Counties with the most emergency shelters in Florida

Written by:
January 20, 2023
Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

Counties with the most emergency shelters in Florida

As climate change drives weather to greater extremes, and devastating hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and blizzards preoccupy an increasing number of Americans, it is hard to avoid comparing the reality of everyday news coverage to the computer-generated images seen in disaster movies.

Over the last 50 years, natural disasters have become five times more common due to climate change, according to the World Meteorological Organization. They've also become more economically debilitating—the five most expensive climate disasters in American history have all taken place over the last two decades.

The increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters means that the need for emergency evacuation and shelter plans has never been greater. According to the Federal Emergency Management Association, understanding your climate risk, or proximity to probable natural disaster, is an important first step for making a plan. Tools like the Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation allow you to assess your risk by location.

Knowing where nearby emergency shelters are located is another way to prepare for the worst. In the event of flooding, hurricane-level winds, or other disasters, emergency shelters offer a place to sleep, and also often provide food, water, and first aid services. Stacker examined the Department of Homeland Security's National Shelter System Facilities database to identify the counties with the most emergency shelters in Florida. Counties are ranked by emergency shelters per 100K people, with total capacity per 100K people serving as a tiebreaker.

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the total emergency shelter capacity in each county. Due to the variable availability of that data for each shelter, the data point has been removed from the updated version.

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Roman Eugeniusz // Wikimedia Commons

#50. Manatee County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 12.2 (48 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 14
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 7
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#49. Polk County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 12.3 (88 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 17
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 1
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Xavier6984 // Wikimedia Commons

#48. Seminole County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 12.4 (58 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 8
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#47. Sarasota County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 12.6 (54 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 3
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 4
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#46. Sumter County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 13.4 (17 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#45. Escambia County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 14.4 (46 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Daniel Wilton // Wikimedia Commons

#44. Hernando County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 14.6 (28 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 2
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#43. Brevard County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 15.6 (94 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 17
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 1
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#42. Indian River County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 15.8 (25 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 6
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 1
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Excel23 // Wikimedia Commons

#41. Clay County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 17.1 (37 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 9
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Swarm // Wikimedia Commons

#40. Collier County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 18.0 (67 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 7
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#39. Okaloosa County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 18.2 (38 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#38. Monroe County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 18.2 (15 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#37. Volusia County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 18.4 (101 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 3
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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j.s. clark // Wikimedia Commons

#36. Bay County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 18.7 (34 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#35. Osceola County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 18.9 (72 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#34. Leon County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 19.6 (57 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#33. Charlotte County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 20.0 (37 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 4
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DouglasGreen // Wikimedia Commons

#32. Alachua County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 21.0 (58 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#31. Walton County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 23.1 (17 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#30. Nassau County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 23.7 (21 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#29. Citrus County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 27.0 (41 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Excel23 // Wikimedia Commons

#28. Putnam County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 28.7 (21 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons

#27. Jackson County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 29.1 (14 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#26. Wakulla County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 30.2 (10 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Georgia Guercio // Wikimedia Commons

#25. Holmes County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 30.6 (6 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons

#24. Bradford County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 32.2 (9 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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User:Tim Ross // Wikimedia Commons

#23. Jefferson County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 34.7 (5 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons

#22. Calhoun County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 36.1 (5 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#21. Washington County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 36.1 (9 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#20. Martin County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 37.3 (59 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 2
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#19. Levy County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 37.7 (16 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#18. Gilchrist County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 39.4 (7 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons

#17. Dixie County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 41.9 (7 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#16. Gulf County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 46.0 (7 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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#15. Suwannee County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 48.3 (21 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#14. Union County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 49.6 (8 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Organizedchaos02 // Wikimedia Commons

#13. Baker County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 50.0 (14 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#12. Columbia County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 53.4 (37 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 1
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#11. Hamilton County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 57.3 (8 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons

#10. Gadsden County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 61.0 (27 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#9. Taylor County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 64.3 (14 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 1
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Bastique // Wikimedia Commons

#8. Okeechobee County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 65.5 (26 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 2
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 1
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#7. Hendry County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 65.9 (26 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#6. Madison County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 66.5 (12 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#5. Hardee County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 70.2 (18 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Michael Rivera // Wikimedia Commons

#4. Liberty County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 87.6 (7 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#3. Glades County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 106.7 (13 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 1
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#2. Lafayette County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 107.9 (9 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0
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Ebyabe // Wikimedia Commons

#1. Franklin County

- Emergency shelters per 100K people: 122.6 (15 shelters in database)
- Shelters listed with generators: 0
- Shelters listed in 100-year floodplain: 0

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