen Damage Reports, and a Hurricane Tracker. They also have an Evacuation Zone App of Evacuation Zones, Routes, and Shelters.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: Sarasota County Emergency Services has a detailed Hurricane Preparedness section on their site that offers resources for home owners on how to prepare their home, resources for business owners, how to ready pets and farm animals, a transportation plan to evacuation centers and a thorough Disaster Planning Guide.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The Seminole County Emergency Management's mission is "planning, training, exercising, and coordinating resources to ready our community for any emergency, while promoting a culture of preparedness that will ensure Seminole County is a safe place to work, live, and play." With regard to Hurricane Preparedness and developing a plan for your pet, they cover the bases. They also have videos on Understanding Shelters and Special Needs Shelters.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: St. Johns County Emergency Management offers a great selection of helpful tips, knowledge, and guidelines when it comes to Hurricane Preparedness. They provide information on Preparing a Family Disaster Plan, Evacuation Routes and Zones, Storm Surge, a Hurricane Tracking Chart, Shelter Locations (including Pet Shelters) and how to sign up for AlertSt.Johns.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: St. Lucie County Division of Emergency Management provides an Emergency Preparedness Portal that is designed to give timely emergency information before, during and after an event so that you can make informed decisions to keep your family safe. It provides Emergency Orders, Government Closures, Damage Reporting, and Helpful Links. They also have an interactive Evacuation Zone Lookup Map and an Interactive Shelter Locator Map.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The mission of the Taylor County Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management is to "reduce or eliminate the vulnerability of people and property of this county to injury, damage, or loss of life resulting from natural, technological, or man made emergencies." Their website offers a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, a sign up page for Alert)))Taylor, their Emergency Alert Program, a Taylor County Evacuation Zones Map, a Taylor County Surge Map and a link to FloridaDisaster.org.
Local Emergency InfoDescription: Volusia County Emergency Management's mission statement is "to provide a comprehensive and integrated emergency management system that coordinates community resources to protect lives, property, and the environment through preparedness, prevention, response, recovery and mitigation from all natural and man-made hazards that may impact the County of Volusia." They have a large resource of information and knowledge on their website that will help citizens and their pets stay safe during an emergency. This includes Flood and Floodplain Information, a Know Your Zone Evacuation Plan, How to Get Informed and Prepared, Shelter Information, and much more.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: The website for the Wakulla County's Sheriff's Office Division of Emergency Management provides preparedness information and Hurricane Planning tips including Tracking a Storm, what to do Before the Storm, During the Storm, and After the Storm, Shelters, Pet Safety, Disaster Supplies, and how to sign up for Alert Wakulla.
Local Emergency Info Shelter InfoDescription: According to the Walton County Emergency website, their mission is "to prevent, mitigate, prepare, respond, and recover from all hazards, emergencies, and disasters using a whole community approach." The site provides a wealth of information including how to sign up for AlertWalton, plans for Preparedness, Mitigation, Emergencies & Storms, Road Closures, Evacuation Zones, Hurricane Season FAQs, Special Needs Shelter Registration and much more.
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