Evacuation Information

The Hillsborough County Emergency Management Office and the American Red Cross recommend that all individuals decide well in advance where to relocate in the event of an evacuation order.

The Hillsborough County Hurricane preparation website states: “Make arrangements to stay with family or a friend who lives on higher ground, or find out where your nearest shelter is located. Shelters should be used as a last resort and remember, most do not accept pets.”

In other words, if a campus evacuation were to occur, University community members should consider relocating to an American Red Cross-approved hurricane shelter only if there is no other option! UT's Hurricane Guide and Hurricane FAQs provide education on how to prepare for a storm and important information on UT's hurricane plan.

Hillsborough County Shelter Information

Emergency Shelter Locations 

In the event of an emergency, the media will be notified as to which shelters will open and what times. All shelters may not be opened. Shelters are opened based on the severity of an emergency and the number of residents to be impacted. In an emergency, residents must tune to local media outlets to find out which shelters are open and the times they are open.

See complete list of opened shelters at Hillsborough County Emergency Management.

Assistance Finding a Shelter

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers a texting service for individuals to find shelter during a disaster. Users can text "shelter" and their ZIP code to 43362 to receive a list of shelters within 200 miles of their zip code. Example: Shelter 33606.

Shelters identified through this service are pulled from data managed by the American Red Cross. This texting feature is accessible nationwide. Standard texting rates with the phone carrier may apply, but there is no additional fee to use this service. For more ways to find shelter during a disaster, visit FEMA.gov/shelter or redcross.org/shelter.