Disaster - Santa Rosa County

Know
Your zone
Hurricanes are a fact of life in Florida. Florida has
the greatest probability of any state in the nation
to experience the landfall of a major, category 3
or higher, hurricane. When it comes to hurricanes,
wind speeds do not tell the whole story. Hurricanes
produce storm surges, tornadoes, high winds and
flooding. Several factors are considered when
looking at evacuations including the size of the
storm, but one size does not fit all. Hurricane Ivan
was considered a large hurricane while Hurricane
Dennis was relatively smaller, but both were
category 3 storms. The speed of the hurricane
also plays a role. Ike was a slow category 2 storm
when it made landfall in Texas, but due to its mass
and slow speed, it had created a category 4 storm
surge. Finally, the wind speed of the hurricane will
be considered since this also affects the amount of
water being displaced.
24
Hurricane Evacuations
Navarre Beach After
Hurricane Dennis
Ask Yourself:
Interactive
evacuation zone
locator available
online at
www.santarosa.fl.gov/gis
If you Choose to Stay Home
33
Do you have hurricane shutters and is the garage door
braced
33
Has a professional braced the roof gable ends
33
Is your home a manufactured or mobile home Is your home
in an evacuation zone It is not safe to stay in either.
33
Does the home have a safe room large enough for all
occupants
33
Do you have a disaster plan in place for all occupants
including pets
33
Do your vehicles have a full tank of gas
33
Does your disaster kit have one week’s worth of nonperishable
food supplies and water for each person and pet
33
Do you have a battery operated radio with extra batteries
33
Is your cell phone handy and charged Do you have a car
charger for it if power is lost
33
Do you have tarps and plastic sheeting available for
emergency repairs
Evacuation zones were updated in 2010 using LIDAR
(Light Detection and Ranging) instruments from an aircraft
that measures distance to a target (earth’s surface) with
light, using pulses from a laser. This data is then combined
into a slosh model that can simulate each category of a
storm. Together, this data shows what areas are likely to
be impacted by storm surge.
Santa Rosa County uses A - E to identify evacuation zones.
A is the area of lowest elevation which includes our coastal
area. The letters and zones then progress as you move
inland to higher elevations. Each zone will be evacuated
depending on the hurricane’s track and projected storm
surge. Storm surge, high winds and accessibility should
all be considered when you determine if your home is safe
to stay in during a hurricane.
Know your zone!
Use the interactive evacuation zone tool found at
www.santarosa.fl.gov/gis by typing in your address
to see what zone you live in. Staying safe from surge
flooding is easy if you follow evacuation orders and don’t
wait until it is too late!
Severe Weather Terms
It is very important to understand the difference
between a severe weather WATCH and
WARNING. WATCHES and WARNINGS are
issued for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms
and flash floods. The term WATCH implies
that people should be alert for the possibility of
severe weather or flash flooding, and have a
plan of action in case a storm threatens. When
a WARNING is issued by the National Weather
Service, this means that a tornado, severe
thunderstorm, or flash flood has been detected
by radar or observed by official sources.