🌪 Volusia County Hurricane Preparedness Guide
Stay informed, prep early, and keep your family safe. Use the jump links below to find exactly what you need.
Last updated: September 4, 2025 • Information is subject to change. Always verify with official sources.
🚨 Alerts & Local Updates
- National Hurricane Center (NHC): Official advisories — nhc.noaa.gov
- Volusia County Emergency Management: Local alerts & shelter info — volusia.org/emergency
- AlertVolusia Notifications: Sign up for emergency alerts — AlertVolusia
- Volusia County Government Facebook: @VolusiaCountyEM
📍 Evacuation Zones & Procedures
- Find your Evacuation Zone Map (Volusia County)
- Shelters & Special Needs Registry
- Pet-friendly shelter info is updated here: Volusia Shelters
💡 Power & Utilities
- Florida Power & Light Outage Map
- Volusia County Utilities — water/sewer updates
- GasBuddy Tracker for stations with fuel
🛣️ Traffic & Gas
- Florida 511 or dial 511
- Waze crowdsourced traffic/gas info
📱 Communication When Cell Service is Spotty
- WhatsApp works via Wi-Fi
- Volusia County Libraries provide free Wi-Fi/hotspots
👨👩👧 Helping Kids Cope
- Help Kids Cope App (iOS)
- Help Kids Cope App (Android)
- Tips: Keep routines, limit scary media, and give simple roles to kids to help them feel secure.
🏡 Prepare Your Home
- Remove outdoor furniture & décor; trim loose branches.
- Board up/shutter windows; move furniture away from glass.
- Fill gas tanks, withdraw cash, and safeguard documents.
- What to do with your pool before a hurricane
🎒 Build Your Hurricane Kit
- Battery radio, lanterns, flashlights, batteries
- First aid kit, rain gear, duct tape, gloves
- Clean clothes, blankets, trash bags, zip-top bags
- Fire extinguisher, scissors, manual can opener
- Pet food/supplies
🥫 Food & Water
- 1 gallon of water per person per day (3–7 days)
- Non-perishable food (3–7 days)
- Two coolers (one for food, one for drinks)
- Manual can opener, disposable plates/utensils
- Pet food, baby formula, specialty items
🌀 Hurricane Categories
- Category 1: 74–95 mph
- Category 2: 96–110 mph
- Category 3: 111–130 mph (Major)
- Category 4: 131–155 mph (Major)
- Category 5: 156+ mph (Major)
🏫 School Closures
- Volusia County Schools Homepage — closures and reopening notices
- @VolusiaSchools Facebook
⚠️ What NOT to Do
- Don't ignore evacuation orders.
- Don't use generators indoors.
- Don't tape windows or open them during the storm.
- Don't rely solely on candles—use flashlights when possible.
- Don't drive through floodwaters ("Turn Around, Don't Drown").
County Emergency Management and your city for the most up-to-date instructions.
