Hurricane Season Starts June 1: What Treasure Coast Residents Must Know Now

The calendar flips to June 1 and the Atlantic opens for business. For the roughly 600,000 people living between Sebastian and Hobe Sound, that date is not a formality — it is a deadline.

ALERTS: No active NWS watches, warnings, or advisories are in effect for the Treasure Coast at time of publication. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30.

TODAY: Prepare now. Every hour spent locating your evacuation zone before a storm is named is an hour you won't be spending in gridlock on U.S. 1 when it matters.

EVACUATION ZONES

All three counties use an A-through-F lettered zone system, with Zone A representing the highest-risk, lowest-elevation coastal areas. Zone A includes barrier islands, mobile home communities, and low-lying riverfront properties — areas that flood first and fastest.

— Martin County: Residents can look up their zone at martin.fl.us/emergency-management or call the Emergency Management office at (772) 220-7020.

— St. Lucie County: Zone lookup is available at stlucieco.gov/emergency-management. The county's Emergency Management office can be reached at (772) 462-8100.

— Indian River County: Residents should visit ircgov.com/emergency or call (772) 226-4600.

SHELTER LOCATIONS

Shelters are not opened until a storm is imminent and an evacuation order is issued. Check your county's emergency management website for the activated shelter nearest you when an order is declared. Pet-friendly and special-needs shelters exist in all three counties but require pre-registration — contact your county office now, before a storm is named.

SUPPLY CHECKLIST — MINIMUM SEVEN DAYS

□ One gallon of water per person per day □ Non-perishable food and manual can opener □ Medications (30-day supply minimum) □ Cash — ATMs fail when power goes out □ Battery or hand-crank weather radio □ Phone chargers and portable power banks □ Important documents in a waterproof container □ Full tank of gas — fill it before a watch is issued □ First-aid kit □ Flashlights and extra batteries

ONE LOCAL CAUTION

Last June, a mid-season tropical system compressed Martin County's warning-to-landfall window to under 18 hours. Residents who had not pre-registered for special-needs shelters were turned away.

The National Hurricane Center urges all coastal Florida residents to complete preparations no later than the start of the season — not when a storm is already churning in the Gulf Stream off the Treasure Coast.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.