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How do I get emergency alerts in Florida?

Wireless Emergency Alerts come to cell phones free, with no sign-up, from authorized national, state and local authorities.

The state asks Floridians to sign up for local emergency alerts through AlertFlorida, at FloridaDisaster.org/AlertFlorida, and its Know Your Zone map shows your hurricane evacuation zone. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts weather information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Most counties also run their own alert sign-up: Miami-Dade Alerts, ALERT Broward, AlertPBC in Palm Beach County, HCFL Alert in Hillsborough County, OCAlert in Orange County, AlertJax in Duval County, Alert Pinellas, AlertLee, AlertBrevard, Alert Marion, Alert Polk, AlertVolusia, Alert Seminole, Alert Manatee, Alert Osceola, AlertLake in Lake County, Alert St. Lucie, Alert Escambia, Leon County's alerts, Alert Alachua and Alert St. Johns. Manatee County also takes the text ManateeReady to 888-777, and Osceola County AlertOsceola to 888777. Every county's emergency management office is listed on FloridaDisaster.org.

Where to go from here.

A hurricane evacuation route sign near Boca Raton, Florida.01

How do I find my hurricane evacuation zone?

Look it up by address on the Florida Division of Emergency Management's Know Your Zone map.

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Satellite image of Hurricane Michael making landfall on the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2018.02

When is hurricane season in Florida, and how do I get ready?

Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The National Hurricane Center puts its peak on September 10, with most of the activity from mid-August to mid-October.

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Generated image of two volunteers in blue vests helping an older man with an oxygen tank sit down on a cot in a school gymnasium set up as a storm shelter.03

How do I register for a special needs shelter in Florida?

Register ahead with your county's emergency management office, or with the state's Special Needs Registry at snr.flhealthresponse.com or 888-353-8387.

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Generated image of a homeowner checking a portable generator in his open garage beside shelves of water jugs, flashlights and a first-aid kit, with storm clouds over the palm-lined street.04

How do I get my home ready for hurricanes?

The state's emergency managers say to protect the places where wind can get in: the roof, the roof-to-wall straps, the windows, the doors and the garage door.

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Where this comes from.

More questions like this.

Does it ever freeze or snow in Florida?

In the north, yes. The Panhandle and the Big Bend have a real winter: the National Weather Service puts the average first freeze at Tallahassee on November 25, and on the coast at Apalachicola on December 13.

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