Ready for a hurricane in the Florida Keys? What to know about shelters, when to return

What should you do if a hurricane threatens the Florida Keys?

The best advice: Listen to the experts.

Since there’s only one way in and one way out, emergency managers weigh the strength of a storm and the threat to property and people before they call for a mass evacuation. But if they do, they are serious.

The Florida Keys took a direct hit from Irma in September 2017 as the Category 4 storm made landfall on Cudjoe Key in the Lower Keys, leaving widespread damage.

Monroe County generally designates high schools as hurricane shelters for lower-strength storms. But if it’s a big one, county officials will order tourists out and direct residents to a shelter on the mainland.

So whether you’re a tourist stuck in the Keys during a hurricane scare, a new resident or a veteran who wants to brush up on the basics, here’s a guide on what to do and where to go during a storm:

What happens during an evacuation order in the Keys?

Monroe County officials issue a mandatory evacuation to urge residents to leave. Shelters on the mainland open for Monroe residents and the county provides transportation.

But it’s also a way for the government to put people on notice.

Those who stay can’t rely on receiving medical, fire-rescue, or law enforcement help until storm conditions subside and roads are passable. In other words, if you call 911 after a mandatory evacuation order is given, help isn’t guaranteed to come.

Can I ride out a hurricane in the Keys?

During Hurricane Irma in September 2017, some people chose to stay and not comply with Monroe County’s mandatory evacuation. Some lacked the means to get out of the remote island chain. Others simply wouldn’t budge.

Four public schools were opened for people to stay, including the high schools in Key West and Marathon. The schools, though, are listed as only Category 1 and 2 hurricane shelters, while storms rated a Category 3 and up trigger a mandatory evacuation

An evacuation order means shelters on the mainland will open for Keys residents. The county says it will announce shelter locations outside Monroe when a storm threatens.

For Hurricane Irma in 2017, shelters for Keys residents were set up in Miami-Dade:

• E. Darwin Fuchs Pavilion at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition: 10901 SW 24th St.

• A special needs shelter at Florida International University: 11290 SW 13th St., University Park

As for the Keys schools that have opened up in 2017, the top emergency management official does not consider them true shelters for the strongest storms.

“Key West High School was opened during Irma as a ‘refuge of last resort,’ not a ‘hurricane shelter’ option,” said Shannon Weiner, Monroe’s director of emergency management in April. People can’t expect to receive food, security staff, communications or other resources, she said.

“The location is completely contingent upon the emergency situation itself, so they should not be counted on to open as a shelter in any situation,” Weiner said.

When can I return to the Keys?

After Hurricane Irma left much of the Keys destroyed in September 2017, many Keys residents had to wait more than a week before authorities allowed them to re-enter the island chain. Tempers flared at checkpoints police set up in Florida City because residents were anxious to assess the damage and get repairs started.

Depending on the voracity of the next storm, this scenario could likely play out again. That’s because, immediately following the storm, only people Monroe County Emergency Management deems essential, like police, firefighters, other emergency personnel and utility workers, will be permitted re-entry to the Keys.

Once projects like bridge and road inspections and repairs are complete, the county will allow the “second tier” of essential workers into the Keys. These people will have a placard issued by the county (the application process for a placard for the 2022 season has expired).

Examples of people who may be eligible for a placard are medical professionals who received permission from a county hospital, and employees of “critical businesses” like grocery stores with backup generators, pharmacies, gas stations with generators, designated hotels, contractors and debris removal companies.

What do Keys residents need to return home?

Residents should obtain a re-entry windshield sticker before evacuating. They’re available year-round, but officials recommend not waiting for an approaching storm to get yours.

Stickers are available at the Monroe County Tax Collector’s locations in Key West, Marathon, Big Pine Key, Plantation Key and Key Largo. In Ocean Reef, they can be obtained at 110 Anchor Dr. In Key West, they are also available at City Hall, 1300 White St., or the Key West Police Department at 1604 N. Roosevelt Blvd.

There are several ways of finding out when residents are permitted back to their homes. The county recommends signing up for its online alert system.

This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 6:00 AM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.