The time is now for residents to review their evacuation zones and make a plan
Hillsborough County, Fla. (May 7, 2026) - It's Hurricane Preparedness Week. Do you know your Hillsborough County evacuation zone?
The evacuation zones for Hillsborough County have changed for the 2026 hurricane season, and the evacuation zones impact more properties. This is a good time to review your evacuation zone before hurricane season begins June 1.
Visit HCFL.gov/HEAT and type in the address to learn if a property is in Zone A, B, C, D, or E. Zone A is the first to evacuate, along with all manufactured and mobile homes in the county. All manufactured and mobile homes are always included in Zone A even if they are inland.
Every three to five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) updates its storm surge data or model. The data considers potential storm surge risks for an area. Storm surge is not flood water from rain. Storm surge is the rise of sea water levels from a hurricane or a tropical storm on the land. Storm surge is risky and is a major cause of fatalities during a hurricane.
The county's Geospatial Department, also known as GIS, studied the data provided by NOAA and reviewed every parcel in Hillsborough County to determine the evacuation zones.
This year, there are more significant changes to the Hillsborough County evacuation zones than in previous years.
In some areas of the county, Zone A expanded. Some parcels are now in Zone C when they were in Zone D, and some areas that weren't in an evacuation zone at all are now in Zone E. For example, Zone E was expanded because there are some neighborhoods connected to major throughfares. If there was a major hurricane and the throughfares were impassable, search and rescue teams wouldn't be able to quickly get to those residents, so those neighborhoods were added to Zone E.
Residents should review their evacuation zones by visiting HCFL.gov/HEAT to see if they have changed. If the zone has changed, now is the time to account for that change in this year's hurricane preparation plan.
When there's an evacuation order, it's best to travel to a family member or friend's home that isn't in an impacted evacuation zone, or to the nearest evacuation shelter.
Visit HCFL.gov/StaySafe to learn more about how to best prepare for hurricane season.
Residents and visitors can also sign up for HCFL Alert at HCFL.gov/Alert to get the latest information on hurricane evacuations, flood warnings, severe weather, major road closures, county events, and more.