When a hurricane threatens the Texas Gulf Coast, the question isn’t always if you should leave — it’s when, and by which route. The answer depends entirely on one thing: your evacuation zone.
Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris and Matagorda counties are divided into hurricane evacuation zones — Coastal, A, B and C — each corresponding to a level of storm surge risk and a priority order for when residents should hit the road. The interactive TxDOT evacuation route map below shows the corridors designed to move residents safely inland.
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Find your hurricane evacuation zone and route
Search any Houston-area address to see whether it falls within a mapped evacuation zone and view nearby evacuation routes.
What the zones mean
Not every storm requires a full regional evacuation. The zone system exists precisely to prevent that — staggering departures so roads don’t gridlock and those at the highest risk get out first.
The “Know Your Zone” map, published as part of KPRC 2’s 2026 Hurricane & Flood Survival Guide, lays out four evacuation zone designations across the five-county Houston-Galveston region:
Zone Coastal — The highest-risk areas, closest to open water and most vulnerable to life-threatening storm surge. Residents here are ordered to evacuate first.
Zone A — High-risk areas that face significant surge and flooding threats. Zone A residents should be prepared to leave immediately after Coastal zone orders are issued.
Zone B — Moderate-risk areas with serious flood potential. Evacuation orders for Zone B follow Zone A.
Zone C — Lower-risk inland areas that may still require evacuation in a major or direct-hit storm event.
Evacuation corridors vs. evacuation connections
The map identifies two types of evacuation road designations — and knowing the difference matters.
Evacuation Corridors — shown in red — are the primary, high-capacity routes designed to move the greatest number of evacuees inland as quickly as possible. These are the routes TxDOT prioritizes for contraflow operations during large-scale evacuations.
Evacuation Connections — shown in blue — are secondary roads that feed evacuees onto the main corridors. These are the roads most residents will use to get from their neighborhood to a primary evacuation route.
Together, the two systems work like a funnel: local evacuation connections channel residents from neighborhoods and zip codes onto the high-capacity corridors that lead safely inland and away from the storm.
When to go: Follow the zone order
When local officials issue evacuation orders, they do so in zone sequence — Coastal first, then A, B and C. Evacuating in order is critical. Leaving too early can clog routes for those in higher-risk zones who need them most. Waiting too long puts lives at risk.
Here’s what officials recommend:
- Monitor local news and official government channels for evacuation orders specific to your zone.
- Leave immediately when your zone is called. Don’t wait to see how the storm develops.
- Use designated evacuation corridors, not shortcuts. Unmarked roads may flood or become impassable.
- Fill your gas tank before your zone is called. Fuel availability drops fast once orders go out.