How do I find my hurricane evacuation zone in Myrtle Beach?

Enter your address on the South Carolina Emergency Management Division's Know Your Zone map or the SC Emergency Manager app. Horry County uses zones A, B and C, and evacuations are announced by zone.

Is there a special needs registry in Brunswick County, NC?

Yes. Brunswick County Emergency Management keeps a voluntary Access and Functional Needs Registry. Sign up online or call the coordinator at (910) 253-2850.

Hurricane evacuation zones for Grand Strand retirees: how to know your zone in SC and NC

Q: What are the evacuation zones in Georgetown County, SC?

Georgetown County uses zones A, B and C. Zone A covers areas east of U.S. 17 from the Charleston County line to the Horry County line, according to the county's hurricane guide.

Grand Strand retirees find their hurricane evacuation zone by address on a state map: South Carolina’s Know Your Zone tool from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) for Horry and Georgetown counties, and North Carolina Emergency Management’s Know Your Zone lookup for Brunswick County. As of Oct. 30, 2026, Horry and Georgetown counties each use three zones, A, B and C, and Zone A is ordered out first. Officials announce evacuations by zone, so knowing your letter before a storm is the first step.

How do I find my evacuation zone in South Carolina?

Enter your address in SCEMD’s Know Your Zone map, or use the free SC Emergency Manager app. SCEMD says state and local authorities “will announce evacuations by these predesignated zones.”

Horry County‘s Know Your Zone page describes its three zones this way:

Zone A: the coast from the North Carolina line to Cherry Grove, and areas east of Kings Road, U.S. 17 Business and nearby roads in the beach communities.
Zone B: areas east of U.S. 17 from Little River to Atlantic Beach, plus areas near Surfside Beach and between the Georgetown County line and S.C. 707.
Zone C: inland areas between U.S. 701 and S.C. 544, with extensions toward the airport and Waccamaw Boulevard.

Georgetown County’s Hurricane Preparedness Guide sets Zone A as everything east of U.S. 17 from the Charleston County line to the Horry County line, Zone B as areas east of Powell Road and U.S. 521 plus low areas along the Waccamaw, Great Pee Dee and Black rivers, and Zone C as more inland areas.

Horry County adds a warning: people in flood-prone areas along waterways and mobile home residents “should consider evacuating regardless” of their zone.

How do I find my evacuation zone in Brunswick County, N.C.?

Use North Carolina Emergency Management’s Know Your Zone lookup: type your address and a pop-up shows your zone. Brunswick County is one of 21 North Carolina counties with evacuation zones. The state says some counties have only zones A and B and others go up to E, that Zone A usually leaves first, and that local officials, not the state, order evacuations.

Brunswick County’s hurricane page also posts a county evacuation zone map.

How do I get evacuation alerts?

County	Alert system	Emergency management phone
Horry	CodeRED, through the county’s emergency management page	(843) 915-5150
Georgetown	CodeRED, free at gtcounty.org/gcemd	(843) 545-3273
Brunswick	ReadyBrunswick emergency alerts (landline, mobile, email, TDD/TTY)	(910) 253-5383 (non-emergency)

Sources: Horry County Emergency Management, the Georgetown County guide and Brunswick County’s access and functional needs page. Horry County also runs a public information line, 1-866-246-0133, with Spanish interpreters, when a storm threatens.

What if I need medical care in a shelter?

South Carolina opens special medical needs shelters, coordinated by the state health department, for people whose medical needs a regular shelter cannot meet. Horry County’s shelters page says that when a significant hazard is expected, the line 1-855-472-3432 takes calls only about special medical needs shelters. Georgetown County’s guide says shelter locations are announced with evacuation orders and that pets are not accepted at its emergency shelters.

Brunswick County keeps an Access and Functional Needs (AFN) Registry, a voluntary list of residents who may need extra help with communication, medical care, safety or transportation in an emergency. Register online through the county’s forms page or call the AFN coordinator at (910) 253-2850; staff also help residents write a personal emergency plan.

What should a retiree pack before evacuating?

Ready.gov’s guide for older adults recommends:

Medicines, medical supplies, and batteries and chargers for devices
Copies of Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance cards
A support network of family or friends, with at least one person who has a spare key and knows where your supplies are

If you get dialysis or other routine treatment, ask the clinic about its emergency plan and a backup site before the season starts. Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to Nov. 30.

What if I live in a mobile home or near a river?

Leave when told, even outside a coastal zone. Horry County says mobile home residents and people near flood-prone waterways should consider evacuating whatever their zone, and Georgetown County’s Zone B includes low areas along the Waccamaw, Great Pee Dee and Black rivers.

This story is information, not tax, legal or medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.

Retired here already? Tell us what you wish you had known: email the Grand Strand Dispatch at the contact address at the bottom of this page.

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