Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide: Routes, Go-Bags & Meeting Points

A successful evacuation isn’t a spontaneous decision made in panic: it’s the execution of a plan you made months before, in a calm room, with all the time you needed. Families who evacuate effectively in disasters are not more courageous or capable than those who struggle; they simply made their decisions in advance. Their emergency evacuation plan tells them when to leave, which route to take, what to bring, and where to go. In the chaos of a real emergency, they’re executing a rehearsed plan rather than improvising under stress.

This guide covers everything you need to create a complete evacuation plan: from route selection and go-bag preparation to pet planning, fuel considerations, and what to do when your primary route is blocked.

When to Evacuate vs. Shelter in Place

The default in most emergencies is to shelter in place: your home is a known environment with your supplies, security, and connections. Evacuate when:

• You’ve received a mandatory evacuation order from local authorities (compliance is legally required in most jurisdictions)
• Your home is structurally damaged or unsafe
• An approaching hazard will make your location unsafe before you can address it (rising flood water, approaching wildfire, gas leak, chemical spill)
• Essential utilities (heat/cooling, water) are unavailable and your home cannot sustain your family safely without them
• Civil unrest or security threats have made your neighbourhood unsafe and escalating

Do NOT evacuate just because you’re anxious, because others are leaving, or because conditions might get worse. Spontaneous, unnecessary evacuation contributes to the traffic gridlock that prevents people who genuinely need to leave from doing so safely. Make a decision based on your specific situation, not crowd behaviour.

Setting Your Trigger Criteria

Decide your personal trigger criteria in advance: the specific conditions that will prompt you to initiate your evacuation plan. Making this decision in advance prevents second-guessing and delay under stress. Examples:

• “We leave when the river gauge on [local stream] reaches [X] feet.”
• “We leave when there is a voluntary evacuation order for our zone or when the fire is within 10 miles.”
• “We leave 24 hours before a Cat 3+ hurricane makes landfall within 100 miles of our location.”
• “We leave if the power outage extends beyond 5 days in winter.”

Build in a margin: leaving slightly earlier than strictly necessary is vastly better than leaving slightly too late. Traffic conditions deteriorate rapidly as more residents begin evacuating: you want to be ahead of that wave, not part of it.

Selecting and Planning Your Routes

Route Selection Criteria

• Not the same direction as the primary evacuation crowd flow: avoid major highways if possible; use parallel county and state roads
• Not through flood-prone low areas during flood scenarios
• Not through wildfire burn zones or downwind of approaching fires
• Fuel stops available: know where to refuel along every route
• Accessible to your vehicle type in normal and adverse conditions

Route Planning Steps

1. Identify your destination (see next section), then work backward to identify routes from home to destination
2. Plan three routes: Primary (fastest normal conditions), Alternate 1 (completely different: doesn’t converge with primary until near destination), Alternate 2 (tertiary backup: may be longer but remains available when others fail)
3. Drive all routes: note fuel stops, potential choke points (single-lane bridges, mountain passes that close in winter, areas prone to flooding), and alternate bypass options
4. Mark routes on paper maps: store maps in each vehicle and each adult’s go-bag. Do not rely exclusively on GPS/phone navigation during regional emergencies
5. Identify rally points along each route: specific locations where separated family members would know to meet if they couldn’t directly communicate

Choosing Your Destination

Your evacuation destination should be determined in advance. Options in priority order:

1. Trusted family or friends at least 50 miles away in a safe direction: Best option: known, free, and they’ll have supplies and stability to support you. Confirm the arrangement explicitly before an emergency.
2. Pre-booked or identified hotel/motel along your route: Identify pet-friendly options if applicable. Know the cancellation policies: book refundable rates when hurricane season approaches your region.
3. Bug-out location (if you’ve established one): See our Bug-Out Location guide for full preparation guidance.
4. Official public shelter: The fallback when no private destination is available. Know where your designated public shelters are (typically schools and community centres): check county emergency management websites. Public shelters typically do not accept pets.

Go-Bag: What to Grab and What to Leave

A go-bag (also called a 72-hour kit or bug-out bag) contains everything your family needs to survive comfortably for 72 hours after leaving home. It should be packed, ready, and accessible: not something you assemble during the evacuation.

Go-Bag Essentials Per Person

• Water: 1 litre minimum (more weight than anything else: supplement with filtration)
• Food: 3 days of non-perishable, no-cook meals (energy bars, jerky, nut butter, trail mix)
• First aid kit
• Medications: 72-hour supply of all prescriptions + OTC basics (pain reliever, antacid)
• Phone charger + power bank (fully charged)
• Cash: $100–$200 in small bills
• Important documents: ID copies, insurance cards, prescription list (in waterproof bag)
• Change of clothes (2 sets, seasonally appropriate)
• Rain poncho
• Flashlight + extra batteries (or hand-crank)
• Emergency whistle
• Multi-tool or knife
• Personal hygiene: toothbrush, wipes, sanitiser, female hygiene products
• Warmth: emergency mylar blanket (or sleeping bag rated for expected temperature)
• Water filter (Sawyer Squeeze or LifeStraw)
• Paper maps of your routes
• List of important contact numbers written on paper (phone batteries die)

Vehicle Add-Ons (Keep in Car)

• Paper road atlas
• Jumper cables or jump starter
• Tow rope or straps
• Tire inflator and sealant
• Extra fuel (approved container, rotated regularly)
• Traction boards (in snow-prone regions)
• Phone car charger

Vehicle Preparation for Evacuation

• Keep the tank above half, always: During evacuation, gas stations may have lines stretching for hours or be out of fuel entirely. A vehicle that’s always above half-tank is always ready to leave with a 150–250 mile range.
• Maintain your vehicle: A breakdown during an evacuation is far more dangerous than a normal breakdown. Stay current on tires, battery, coolant, and oil: the basics that cause roadside breakdowns.
• Know your vehicle’s range: Map your route’s fuel stops and confirm your vehicle can reach each one on a full tank.
• Extra fuel storage: A properly stored 2–5 gallon approved fuel container extends your range and eliminates the need to stop at potentially crowded or closed stations. Use fuel stabilizer for storage beyond 3 months.
• Recovery gear: Tow straps, traction boards, and a shovel allow you to self-rescue from ditch incidents, mud, or snow: common during mass evacuations in adverse weather.

Timing Your Departure

Departure timing is often the difference between a manageable evacuation and a dangerous one. Key principles:

• Leave before the order, not after: Voluntary evacuation orders precede mandatory orders: leave when the voluntary order is issued for your scenario type. By mandatory order time, roads are congested.
• Counterintuitive routes: The shortest route is often the most congested. A route 20% longer with 50% less traffic is frequently faster in real terms during mass evacuation.
• Night departures: In some scenarios, departing at 2–3 a.m. before the morning evacuation rush provides dramatically less congestion. Requires headlights, alertness, and advance route knowledge.
• Build a 30-minute preparation buffer into your plan: Your first bag should be out the door in 15 minutes; you should be in the vehicle in 30. Practice this. Most families underestimate preparation time significantly.

Evacuating with Pets

• Identify pet-friendly motels along every route: not all public shelters accept animals; most don’t
• Have carriers sized appropriately for each pet: a cat that hasn’t been in its carrier in two years may resist being loaded in 5 minutes of chaos; practice calm carrier loading periodically
• Keep a 3-day pet food supply in your vehicle or go-bag supplies
• Pack pet medications if applicable
• Have proof of vaccination: required by most emergency shelters and hotels that do accept pets
• Never leave pets behind if at all possible: the post-disaster pet recovery situation is chaotic and heartbreaking

Special Circumstances

Evacuating Without a Vehicle

• Know your county’s emergency transportation resources: many areas provide bus or van evacuation for households without vehicles; register with your local emergency management office in advance
• Identify neighbours or community members who could assist with transportation: establish this relationship before an emergency
• Know the public transit evacuation protocols for your region

Evacuating with Elderly or Disabled Family Members

• Plan the specific logistics of how this person will be moved: who assists them, what equipment is needed (wheelchair, walker), what vehicles are appropriate
• Register with your county’s Special Needs Registry for priority emergency assistance
• Ensure medications, medical equipment power needs, and comfort items are in the go-bag allocation for this person

Recommended Evacuation Gear

Frequently Asked Questions