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Simply put, knowing your zone and knowing when to evacuate can save your family’s and your life.
When an evacuation is ordered, your zone will determine when you should evacuate. Having tiered evacuation zones decreases the possibility that roads will be overwhelmed with heavy traffic by spacing out the traffic load throughout the evacuation period.
When there is sufficient notification provided for a potential threat hazard requiring evacuation, emergency management teams will make every effort to provide messaging to at risk populations as early as possible. All residents should take extra precautions to be prepared to evacuate immediately upon request from your local and state leadership. People who are considered at 'high risk', or people who may have an increased level of vulnerability for a safe evacuation process, should evacuate as soon as possible when evacuations are recommended, and should take all critical supplies with them when they evacuate, including medicine, communications devices, and mobility tools. Individuals considered at risk for COVID-19 infections should make plans for non-congregate sheltering options, and be prepared to maintain contact with their local health department representatives, as necessary, and observe social distancing requirements during evacuations.
Include face coverings, hand sanitizer, and disinfectants in your go-bag to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while you are evacuated. Also, make sure you include:
Much like personal preparedness, there are many steps you can take to protect your business before the storm forms. Start thinking about how COVID has affected your business operations and start designing plans that will withstand hurricane impacts. We understand the cost of the economic shutdown has been damaging in itself, but there are many no to low cost measures you can take to help you increase preparedness for any event.
Take this time to update the documentation of assets, review your insurance plans to understand your coverage, and design plans and foster partnerships to improve resiliency. If you have not signed up, we encourage you to sign up to be a Private Sector Integration Program (PSIP) member, for up to date awareness, and a lasting partnership in the face of any event: https://mema.maryland.gov/community/Pages/PSIP-Welcome.aspx
Yes. Each year, many coastal communities in Maryland experience threats from hurricanes including heavy rains, strong winds, rip currents, floods and coastal storm surges from tropical storms and hurricanes. A hurricane’s high winds may spawn tornadoes. Torrential rains cause further damage by causing floods and landslides, which not only threaten coastal communities but may impact communities many miles inland.
When a storm or hurricane is approaching, emergency managers will determine which zones are most at risk considering the intensity, path, speed, tides and other meteorological factors. Emergency managers at the state and local level will work with local media and use social media and other tools to notify residents of impacted zones what they should do to stay safe.
Depending on the emergency, being safe might mean staying at home, a short trip to higher ground, or traveling to a different region of the state.
Depending on the strength of the hurricane officials will decide which zones will be evacuated. If the hurricane is not anticipated to cause flooding in all zones officials may decide to evacuate just one or two zones. Residents not within an evacuation zone should be prepared to evacuate if conditions change and should contact their local emergency management office with questions.
Nineteen localities participate in the program including City of Annapolis, Baltimore City and Town of Ocean City. Maryland counties:
The tiered evacuation zones identify areas vulnerable to flooding with precision that was not available until 2017. The newest technology and data allows emergency managers to tell residents of coastal Maryland more clearly whether they need to evacuate or shelter at home during a storm or other emergency.
The program consolidates hundreds of complex local evacuation areas into easy-to-understand zones. This makes it much easier to communicate with residents as a storm approaches.
The zones help citizens avoid unnecessary evacuation travel, thereby reducing highway congestion, easing overcrowding at local storm shelters, and boosting public safety.
If your address is not located in a designated zone, the good news is you are not expected to be evacuated due to any of the identified storm scenarios.
However, that does not mean you will never have to heed instructions from your local emergency manager for major emergencies. You should still know how to protect your family from potential risks in the State of Maryland and listen closely to emergency communications during any severe weather event or emergency. Conditions can change quickly and emergency managers will provide you the best instructions to stay safe.
Learn more about preparing your family and business for any emergency at http://mema.maryland.gov/Pages/resources-hurricane.aspx
Some Internet or mobile services may have trouble loading the interactive map. You can still Know Your Zone by calling 2-1-1 or your local emergency manager.
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