New to the coast? Check your evacuation plan before you unpack

When you’re moving to the coast, there’s plenty to arrange: utilities, insurance, keys, the truck. I’d put one more thing near the top of that list. Know how you’ll leave the property if local officials tell you to evacuate.

An October closing still lands inside hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center puts the Atlantic season’s official end at November 30. That’s a reason to make the plan now, even while you’re choosing where the furniture goes. National Hurricane Center seasonal guidance.

Check two maps for the same address

A flood map helps you understand the property’s mapped flood risk. An evacuation map helps you identify the area officials may order evacuated during a storm. One doesn’t replace the other.

A property can have a lower mapped flood risk and still fall within an evacuation zone. The reverse can happen too: being outside a designated evacuation zone doesn’t erase a property’s flood risk. Hillsborough County’s explanation of the two map types makes this distinction plainly; use your own county’s map to locate the property. Flood zones and evacuation zones explained.

For the flood map, start with FEMA’s Map Service Center or your local floodplain administrator, the resources identified by the National Flood Insurance Program. Keep that result with your insurance questions. NFIP flood-map guidance.

For the evacuation question, start again with the same street address. A flood-zone label copied from the seller’s paperwork isn’t the answer.

Use the right county’s information

In Baldwin County, start with the EMA’s resources page and its Evacuation Information link. If the map is unclear, unavailable, or the property sits near a boundary, contact EMA to confirm the address rather than guessing from the nearest town name. Baldwin County EMA resources.

For a Perdido Key or Pensacola address, Florida’s Know Your Zone page links to an address-search map. Record the result and keep the link. Florida directs residents to follow local officials’ evacuation orders. Florida Know Your Zone.

Do this for the place you’ll actually sleep during the move, too. If you’re spending the first week in a rental while the house is being painted, make a separate plan for that address.

Learn the road beyond the driveway

Baldwin County’s published routes identify Highway 59, Foley Beach Express, and Baldwin Beach Express for Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. For the Eastern Shore, the county lists State Highway 181 and Highway 98 north; for the Lillian area, County Road 87. Baldwin County evacuation routes.

On an ordinary day, trace how the property connects to the county’s listed roads. Write down the turns you’d need to make before reaching the main route. Ask local emergency management about alternatives if you’re uncertain about access.

That practice trip is for learning the roads. It doesn’t establish how long an evacuation will take or which roads will be open during a particular storm. Follow current official traffic and evacuation instructions when the time comes.

Set up alerts when you set up utilities

Alert Baldwin lets you choose locations and notification methods for messages about severe weather, evacuations, road hazards, and other emergencies. Add the new address and check the contact information you’ve entered. A saved login tied to your previous home needs attention. Alert Baldwin registration information.

Keep more than one way to receive official information. Baldwin County EMA recommends following its updates, the National Weather Service, and local news, alongside emergency alerts. Save those sources where you can find them without scrolling through a social feed. Baldwin County preparedness guidance.

Give leaving a place in the budget

My suggestion for the ownership worksheet is a separate line for temporary travel and lodging. Price a possible destination, transportation, food, and any pet arrangements using actual options you could use. Keep a backup destination in the plan. A hotel you used last summer isn’t a reservation for the next evacuation.

Write down who would secure the property and who has the keys if you haven’t moved in yet. For a condo, ask management for the building’s written storm procedures and contact details. For a house, ask the seller to explain any shutter equipment being left behind, including where its hardware and instructions are stored.

These are questions to settle during the move. They shouldn’t depend on finding the right box after an order is issued.

Put the answers on one page

Before moving day, I’d want these items together:

• The exact address and confirmed evacuation-zone information.
• The official alert and update links for that location.
• The route to review against current official instructions.
• A destination, a backup, and the likely travel costs.
• The property contact, keys, and written storm procedures.

Keep a copy available offline. Follow local officials for evacuation decisions; this worksheet helps you prepare to act on their instructions.

If you’re comparing coastal addresses, I can help you gather the property questions before you make an offer. I’m Mandy Longshore with RE/MAX of Gulf Shores. Call or text (251) 597-5809. I answer my phone. No pressure, just honest numbers.