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

transportation (buses, ferries, air, rail) that will take individuals toshelters or other locations should be considered. (Refer to EvacuatingPopulations with Special Mobility Needs for more information on thistopic.)n Mutual aid agreements with neighboring jurisdictions and stand-byagreements with vendors or private-sector organizations should becompleted in advance and ready to implement because procuring anddeploying additional resources in a timely manner will be extremelydifficult after a no-notice incident.n Contingency plans should compensate for damaged evacuationinfrastructure (e.g., roads, tunnels, and bridges), assets, and resources(including human resources), as well as address particular hazards inthe evacuation area. If such preplanning is not performed, emergencymanagers may be forced to improvise with an evacuation plan thatis no longer viable due to insufficiency of resources.All-hazards approachAn effective evacuation plan should adopt an all-hazards approach topreparing for an incident, which entails developing a response andrecovery plan that is functional regardless of the incident that causesthe evacuation; it is designed to achieve the core mission of life saving/protecting, rather than focusing on responding to the particular type ofincident. This provides the flexibility required to respond to any typeof incident, including terrorist attacks, technological accidents, andnatural disasters, regardless of size or location.This approach is particularly appropriate for no-notice evacuationplanning. Transportation agencies and other stakeholders will need aplan that can be implemented quickly and with limited information.If the plan requires knowledge of the precipitating incident, implementationwill likely be delayed by the lack of necessary information.Because evacuation plans focus primarily on moving people away froma particular location or area, they can be implemented regardless of thereason for evacuation. It should be noted, however, that some types ofsituations will mandate particular evacuation response activities, as isthe case with pre-transport victim decontamination in the event of atoxic release.EMERGENCYOPERATIONS CENTERSThese facilities areusually operated by ajurisdiction’s emergencymanagement department.An EOC is thelocation from which amulti-agency emergencyresponse is coordinated,and is staffed withrepresentatives fromall relevant responseand support agencies.EOCs are often in“standby” mode, andare not fully activatedand staffed unless thereis a specific need forthem. Additionally, asingle agency may havean individual EOC fromwhich it coordinates itsown response activities;in such cases, coordinationand communicationamong multiple EOCs isessential for an effectiveoverall response.USING HIGHWAYS FOR NO-NOTICE EVACUATIONS17