23 localities in coastal Virginia will begin using new tiered evacuation zones to communicate important public safety information and evacuation instructions to residents living in Hampton Roads, the Middle Peninsula, The Northern Neck and the Eastern Shore. The new zones are designed to enhance current evacuation plans, boost public safety, and improve travel efficiency in the event of hurricanes or other disasters. The tiered evacuation zones were developed in close cooperation with local emergency managers and are based on the most up-to-date engineering data for the region. Residents of coastal Virginia are urged to Know Your Zone. You can use a new interactive map at knowyourzoneva.org to determine which storm evacuation zone you live in based upon your street address. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: How will these new zones enhance current evacuation plans, boost public safety and improve travel efficiency in the event of hurricanes or other disasters - The new tiered evacuation zones identify areas vulnerable to flooding with precision that was not available until now. Empowered by this new information, residents of coastal Virginia will know more clearly whether they need to evacuate or shelter at home during a storm or other emergency. - The new zones will help citizens avoid unnecessary evacuation travel, thereby reducing highway congestion, easing overcrowding at local storm shelters and boosting public safety. How were these new evacuation zones planned/designed - The new evacuation zones were developed in close cooperation with local emergency managers throughout Hampton Roads, Virginia's Middle Peninsula, Northern Neck and the Eastern Shore. Different hurricanes can cause vastly different impacts. The new zones take into account historic storm surge measurements combined with projected effects of storms of different intensity, path, speed, tides, and other meteorological factors. - The new evacuation zones were developed by Atkins, a global engineering firm with extensive experience designing hurricane evacuation plans for major metropolitan areas. How are the new evacuation zones being introduced to the public - Residents in coastal Virginia communities must be aware of which tiered evacuation zone in which they live-zone A, B, C, or D. State and local officials are launching Know Your Zone, a public information campaign to promote the new zones and give residents a simple way to find out which zone they are in. This will allow emergency managers to give specific instructions and information to those residents most at risk of an approaching storm. - The Know Your Zone campaign will be coordinated with public and media outreach, education for local emergency responders and citizens, and other tools to give actionable and specific direction to those residents of zones at most risk of each particular storm as it approaches Virginia. VDEM is working with local emergency managers to deploy the most effective means of communicating the new zones to each impacted community, including using paid advertising, media outreach, social media and other educational tools. How can people learn their storm evacuation zone - The Know Your Zone campaign will encourage residents to go online to www.KnowYourZoneVA.gov to view a detailed map that shows the new tiered evacuation zones. - The web site displays an interactive color-coded map showing the new evacuation zones. People can use the new map to view a big picture of the region, or zoom-in to their neighborhood to see which locations are vulnerable to flooding during different types of storms. In addition, users can enter their address to see their designated evacuation zone. How many zones are designated - There are four evacuation zones, designated A thorough D. In the event of a storm or other emergency, local emergency managers may direct residents of one or more zones to evacuate. Storms can produce dramatically different impacts, depending on tides, storm i