Using Highways for No-Notice Evacuations: Routes to Effective Evacuation Planning Primer Series

The focus of this primer is no-notice events. These no-notice incidents occur for many reasons, such as forest fires, major storms, chemical spills, or terrorist acts. Their common denominator is that they occur with little or no warning, which presents unique challenges for the safe and secure movement of people and goods. With limited time and information available to make decisions about evacuations, agencies’ efforts at planning ahead of time are essential. This primer is directed toward transportation officials, first responders, and emergency managers who will plan and execute evacuation efforts. Sections of the document include a discussion of the planning process used to develop an evacuation plan; explanation of no-notice incidents and their likely scale and consequences; considerations of the unique aspects of no-notice incidents and the need for different transportation strategies and tactics; discussion of evacuation planning issues and how the planning process needs to account for the no-notice factor; and a checklist that planners can use in preparing a plan for a no-notice evacuation, whether natural or man-made. This document is one of several primers intended as tools to aid local and state planners in maximizing the use of the highway network in the development and execution of evacuation plans for their communities, states, or regions.