How to Create a Family Flood Evacuation Plan

Flood evacuations fail when families are separated, don't know where to go, can't reach each other, or discover their designated route is flooded. These failures are avoidable. A written, practiced evacuation plan takes 2–3 hours to create and could be the most important document your family ever has.

This guide walks you through every component of a complete family flood evacuation plan — from evacuation routes to meeting points, communication strategies, go-bag preparation, and how to account for pets, elderly family members, and special medical needs.

Step 1: Know Your Flood Risk Zone

Your evacuation plan must be grounded in your specific flood risk. Before any other planning step:

Complete our Free Flood Risk Assessment to understand your property's exposure
Identify your FEMA flood zone at msc.fema.gov — Zone A and AE are high-risk; Zone X is lower risk
Find your county's official flood evacuation zones and routes at your local emergency management website
Read our guide to flood watch vs. flood warning so you know exactly when to execute your plan

Understanding your zone tells you how much lead time you typically have and which types of flooding (river, flash, coastal) are most likely at your location.

Step 2: Map Your Evacuation Routes

Identify Primary and Backup Routes

Identify at least two evacuation routes from your home and neighborhood. Major roads can flood, have accidents, or be closed at checkpoints:

Primary route: The fastest route to higher ground or your designated shelter
Secondary route: An alternate route avoiding low-lying roads, bridges, and flood-prone areas
On-foot route: If roads are blocked, know a walking route to the nearest elevated area or high-ground shelter

Identify Flood-Prone Road Sections

Drive both routes and identify any sections prone to flooding: underpasses, low creek crossings, dips in the road. Mark these on your map with a red "X." These areas will become impassable first.

Know Your Local Evacuation Zones

Many counties use lettered evacuation zones (Zone A, B, C, etc.) or color-coded zones for flood evacuation orders. Know which zone your home is in. A Zone A order means your area evacuates first — don't wait to see if Zone B gets ordered.

Step 3: Choose Your Destinations

Your evacuation plan needs at least three pre-planned destinations:

Emergency shelter: Your county's official evacuation shelters — find them at your county emergency management website or call 2-1-1. Know the address and how to get there.
Friend/family member: Identify someone outside your flood zone who can host your family. Verify their location is in a lower-risk area using our flood zone lookup tool.
Hotel/motel: Identify a pet-friendly hotel on your evacuation route as a backup option. Keep the phone number and address in your go-bag.

If You Have Pets

Public emergency shelters do not accept pets in most jurisdictions (they are required to have a separate pet shelter nearby). Identify your nearest pet-friendly shelter in advance. Prepare your pet's evacuation needs:

Carrier or leash for each animal
3–7 day supply of food in a sealed container
Vaccination records (shelters require them)
Medication and a recent photo in case of separation

Step 4: Assign Roles and Responsibilities

In an emergency, confusion kills. Assign specific roles to every adult in your household:

Utility shutoff person: Responsible for turning off electricity, gas, and water — see our guide on how to turn off utilities before a flood
Go-bag carrier: Grabs the pre-packed emergency bag
Document keeper: Takes the waterproof document bag with insurance policies, IDs, and passports
Children's supervisor: Responsible for waking and getting children out of the house
Pet manager: Responsible for pets (leash, carrier, food)
Vehicle driver: Starts the car and knows both evacuation routes

With roles pre-assigned, every action takes 30–60 seconds instead of 3–5 minutes of confusion. That difference matters when a flash flood is moving fast.

Step 5: Establish Your Communication Plan

Cell networks fail during disasters — either overloaded or tower-damaged. Your communication plan must not rely solely on cell phones:

Designate Out-of-Area Contact

Identify a family member or friend who lives outside your flood-affected region to serve as a central contact point. It's often easier to call or text out of a disaster area than locally. Every household member memorizes this person's phone number.

Meeting Points

Identify two meeting points where family members will go if separated:

Near home: A specific landmark within walking distance (neighbor's house on higher ground, school entrance, etc.) — for separations during immediate evacuation
Outside neighborhood: A specific landmark 2–5 miles away (library, fire station, prominent building) — for situations where your neighborhood is inaccessible

Text Over Call

During emergencies, text messages are more likely to get through than calls because they require less network bandwidth. Establish a family group text. Keep messages to under 160 characters for reliable delivery.

NOAA Weather Radio

Keep a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio in your go-bag. This provides updates even when cell service fails. The Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Weather Radio includes weather alerts, AM/FM, a phone charger, and a flashlight — one of the best all-in-one emergency radios available.

Step 6: Pack Your Go-Bag

Your go-bag should be packed and ready before any flood threat develops. Key items:

Documents (in waterproof pouch)

A waterproof document bag or pouch should contain:

Copies of passports and government-issued IDs for all family members
Flood insurance policy (including claim phone number)
Homeowner's or renter's insurance policy
Vehicle titles and deeds
Prescription information and medical records for all household members
Bank account information
Emergency contacts list (printed — phones die)

Medications and Health

Minimum 2-week supply of all prescription medications
First aid kit
Eyeglasses or contacts with solution
Medical devices (CPAP, hearing aids) with extra batteries or chargers

Supplies

3-day supply of water (1 gallon per person per day — consider collapsible containers)
Non-perishable food for 72 hours
Phone chargers and portable power bank (fully charged)
Cash in small bills — ATMs and card readers fail in power outages
Flashlight with extra batteries
Warm clothing (one change of clothes per person)
N95 masks and disposable gloves for cleanup phase

Our Flood Emergency Kit Checklist provides a comprehensive inventory you can print and check off when packing.

Step 7: Account for Special Needs

Elderly Household Members

If you have elderly parents or household members who may need evacuation assistance:

Register with your county's Access and Functional Needs (AFN) or Functional Needs registry — your county emergency manager will have special resources for this population
Identify a local neighbor who can assist during evacuation
Keep mobility aids (cane, walker, wheelchair) accessible and part of the go-bag plan
Print a medication list readable without glasses

Children

Practice the evacuation plan with children so it doesn't feel frightening. Include age-appropriate responsibilities. Each child over 5 should know:

Your home address and phone number
Both meeting points
The out-of-area contact's name and phone number

Step 8: Practice Your Plan

A plan that's never been practiced fails under pressure. Conduct a flood evacuation drill annually — ideally before flood season begins:

Start from a "you have 30 minutes to evacuate" scenario
Everyone performs their assigned role in real time
Time how long it takes to pack go-bags, shut off utilities, and leave
Drive both evacuation routes to confirm they're current
Identify any gaps or items you forgot

Families that have practiced their plans take an average of 40% less time to evacuate successfully than those who haven't — a difference that can matter enormously in a flash flood with a 20-minute warning window.

Post-Evacuation Considerations

After evacuating, don't return home until:

Local authorities declare it safe to return
Utilities have been professionally inspected — never restore gas yourself
Floodwater has receded AND been confirmed safe (floodwater often contains sewage and hazardous chemicals)
You have your insurance information ready — document all damage before cleanup

Review our Post-Flood Cleanup Guide for the complete recovery process after returning to a flooded home.