Evacuating
An evacuation order doesn’t necessarily mean all residents need to leave town to stay safe. However, City officials will announce the exact areas where people need to evacuate.
Know Your Zone
The Know Your Zone website displays a detailed, interactive, color-coded map showing the evacuation zones. People can use the map to view a "big picture" of the region or zoom in to their neighborhood. Users can enter their address in a search bar to see their designated evacuation zone.
If your address is not located in a designated zone, the good news is you are not expected to evacuate 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, so be sure to keep an eye on news reports.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is NOT a designated hurricane evacuation route. It is susceptible to high winds.
Virginia Beach Residents May Take Any of the Following Evacuation Routes
- Interstates 64 and 264
- Interstate 664 North, Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel
- U.S. Route 17 North
- U.S. Route 58 West
- U.S. Route 460 West
- State Route 10 West
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel is NOT a designated hurricane evacuation route. It is susceptible to high winds.
Reversing the Highways
Only the governor can issue the order for a lane reversal on I-64. The I-64 reversal plan begins in Norfolk, just east of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel (HRBT), at mile marker 273 and ends at I-295.
If the governor orders a lane reversal, no traffic will be allowed to travel east between mile markers 273 and 200. All eastbound lanes and ramps will be closed to eastbound traffic.
All traffic entering I-64 at 4th View Street (Exit 273) will travel in the westbound lanes. All traffic entering I-64 west of the HRBT will travel in the westbound lanes as well.
There will be only two possible exits from the reversed lanes between Norfolk and I-295:
- Exit 234 in Williamsburg (Route 199) for gas, food, lodging, and hospital.
- Exit 205 in Bottoms Bridge for gas and food.
Motorists who exit the reversed lanes at these exits may not re-enter the reversed lanes. They may only re-enter I-64 using the regular I-64 westbound ramps.
All motorists traveling in the westbound lanes of I-64 can exit and enter the interstate as they normally would, but some entrance and/exit ramps may be closed for traffic control.
At the I-295 interchange, motorists on I-64 westbound lanes must take Exit 200 and travel on I-295 north toward Fredericksburg and Northern Virginia or I-295 south toward Petersburg. Motorists on I-64 reversed lanes (normally eastbound) will cross over to I-64 west lanes and continue west toward the I-95 interchange.
If you have time, prepare your home to withstand the storm as much as possible while you’re gone.
- Put up shutters, plywood, or metal window covers.
- Move patio furniture, hanging plants, gas grills, etc., indoors. If your home is likely to flood, raise valuables and expensive furniture off the floor as best you can. If you live in a two-story, move items to the second floor.
- Confirm reservations if staying at a motel, or notify relatives/friends to expect you.
- Have a contingency plan. Scout out other places between your home and your ultimate destination where you could stay if roads are backed up. Keep a list of telephone numbers for each of those places. Do not stay in your car during a hurricane. If traffic is so bad you can't get anywhere, go back home immediately.
- Turn off your electricity at the main circuit breaker or fuse box before leaving. This will protect your appliances from power surges and reduce the risk of electrocution if there are exposed live wires after the hurricane.
- If your house uses natural or propane gas, turn it off at the meter/tank.
- Do a final walk-through inspection of your home just before you walk out. Make sure you have valuables or other necessary items – keys, checkbook, credit cards, etc.
- Pack the car wisely. Include a first-aid kit, water and food, dry clothes, flares, and extra gasoline in an approved container.
- Do not attempt to tow a trailer or boat in high winds. It's too dangerous.
- Ensure you bring important personal documents such as insurance policies, an itemized list of personal property or photos of your home's current condition.
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