Shelters & evacuation right now
Open shelters, what to grab, pets, intake, and when driving is the worse option.
Home / Shelters & evacuation right now
Status, maps, and claim portals change by the hour. Open the org site. Do not trust a screenshot from last night.
- Ready Harris Harris County OEM notices, alerts, and shelter posts. Recheck before you drive.
- Harris County shelter status dashboard Check the timestamp. A green pin from this morning can be full by lunch.
- Red Cross open-shelter finder VERIFY LIVE only. Open or closed changes the same day. Harvey-era shelter names are not this finder.
- 211 Texas Shelter, food, utility, and recovery referrals. Dial 211 if the sites lag.
Evacuating with no car after street flooding
Do not walk moving water on a feeder. Use high ground, 911 if trapped, and only then METRO or a ride.
Family reunification if you get split up
Pick one out-of-area contact and one physical meetup. Do not count on local cell towers or school pickup as usual.
Hotel vouchers, Red Cross, and overnight options
Red Cross, FEMA, and your insurer each have a different overnight path. Hotels near the Medical Center fill first.
How to check if your usual shelter is actually open
Last flood's church gym is not a reservation. Confirm tonight's hours, capacity, and pet rule before you drive.
Leaving the shelter: re-entry and what's waiting at home
Do not go home just because the rain stopped. Check re-entry, power, gas, and boil-water status first.
Pet-friendly shelters and kennel overflow in Harris County
Most mass shelters are picky about pets. Confirm crates, shots, and overflow kennels before you leave the animals.
What happens at intake: IDs, cots, and medical needs
You will wait, give a name, and get a cot. No ID should not block you. Say medical needs out loud at the table.
What to bring if you have 20 minutes to leave
Grab meds, IDs, chargers, cash, and the pets. Leave the TV. Water on the street will not wait.
When staying put is safer than driving flooded roads
If you cannot see the curb on a feeder, you stay. Cars float. Houston loses people on drowned roads every flood.
Where to find an open shelter in Houston right now
Use live Harris County and Red Cross lists, not last storm's church gym. Shelter doors change by the hour.