Final Research Report: A Transportation Guide for All-Hazards Emergency Evacuation (2013)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT This work was sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, and was conducted in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, FMCSA, FTA, Transit Development Corporation, or AOC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. DISCLAIMER The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research. They are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the program sponsors. The information contained in this document was taken directly from the submission of the author(s). This material has not been edited by TRB.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transporta- tion Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individu- als interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

iii AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The research reported herein was performed under NCHRP 20-59(32) by the Louis Berger Group, Inc. (LBG), Washington, D.C. Deborah Matherly, AICP, Principal Planner at LBG, was the Principal Investigator. The other authors of this report are Teresa Carter, Allyson Kuriger, and Laura Rydland, LBG; Jane Mobley, Kelly Reinhardt, Julie MacLachlan, and Rea Wilson, of Jane Mobley Associates (JMA); Leawood, KS, Neeli Langdon (formerly with JMA, now with LBG); Dr. Brian Wolshon of Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA; Dr. John Renne of the TOD Group, New Orleans, LA; Roberta Thomas of Atkins North America (formerly PBS&J); and Elisa Nichols of Kensington Consulting, Kensington, MD. The work was done under the general supervision of Deborah Matherl

iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... vi SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................. viii CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND ....................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH APPROACH ........................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS ................................................................................................................. 7 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 7 Evacuation “Nuts and Bolts” ................................................................................................... 8 Statutory Authorities and Roles ............................................................................................. 10 The Planning Process ............................................................................................................. 12 Step 1 – Form a Collaborative Planning Team ...................................................................... 12 Step 2 – Understand the Situation .......................................................................................... 14 Step 3 – Determine Goals and Objectives.............................................................................. 21 Step 4 – Plan Development .................................................................................................... 26 Step 5 – Plan Preparation, Review, and Approval ................................................................. 50 Step 6 – Plan Implementation and Maintenance .................................................................... 52 Appendix A: Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 54 Appendix B: Case Studies.............................................................................................................. 95 Appendix C: Glossary of Terms ................................................................................................. 162 Appendix D: Anticipated Research Results- Outreach and Implementation Plan ....................... 178 Appendix E: Comparison of Original and Revised Outlines ....................................................... 186 Endnotes ....................................................................................................................................... 192

vi ABSTRACT This report documents and presents the results of a study to develop a guide on transportation’s role in all- hazard emergency evacuations. Research, interviews, and a field test identified the need for a guide that emergency managers and transportation managers would both find useful. Emergency evacuations regularly occur throughout the United States, due to floods, wildfires, hurricanes, intentional acts and more. Transportation managers and operators across all modes have significant resources, including infrastructure, vehicles, operational strategies and information to support emergency managers and other partners in carrying out an evacuation. Information resources include roadway status and intervention capability through Traffic Management Centers, locations and transportation needs of people with access and functional needs, through bus and paratransit service operations, and relationships with local service providers. Transportation managers and operators need to be full partners with emergency managers in all stages of evacuation planning, from planning and exercises, through response, recovery, and after action plan modifications. Emergency managers need to understand the full range of transportation resources and constraints. Transportation managers need to understand the language, planning cycles, and organization of emergency managers. The guide is designed to accomplish both objectives, following the steps of FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101 v2.

vii Page intentionally blank

viii SUMMARY Introduction This report documents and presents the results of a study to develop a guide on transportation’s role in all- hazard emergency evacuations. Emergency evacuations regularly occur throughout the United States in response to floods, wildfires, hurricanes, chemical spills, intentional acts, and more. Findings Research, interviews, and a field test identified the need for a guide that emergency managers and transportation managers would both find useful. Transportation managers and operators across all modes have significant resources, including infrastructure, vehicles, operational strategies, and information to support emergency managers and other partners in carrying out an evacuation. Every day Traffic Management Centers across the country help manage traffic through rapid identification, response, and clearance of traffic incidents, providing information to drivers to help them avoid incidents, or to be alert for weather conditions or other delays. Every day transit and paratransit service providers interact with the general public and with people with access and functional needs who require transportation support. Planners in Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and transportation agencies routinely compile information on demographics and roadway networks, providing a deep knowledge of where people live and work, their demographic status including age and poverty, and how they travel. Transit agencies often have contracts with over-the-coach operators to provide suburban transit services, as well as contracts with paratransit providers. Transit agencies and/or MPOs may also coordinate with local service and transportation providers, through networks such as “United We Ride.” Emergency managers often interact with a representative from transportation, often in the emergency management/ security area, but they may not be aware of the broader array of transportation resources, particularly in regions that have had little experience with wide-scale evacuations. In addition, emergency managers may not understand the constraints on transportation and transit resources. For example, if an emergency event happens in the middle of the night that requires support from transit, drivers will likely have to be called in, which takes time. If an emergency happens at rush hour, drivers will likely need to complete their routes with existing passengers prior to responding in large numbers. Likewise, transportation and transit planners outside the emergency management/ security area may have had little exposure to emergency management planning cycles, protocols, and organization frameworks such as National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command Structure (ICS), Emergency Support Functions (ESFs). Information resources include roadway status and intervention capability through Traffic Management Centers, locations and transportation needs of people with access and functional needs, through bus and paratransit service operations, and relationships with local service providers. Recommendations Transportation and transit managers, planners, and operators for all modes need to be involved in emergency planning at local and regional levels. This can occur in various ways, in the process of building a collaborative planning team (Step 1). One of the first tools presented in the Guide is “Potential frameworks for integrating modes and entities for effective evacuation: Convener Agencies for Multimodal Evacuation Planning (CAME).” Following the steps of the Guide, holding collaborative, inclusive planning meetings; working through goals, objectives, and strategies; developing a plan; and holding exercises and establishing agreements

ix to support such a plan, will help any region advance in its planning. Some regions may already be far along in this process, but from our research we believe most regions can greatly benefit from increased collaboration and understanding, in particular between the various modes and operating entities of transportation and emergency management. Products The Guide follows the planning steps of FEMA’s Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101, version 2: Step 1- Form a Collaborative Planning Team; Step 2- Understand the Situation; Step 3- Determine Goals and Objectives; Step 4- Develop the Plan; Step 5-Prepare, Review and Approve the Plan; and Step 6- Implement and Maintain the Plan. Each step includes directions on how to accomplish the step. Further, each step is followed by an array of tools- guidance and information documents, such as an overview of Emergency Support Functions with their relation to transportation; discussion guides to support meetings and workshops throughout the planning process; templates to organize demographic or other information about populations with needs; templates to organize databases on essential information on transportation assets; checklists of transportation strategies and information sharing; information and templates on exercises; and a template outline and checklist for a full regional evacuation plan, including all support functions (not just transportation). Conclusions Transportation managers and operators need to be full partners with emergency managers in all stages of evacuation planning, from planning and exercises, through response, recovery, and after action plan modifications. Emergency managers need to understand the full range of transportation resources and constraints. Transportation managers need to understand the language, planning cycles, and organization of emergency managers. The guide is designed to help agencies and jurisdictions in diverse regions accomplish both objectives by following the steps of the Guide, consistent with FEMA Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101 v2, and by using the tools that both emergency managers and transportation managers can understand.