using highways for no-notice evacuations - FHWA Operations - U.S. ...

NO-NOTICE EVACUATIONSThis Primer focuses on performing evacuation operations with little orno advance warning. Examples of incidents that might cause a nonoticeevacuation include a hazardous materials spill due to a vehicularor train accident, an explosion at a chemical plant, a terrorist attack onsome aspect of a jurisdiction’s infrastructure, a flashflood, or even anearthquake.Responses to an evacuation are organized by evacuation phases. Thefirst Primer in this series, Using Highways During Evacuation Operationsfor Events with Advance Notice, outlines the phases for an advancenotice evacuation: Readiness, Activation, Operations (two-tiered), andReturn-to-Readiness, as shown in Figure 1.2.1. Figure 1.2.2 illustratesthe operations cycle for a no-notice evacuation. While the phasesremain the same, for no-notice evacuations there is either a very limitedor a non-existent Readiness Phase.Figure 1.2.1. Phases of Advance-Notice Evacuation Operations.Figure 1.2.2. Phases of No-NoticeEvacuation Operations.A no-notice incident creates particularly challenging circumstances inwhich to carry out an evacuation. With an advance-notice evacuation,information becomes available during the Readiness Phase regardingthe incident that has occurred and the factors that may require anevacuation. Decision makers have time to collect the information theyUSING HIGHWAYS FOR NO-NOTICE EVACUATIONS9