Stay or Go? How to Know Whether to Shelter at Home or Evacuate
Follow official instructions first, always. Beyond that the pattern is simple: you shelter at home when the danger is outside and your home protects you from it, and you leave when your home itself is becoming the danger.
Are most emergencies stay-home emergencies?
Yes. Power outages. Winter storms. Boil-water advisories. Severe weather passing through. Most emergencies a suburban family will face are ones you ride out in your own house where your supplies are, where your kids' beds are, where the dog is calm. This is why a home kit is the foundation of family preparedness: it makes the most likely scenario the most comfortable one.
When should we evacuate?
You evacuate when home stops being the safe place: a wildfire is approaching, water is rising, you smell gas, the structure is damaged or officials have issued an evacuation order for your area. That last one deserves its own sentence: if authorities say go, go. Evacuation orders are issued with information you don't have from your front porch, like where the fire is heading, how high the water is expected to rise, and which roads will close first.
Run from water, hide from wind
Forecasters use this short rule for hurricanes, and it works for most other emergencies too. Water and fire are the dangers you leave. Wind, cold, and bad air are the dangers you shelter from.
The reason is in the numbers. According to National Hurricane Center research, nearly 9 out of 10 direct deaths from U.S. hurricanes and tropical storms between 1963 and 2012 were caused by water, not wind. That is why hurricane evacuation zones are drawn around water.
- Know your zone. Coastal counties publish evacuation zones you can look up by address. If your zone is ordered to leave, leave.
- You probably do not need to go far. The National Weather Service notes that getting out of storm surge usually means going a few miles inland, not hundreds.
- If you are staying for wind, FEMA recommends a small, interior, windowless room on the lowest level that floodwater will not reach.
- If water comes in while you are sheltering, go to the highest level of the house. Do not climb into a closed attic, where rising water can trap you.
Which emergencies mean stay, and which mean go?
Usually a stay-home emergency:
- Winter storms, where the roads are the dangerous part.
- Power outages, unless someone depends on powered medical equipment.
- Earthquakes, unless the house is damaged or you smell gas.
- Wildfire smoke from a fire that is far away.
- A chemical spill or release nearby, when officials tell you to shelter in place. Close windows and doors, turn off fans and ventilation, and wait in an interior room for the all-clear.
- Hurricanes, if you are outside an evacuation zone and in a sturdy house.
Usually a leave-home emergency:
- An approaching wildfire. Leave early rather than waiting to see.
- Rising water, or a flash flood warning where you are.
- A hurricane, if you are in an evacuation zone or a mobile home.
- A gas smell, or structural damage to the house.
Who should plan to leave earlier?
Some homes and some families need more lead time. If any of these describe yours, decide now that you will go at the first official recommendation rather than waiting for an order.
- Mobile and manufactured homes. FEMA considers them unsafe during a hurricane, no matter how well they are tied down.
- Anyone who depends on powered medical equipment, like oxygen concentrators or CPAP machines. Plan where you would go that has reliable power.
- Older parents or anyone who needs extra time to pack, travel, or settle somewhere new. Our post on helping an older parent prepare covers the conversation.
- Families with pets. Not every shelter or hotel takes them, so line up a pet-friendly place in advance. Our pet emergency plan walks through it.
Leaving earlier also usually means an ordinary drive on open roads, which is easier on everyone, especially kids.
A rule of thumb you can teach your kids
If the danger is outside and your house keeps it out, stay. If the danger is your house, or is coming for your house, go. It's not perfect, but it's a frame a nine-year-old can hold onto, and it turns a frightening question into an answerable one. Our post on talking to your kids about emergency preparedness has more on how to introduce it.
Decide the details on an ordinary day
The stay-or-go decision gets dramatically easier when the supporting decisions are already made: two meeting places (one near home, one outside the neighborhood), an out-of-area contact everyone knows to check in with, and kids who know the plan because you've walked through it together calmly, the same way you talk about fire drills at school. Our free Family Communication Plan walks you through every one of those blanks, and it takes about twenty minutes over a weekend breakfast.
One more detail worth deciding now: where you would actually go. A friend or relative an hour or two away, outside your area's risk, is usually the most comfortable answer.
Do you know your evacuation zone, and if an order came tonight, where would you actually drive?
Sign up for the alerts that make the call for you
Most counties offer free emergency alerts by text. Search your county name plus 'emergency alerts' and sign up today. Pair that with a NOAA weather radio (the hand-crank kind lives happily in an emergency kit) and you'll hear the official word even if the power and cell networks don't cooperate. If someone in your house is deaf or hard of hearing, our post on how emergency alerts reach every household member covers the options.
Do we need a home kit and a go-bag?
A home kit covers the most likely scenario: sheltering in place. A packed go-bag by the door covers the rarer one: leaving in minutes. Families who have both never have to choose between preparedness plans. They just follow whichever one the day calls for.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safer to evacuate or shelter in place during a hurricane?
It depends on water. If you are in an evacuation zone or a mobile home, evacuating is safer. If you are outside the zone in a sturdy house, sheltering at home is usually safer. Forecasters sum it up as "run from water, hide from wind."
What does shelter in place mean?
It means staying inside where you are and making that space as protective as possible. For wind, that is a small interior room away from windows. For a chemical release, it means closing windows and doors, turning off ventilation, and waiting in an interior room until officials give the all-clear.
How far do I need to evacuate for a hurricane?
Usually not far. The National Weather Service notes that getting out of storm surge often means going a few miles inland. A friend or relative outside your evacuation zone is often the easiest option.
Should I leave if the evacuation order is voluntary?
If your household needs extra time, depends on powered medical equipment, lives in a mobile home, or has pets that need a place to go, a voluntary order is a good time to leave on open roads.
Sources: National Hurricane Center research on U.S. tropical cyclone fatalities, 1963 to 2012 (Rappaport, 2014), as summarized by NHC leadership; National Weather Service storm surge guidance; FEMA hurricane shelter-in-place guidance; FEMA and Ready.gov hurricane hazard information.