THE DOUGLAS ADAMS EDITORIAL SERIES
Market Insight • Property Strategy • New Orleans & Mississippi
Updated October 2026
Quick Answer
From Slidell to Perdido Key, if you decide to leave ahead of Hurricane Isaias, head inland and away from the forecast landfall zone, which runs from Mobile Bay to the western Florida Panhandle. Do not drive east on I-10 into the Florida Panhandle. From Slidell and the Mississippi coast, go north or northwest toward Hattiesburg, the Jackson metro or Baton Rouge. From Mobile, Baldwin County and Perdido Key, follow your county's posted routes and travel far enough inland to get clear of the storm's path, which is forecast to turn north through west-central Alabama. Leave before tropical-storm-force winds arrive on Friday. Take your pets, medications and documents, and video every room of your house before you lock the door.
Where Things Stand (Thursday, October 8)
Isaias strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane with 100 mph winds on Thursday (WLOX), and landfall is expected late Friday night or early Saturday. As of Thursday, these alerts are in place along this stretch of coast (Spectrum News 13):
- Hurricane Warning: Ocean Springs, MS, east to the Bay/Gulf County line in Florida, including Mobile and Pensacola
- Tropical Storm Warning: the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish line in Louisiana east to just west of Ocean Springs, which covers the waters off Slidell and Hancock and Harrison counties
- Storm Surge Warning: coastal Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties in Mississippi (WLOX)
After landfall, the National Hurricane Center forecasts the center to move north through west-central Alabama on Saturday and near the Alabama-Mississippi line by Saturday night, with gusty winds well inland (NHC). Forecasters expect gusts of 40 to 50 mph in Central Alabama (ABC 33/40). That inland path matters when you choose where to go.
Evacuation orders, west to east:
- Slidell and St. Tammany Parish: No evacuation order. City officials expect limited impact, but the National Weather Service warns the track can still shift (WGNO).
- Hancock and Harrison counties, MS: No evacuation orders. Hancock County has opened a shelter (see Step 4).
- Jackson County, MS: Voluntary evacuation for Zone A, south of Highway 90, plus low-lying areas, homes on rivers, bayous and creeks, and travel trailers (WLOX).
- Mobile County, AL: The governor has ordered non-residents, tourists and visitors to leave Zone 1, which includes all of Dauphin Island and parts of Bayou La Batre (WTOK). The Town of Dauphin Island has also told residents of the west end, from Pirate's Cove Street to the western tip, to evacuate (Rocket City Now).
- Baldwin County, AL: The same state order applies to non-residents, tourists and visitors south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which includes Gulf Shores and Orange Beach (WTOK). There is no countywide mandatory order for residents, but anyone in a low-lying or flood-prone area is urged to leave (Rocket City Now).
- Escambia County, FL: Evacuation order for Zones A and B, which include Perdido Key, Innerarity Point and Pensacola Beach. The order also covers anyone in a mobile home or a low-lying area, regardless of zone (WEAR). Look up your zone at myescambia.com/knowyourzone.
Forecasts update every few hours. Treat this article as a planning guide, and treat your parish or county emergency management agency as the final word.
Step 1: Decide Today Whether You Are Leaving
Make the decision now, not on Friday afternoon when the rain bands arrive. Leave if any of these apply:
- Your area is under an evacuation order
- You live on the water, on a barrier island, or in an area that flooded in a past storm
- You live in a mobile home, travel trailer, modular home, or a house under construction
- Someone in your household depends on electricity for medical equipment
- You would struggle to get out quickly if water started rising after dark
If none of these apply and your home sits on higher ground, sheltering in place may be reasonable. The rest of this guide covers both choices.
Step 2: Which Direction to Drive
The Mississippi Department of Transportation gives the same instruction for every storm: do not evacuate parallel to the coast; evacuate north (MDOT). This weekend there is a second rule: do not drive east. Mandatory evacuations are underway in parts of Walton, Escambia and Franklin counties in the Florida Panhandle (CNN), so I-10 east leads toward the storm and into other people's evacuation traffic.
There is also a third consideration for Alabama and Florida evacuees. Because the storm is forecast to turn north through west-central Alabama after landfall, a short drive north can put you back under the storm on Saturday. Leave early, and either go far enough inland to get well clear, or angle northwest into Mississippi, which keeps you on the weaker west side of the storm's path.
Routes inland, by town:
Louisiana
- Slidell, Pearl River: Take I-59 north toward Hattiesburg, or I-12 west to Hammond and then I-55 north toward Jackson. I-12 west also leads to Baton Rouge.
Mississippi
- Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Diamondhead: Take MS-603 north through Kiln, then MS-43 to Picayune and I-59 north. Another option is I-10 west to Slidell, then I-59 north.
- Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport: US-49 north is the main route and the one most likely to back up. MDOT's published alternate is to turn onto MS-29 north at Wiggins and follow it to I-59 at Ellisville.
- Biloxi, D'Iberville: Take I-110 north to I-10, then MS-67 north to US-49 above Saucier.
- Ocean Springs, Gautier: Take MS-57 north through Vancleave to US-98, then go west toward Hattiesburg.
- Pascagoula, Moss Point: Take MS-63 north to Lucedale, then US-98 west.
Alabama
- Dauphin Island, Bayou La Batre, south Mobile County: Take the Dauphin Island Parkway (AL-193) north to I-10, then I-65 north or US-98 northwest toward Hattiesburg.
- Mobile: Take I-65 north, US-43 north, US-45 north, or US-98 northwest into Mississippi.
- Gulf Shores, Orange Beach, Foley: Take the Foley Beach Express or AL-59 north to I-10, and continue north toward I-65.
- Daphne, Spanish Fort, Fairhope: Take I-10 to AL-225, then north to I-65 at Exit 31.
If the evacuation becomes large enough, Alabama may run I-65 contraflow, with every lane heading north from just south of Exit 31 to Montgomery. Contraflow is not automatic, so do not wait for it (NWS/Alabama EMA).
Florida
- Perdido Key, Innerarity Point: Leave the island on Perdido Key Drive (FL-292) toward Pensacola, then head north on US-29 or follow Escambia County's posted evacuation routes. Perdido Key is in Escambia County, Florida, even though its western end borders Orange Beach, Alabama.
In Mississippi, download the MDOT Traffic app or call 1-866-521-6368 for live road conditions. In Alabama, check ALGO Traffic. Before you go, fill your gas tank. Keesler Air Force Base tells its families to leave with at least three-quarters of a tank (Keesler AFB), because stations along evacuation routes run dry quickly.
Step 3: Where to Find a Hotel or Safe Lodging
Where you should look depends on where you start:
- From Slidell and western Hancock County: Look in Hammond, Baton Rouge or the Jackson metro, all reached by I-12 and I-55, west of the storm.
- From the Mississippi coast: Look in Hattiesburg, Laurel, or the Jackson metro (Jackson, Pearl, Flowood, Ridgeland). Hattiesburg is the closest, which means its rooms fill first and its roads back up first.
- From Mobile, Baldwin County and Perdido Key: Driving northwest into Mississippi, toward Hattiesburg or Jackson, keeps you on the west side of the storm's forecast path. If you take I-65 north instead, keep going well past south Alabama, and expect gusty wind in Montgomery and Birmingham on Saturday.
- Avoid: the Florida Panhandle east of Pensacola, and western Georgia, which is under a Tropical Storm Warning (Spectrum News 13).
The best option of all is family or friends inland. A guest room is free, usually allows pets, and leaves public shelter space for people with nowhere else to go.
Tips for booking:
- Call the hotel directly and confirm the reservation by phone. Third-party booking sites can oversell during evacuations.
- Ask about the pet policy before you book.
- Choose a refundable rate. If the track shifts again, you can cancel.
- Plan to arrive in daylight on Friday.
Step 4: Public Shelters
Public shelters are a last resort, but they are a safe one. Pack for a shelter as if you were camping indoors: bedding, medications, snacks, water, phone chargers, hygiene items, and anything a child or older relative needs to stay calm.
- St. Tammany Parish, LA: No shelter announcement found as of Thursday. Sign up for parish alerts through Everbridge (City of Slidell).
- Hancock County, MS: The Necaise Shelter, 30360 Highway 603, Perkinston, opens Friday at 9 a.m. and closes Saturday at noon. The Red Cross will provide cots, blankets, water and meals (FOX 8). For a ride, call Hancock County EMA at 228-255-0942 or Central Dispatch at 228-255-9191 (Hancock County).
- Harrison and Jackson counties, MS: Check your county EMA or MSEMA.org; openings can be announced on short notice.
- Mobile County, AL: Shelters at Collins-Rhodes Elementary, Theodore High and Baker High open Friday at 8 a.m. (FOX 10, WKRG).
- Baldwin County, AL: The Baldwin County Coliseum, 19477 Fairground Road, Robertsdale, opened Thursday at 3 p.m. (WUWF). BRATS public transit offers rides for people who need help getting there (WKRG).
- Escambia County, FL: The Pensacola Bay Center, 201 E. Gregory St., is the general-population shelter, and the Marie K. Young-Wedgewood Community Center, 6405 Wagner Road, is the special-needs shelter. Both opened Thursday at 3 p.m. (WKRG). Escambia County Area Transit is giving free rides (WUWF).
Step 5: What to Do With Your Pets
Take them with you. A pet left behind in a flooded house, or worse, chained outside, has almost no chance. General-population shelters do not accept pets, other than service animals, but several counties have made other arrangements:
- Hancock County, MS: The Necaise Shelter community center houses small household pets. Bring a crate or kennel, food, water, bowls, medications, and proof of current vaccinations, including rabies (Hancock County).
- Mobile County, AL: Animal Shelter vehicles at each shelter will take household pets to the county animal shelter on Howells Ferry Road, where staff will care for them while you shelter (WKRG).
- Baldwin County, AL: A pet-friendly shelter is at the Baldwin County Coliseum in Robertsdale (WUWF).
- Escambia County, FL: Both county shelters are pet friendly (WEAR). Call the county to confirm hours.
- Everywhere: Make sure collars and tags have your current cell number, and photograph yourself with each pet so you can prove ownership if you get separated. Pack food, a leash, a crate, litter, medications, vaccination records, and a familiar blanket or toy. Move horses and livestock to high ground early, and write your phone number on a halter tag.
Step 6: Loved Ones Staying Behind
Not everyone will leave. If a parent, a neighbor or a grown child is staying put:
- Set check-in times now, such as 8 a.m., noon, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. A missed check-in is your signal to call for help.
- Text instead of calling. Text messages often get through when voice calls cannot.
- Write down their exact address and a description of the house, in case you need to send first responders.
- Pick an interior room on the highest floor that is not the attic. People who go into an attic to escape rising water can get trapped there.
- If they rely on oxygen or other home medical equipment, call the county EMA today about medical-needs shelter.
- Make sure they have a battery-powered radio, a charged power bank, a flashlight, and several days of water and medication.
- Choose one out-of-area contact who everyone checks in with.
Step 7: Protecting Your Home in One Day
You cannot hurricane-proof a house in an afternoon, but you can reduce the damage.
Sandbags. Self-serve sites are open across the region; bring your own shovel. In St. Tammany Parish, sites include the Airport Road Barn (34783 Grantham College Dr., Slidell) and the Fritchie Barn (63119 LA 1090, Pearl River) (WWL). In Hancock County, sites include the Hancock County EOC (18333 Highway 603, Kiln), the Hancock County Farmers Market (3068 Longfellow Drive, Bay St. Louis), Diamondhead City Hall, the Lakeshore Community Center, and the West Hancock Fire Department in Pearlington (FOX 8). In Harrison County, sites include the Road Department on Lorraine Road and the D'Iberville, Lyman and Long Beach work centers (Sun Herald). Mobile, Baldwin and Escambia counties post their sites on their EMA pages. Place sandbags at door thresholds and garage doors. They will not stop storm surge, but they do help with rainwater and shallow street flooding.
Outside:
- Bring in patio furniture, grills, planters, trash cans, and anything else the wind can throw.
- Cover windows with shutters or plywood if you have them.
- Clear gutters and nearby storm drains.
- Secure or move boats and trailers, and park vehicles on the highest ground you can reach.
Inside:
- Move valuables, electronics, photo albums and important papers off the floor and onto upper shelves or a second story.
- Unplug electronics.
- Turn the refrigerator and freezer to their coldest settings.
- Fill bathtubs with water for flushing toilets.
- If you are leaving and flooding is likely, turn off the main breaker before you go.
Generators: Never run one inside the house, in the garage, or under a carport. Keep it outdoors, far from windows, doors and vents. Carbon monoxide kills people after nearly every storm.
Step 8: Photograph Your Home Before You Leave
Before I became a real estate agent, I spent years photographing homes professionally. This is the step people skip most often, and it matters most when you file an insurance claim.
- Video the entire house, room by room, and narrate as you go. Open closets, cabinets and drawers.
- Photograph the exterior from all four corners, including the roofline, fences, outbuildings, and any existing damage, so the adjuster can see the house's condition before the storm.
- Photograph serial numbers on major appliances, televisions and electronics.
- Upload everything to cloud storage before you leave. Photos that exist only on your phone are only as safe as your phone.
Twenty minutes of photos today can save you weeks of back-and-forth with an adjuster.
Step 9: Paperwork, Insurance, and Money
From my years in mortgage lending, this is the paperwork to keep close:
- Insurance: the declarations pages for your homeowners, windstorm and flood policies, your policy numbers, and each claims phone number. Keep paper copies, not only screenshots.
- Mortgage: your loan servicer's name and phone number. Many servicers offer help to borrowers in declared disaster areas, but you have to call and ask.
- Identification: IDs, Social Security cards, passports, deeds, and recent tax returns, sealed in a waterproof bag.
- Cash: enough for gas and food. Card readers stop working when the power is out.
- Flood insurance: new flood policies generally have a 30-day waiting period, so a policy bought this week will not cover Isaias. If you do not have one, put it on your list for after the storm.
For a closer look at coverage on the Coast, read my article Why Is Homeowners Insurance So Expensive on the MS Gulf Coast?
Step 10: The Go-Bag Checklist
- Water and nonperishable food for at least three days
- Prescription medications for a week or more, plus copies of the prescriptions
- Phone chargers, car chargers, and power banks
- Flashlights, batteries, and a battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- First-aid kit, glasses or contacts, and hearing-aid batteries
- A change of clothes, rain gear, and sturdy shoes
- Documents in a waterproof bag (see Step 9)
- Cash
- Pet supplies (see Step 5)
- Baby supplies, if needed: formula, diapers, and wipes
- A printed list of phone numbers, in case your phone dies
Step 11: Coming Home After the Storm
- Wait for local officials to say it is safe. Roads, bridges, and power lines are often more dangerous after the storm than during it.
- Never drive through standing or moving water. You cannot see washed-out pavement or how deep the water is.
- Treat every downed power line as live.
- Photograph all damage before you clean up, and contact your insurer as soon as you can.
- Prevent further damage with tarps and fans, and keep every receipt. Reasonable mitigation costs are usually part of the claim.
- Be cautious about contractors who knock on your door. Get written estimates, verify licenses, and do not pay in full upfront.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which direction should I evacuate from the Gulf Coast for Hurricane Isaias?
Inland, and never east along I-10. From Slidell and the Mississippi coast, go north or northwest. From Mobile, Baldwin County and Perdido Key, follow your county's routes north, and either go far enough inland to get clear of the storm's forecast path through west-central Alabama, or angle northwest into Mississippi.
Do I have to evacuate Gulf Shores or Orange Beach?
As of Thursday, Alabama has ordered non-residents, tourists and visitors south of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to leave. Residents are not under a countywide mandatory order, but anyone in a low-lying or flood-prone area is urged to leave.
Is Perdido Key under an evacuation order?
Yes. Escambia County, Florida, ordered evacuations for Zones A and B, which include Perdido Key, Innerarity Point and Pensacola Beach, effective at noon on Thursday.
Should Slidell residents evacuate for Isaias?
As of Thursday, St. Tammany Parish has not issued an evacuation order, and Slidell officials expect limited impact. Because the track can still shift, residents should prepare, pick up sandbags if needed, and sign up for parish alerts.
Where can I find a hotel when evacuating the Gulf Coast?
From Slidell, look in Hammond, Baton Rouge or Jackson. From the Mississippi coast, look in Hattiesburg, Laurel or the Jackson metro. From Mobile, Baldwin County and Perdido Key, Mississippi destinations to the northwest keep you west of the forecast track. Call hotels directly, ask about pets, and choose a refundable rate.
Do Gulf Coast hurricane shelters accept pets?
General-population shelters do not, other than service animals. Hancock County, Baldwin County and Escambia County each have pet-friendly options, and Mobile County will transport household pets from its shelters to the county animal shelter.
What should I do with my house before evacuating?
Secure outdoor items, cover windows if you can, move valuables off the floor, unplug electronics, and turn off the main breaker if flooding is likely. Video every room and upload the footage to the cloud before you leave.
Douglas Adams
Douglas Adams Real Estate with Crescent Sotheby's International Realty
617 Julia St, New Orleans, LA 70130 | 504-444-8670
Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
About the Author
Douglas Adams (link: https://douglasadamsrealestate.com/about) is a Global Real Estate Advisor with Crescent Sotheby's International Realty serving Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Through The Douglas Adams Editorial Series, he explores the history, architecture, neighborhoods, and communities that make the Gulf South such a remarkable place to call home. Every article is informed by firsthand experience, original photography, professional research, and a passion for telling the stories that exist beyond the front door.
