Evacuation Entitlements if the Military Tells You to Go

When and what the military will pay if it tells your base or command to evacuate?

With hurricane season in full swing, it's a perfect time to talk about when and how the military may pay travel expenses if you are instructed to evacuate.

Many folks have questions about when and how the military might reimburse for evacuations. I've pulled together information from the Joint Travel Regulations (it has a whole chapter on evacuations), the Defense Travel website, various service instructions, plus interviewed a few folks who have been ordered to evacuate for past situations. I learned a lot -- hopefully you will, too!

Note: This article speaks specifically to evacuations from locations within the continental United States (CONUS) for limited-duration events like a storm.

First things first: The military will not pay for any expenses unless the evacuation is ordered by the appropriate military authorities. If you choose to leave without a military order, you will not be reimbursed for any expenses incurred until such an order is given.

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