Evacuation, temporary accommodation, and a safe return home

How to use this guide

This guide is intended for situations in which you need to leave home for a short or extended period because of fighting, fire, earthquake, flooding, structural damage, or an order from a relevant authority. It covers the entire sequence: preparation, decision-making, leaving, staying elsewhere, and returning.

Four questions to ask first

• Has an evacuation order been issued, who issued it, and which area does it apply to?
• Is there an immediate danger that requires leaving without delay?
• Who in the household needs assistance, medication, accessible equipment, or adapted transportation?
• Where are you going, how will you get there, and who will know that you arrived?

Important: When there is immediate danger, do not delay leaving in order to collect belongings. Life comes before equipment.

1. Prepare in advance

Household action plan

• Choose a primary destination and an alternative destination outside the risk area.
• Choose a contact person who does not live in the same area, and a meeting point in case communications fail.
• Check how you would evacuate without a private car and who could help someone who needs accessible transportation.
• Practice who is responsible for children, medications, documents, and pets.
• Keep a list of phone numbers and addresses on paper as well.
• Make sure household members know where the main water shutoff and main electrical panel are located, and, if an electric door or gate is essential for leaving home, how it can be opened during a power outage.
• Prepare a plan for a situation in which no official destination is available or you cannot reach it: a temporary safe place, someone who can host you for the first night, and a way to update the authorities after you arrive.

Remember: If no evacuation order has been issued, do not set out on a long trip without a destination when you can remain in a safe place. In every case, act according to the conditions of the event and the latest instructions.

Go-bag

• Identification documents, medical documents, means of payment, and keys.
• Medications and medical equipment, including prescriptions and instructions for use.
• Water, suitable food, clothing, chargers, lighting, and hygiene supplies.
• Equipment for a baby, a person who needs considerable assistance with daily activities, or a person with a disability.
• Pet identification, food, leash, or carrier.

Adjust quantities to the expected length of time away and to personal needs. The emergency bag should be accessible, but do not store medications or documents in it in a way that interferes with everyday use.

2. When to evacuate

Important: Self-evacuation without an order may be appropriate when the home is unsafe, but do not travel into a closed area, blocked route, or active incident scene. Check instructions before leaving whenever conditions allow.

3. At the moment you leave

• Wear closed shoes and suitable clothing.
• Take the bag, medications, and phone without delaying for nonessential equipment.
• Extinguish open flames. Disconnect electricity, gas, or water only if instructed and only if it can be done without risk.
• Do not use an elevator during a fire, earthquake, or when there is a risk of power failure.
• Tell your contact person where you are going and who is with you.
• Help a neighbor only if it does not delay evacuation or put you at risk.
• Keep access routes clear for emergency services.

If household members are not together

• Do not return to a dangerous area to collect someone who is at school, care, or work; follow the instructions of that institution and the authorities.
• Use a short pre-agreed message: who is with you, where you are, and where you intend to go. A text message may get through even when phone calls are difficult.
• Use the shared contact person to reduce repeated calls.

4. On the way

• Obey roadblocks and police directions.
• Do not stop to photograph the incident scene or collect equipment from a dangerous place.
• Conserve fuel and battery power, and prefer an official route over an unfamiliar shortcut.
• If transportation stops, move to a safe place and notify the authority or operator about anyone who needs assistance.
• Do not cross flowing water, a fire zone, a blocked road, or an area marked as dangerous.

5. Arriving at alternative accommodation or a reception center

On arrival

• Register according to instructions even if you arrived independently; registration can help with services and coordination of information.
• Provide only the information needed for the service, and ask who holds it and for what purpose.
• Report immediately any medical, accessibility, special-food, nursing-care, continuous-caregiver, or safety need.
• Keep medications, documents, and valuables under your control.
• Set a meeting point within the facility and a way for household members to stay in contact.
• If you evacuated independently to relatives, an apartment, or another place that is not an official reception center, update, as far as possible, both the authority you left and the authority where you are staying. Provide contact details, the number of household members, and essential needs. Update them again whenever you move. Registration does not guarantee eligibility or a particular service, but it may help the authority provide information and identify needs.

During an extended stay

• As soon as you arrive, identify your two official points of contact: the authority you evacuated from—for updates about your community, education, welfare, and return—and the receiving authority or accommodation manager—for local services and needs during your stay. Keep the name and phone number of a representative or hotline for each, and join only official update channels.
• During the first 24 hours, try to check not only sleeping arrangements and food, but also:
• access to laundry and drying;
• hygiene products and a change of clothing;
• internet access and device charging;
• how to reach medical care and a pharmacy;
• a suitable place for study or work;
• accessible arrangements for toilets, bathing, food, and medical equipment;
• a clear address or contact for reporting a need that has not been met.
• Maintain continuity of treatment, prescriptions, and medical follow-up; do not wait until medication supplies run out.
• Document expenses, damage, documents you receive, and requests for services.
• Create a basic routine for sleep, meals, activity, and contact with children.
• Report violence, harassment, privacy violations, or sanitation risks.
• Actively check the emotional state of household members and especially watch for signs of distress. Do not always wait for the person to ask for help. If distress continues or worsens, contact welfare, health, or mental-health services at the place of stay or in the receiving authority.
• Do not post identifying information about other evacuees or the location of a sensitive population online.

6. Adaptations for specific needs

Reminder: what not to do

• Do not ignore an evacuation order or delay leaving in order to protect property.
• Do not return through a roadblock, fence, or area marked as dangerous.
• Do not enter a damaged building, even if the damage appears external only, before authorized approval.
• Do not operate an electrical switch, flame, or gas appliance when there is an unusual odor, standing water, or infrastructure damage.
• Do not touch a suspicious object, ammunition, rocket debris, or a fallen power cable.
• Do not hand over original documents or sensitive medical information to someone who is not clearly identified as an authorized official.
• Do not separate a child or dependent person from their caregiver without clear registration and transfer of responsibility.

7. Deciding to return

Returning is not only a personal decision. Distinguish between permission to return to the area, permission to enter the building, and the actual ability to live in the home.

• Return only after an official announcement that the area is open.
• If the building was damaged or marked, wait for an engineer or other authorized professional to inspect it.
• Check whether water, electricity, sewage, access routes, and basic medical services are available.
• Make sure the return is suitable for children, a person with a disability, and anyone who needs ongoing care.
• Do not end alternative accommodation arrangements before confirming that the home is fit to stay in.

8. First entry into the permanent home

• Prefer to enter in daylight and with another person.
• From outside, check for cracks, leaning, loose parts, smoke, gas odor, standing water, and electrical cables.
• If there is any sign of structural or infrastructure damage, do not enter; report it.
• Do not turn on lights, flames, or electrical appliances if there is a gas odor or risk of flooding.
• Keep children and pets away until the inspection is complete.
• Photograph the condition before cleaning or removing items, if it can be done safely.

Important: Authorization to return to an area is not necessarily authorization to live in every building. If there is doubt, a professional inspection comes before entry.

9. Before moving back in

10. Documentation and rights

• Photograph damage before repair or disposal, without putting yourself at risk.
• Keep receipts for accommodation, travel, equipment, medications, and repairs.
• Record dates, names of organizations, and reference numbers.
• Check rights only on the relevant official website; grants and arrangements vary by event and government decision.
• Do not begin dangerous or expensive repairs before coordinating with a professional, insurer, or the body handling the damage.

11. Short action sheet

Print the checklist or save as PDF

Main sources

Home Front Command. Preparing a family emergency plan.

Home Front Command. Emergency equipment.

Israel Police. Life-saving information and instructions for emergencies.

Israel Police. Wildfires.

Ministry of Interior. Receiving population during an emergency — national reception facility.

National government information portal. Information and services for evacuees.

Ministry of Interior. Guidance for the head of the population-care coordination unit.

Home Front Command. Guiding principles for handling a destruction site. 2025.

CDC. Safety Guidelines: Returning Home After a Natural Disaster. 2026.

Sources checked: August 2026. More recent Israeli instructions, if available, take precedence over this guide.