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1 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND Research Problem Statement Disasters and emergencies requiring the evacuation of people can occur at anytime and anywhere. It is vital that emergency responders and their partners in response be ready and prepared to handle any event. Whether it is moving people out of harmâs way or bringing supplies and resources into an impacted area, transportation facilities are involved and affected. The idea that it âcanât happen to meâ is no longer feasible in the United States. We must plan and be prepared to address and respond to any event. Every day, evacuations varying in magnitude take place. The need to construct simple, coordinated plans between emergency responders and transportation agencies representing all modes is critical for successful evacuations that limit casualties and respond to the needs of the general public, including those with the full range of functional transportation challenges. There is a wealth of transportation-oriented evacuation material, but that information needs to be consolidated and targeted so that the relationships between transportation agencies and emergency managers are efficient and functional, and also correspond to the range of transportation needs and available resources. While the majority of past study and assessment of evacuations has focused on auto-based independent self- evacuees, more recent emphasis has shifted toward providing evacuation transportation resources to transit- based assisted evacuees. However, recent reviews of practices have shown that evacuations are not limited to these processes. Aerial evacuations for tourist and populations with access and functional needs are used in the Florida Keys. Evacuation by air, rail, and buses are key elements of the New Orleans city assisted evacuation plan. Maritime evacuations, using ferries, are planned in both Washington state and Alaska and were used during the 9/11 (September 11, 2001) evacuation of lower Manhattan. Pedestrian-based evacuations have been a critical part of many past evacuations (including 9/11) and are now being looked to as a need in the development of tsunami-related coastal evacuation where people are urged to get to higher ground as quickly as possible. A plethora of plans currently exists for emergency situations â city operations plans, contraflow plans, evacuation route maps, county emergency management plans, DOT plans â but none of these represent a template for âhow toâ specifically coordinate transportation efforts and resources in a variety of emergency situations, across multiple modes, for self-evacuees and assisted evacuees. A straightforward guide is necessary to depict the optimal processes and tools to help widely divergent communities 1) identify the varied evacuation needs from a transportation perspective; 2) identify the range of available transportation resources and options; and 3) match resources to needs, including identifying and filling gaps. Each communitiesâ needs and resources will be unique, but the processes for identifying needs and resources (e.g., through peer collaboration) and making accurate and scalable resource requests based on the severity of the evacuation can be âstandardizedâ in decision trees, process graphics, flow charts, checklists, needs and resource templates, and other representations and guidance. The step-by-step, âhow toâ practical applications and guidance gleaned from research and from othersâ experience represent the ultimate objectives of this research project.
2 Research Objective and Scope Because of the lack of money, time, and other resources available to emergency managers and transportation agencies, simplicity, practicality, flexibility, and scalability are essential when creating a functional guide. As evidenced by many recent disaster examples, processes are in place for emergency evacuations. However, some of the âbridgesâ between evacuating populations and the resources available need to be rebuilt and others need to be reinforced. The Guide includes practical methods and processes for making these bridges as strong and flexible as possible. Some important questions addressed in the Guide are: ⢠What are the defined roles of transportation agencies in evacuation planning, response, and recovery? ⢠How can or how does transportation interact with other emergency support functions to support evacuations? ⢠What are available transportation modes and assets in evacuation planning and how is this information communicated to and coordinated with emergency responders and other entities? ⢠At the regional level, what type of framework for coordination can make sense for a particular region or mega-region? In particular, what alternatives can be considered for convening agencies for coordinating transportation resources? ⢠In emergency situations, how does the transportation plan address the general public, which may be self- sufficient with regards to transportation, but needs direction as to the need to evacuate, routes, and timing (generally referred to as self-evacuees), as well as vulnerable populations who have particular functional needs for transportation assistance (generally referred to as assisted evacuees)?
