Enhancements to Emergency Evacuation Procedures Final rept. 1 Jan 01-31 Aug 05

摘要

The Alabama Gulf Coast region is periodically subject to tropical storms and hurricanes. These events are traumatic and many people evacuate the coast. Normal traffic flows turn into congestion, frustration and gridlock. Drivers become frenzied and take unusual risks. This reduces the number of vehicles that can leave the area if an evacuation order is issues. If a severe hurricane strikes the coast, stall traffic flow can contribute in catastrophic loss of life and damage. This study was conducted to review and evaluate existing emergency evacuation procedures for the Gulf Coast, and to make recommendations for the use of advance technologies to enhance evacuation procedures. An advisory committee of transportation and emergency management officials was involved throughout the project. The study included the examination of existing emergency evacuation plans, interviews with involved individuals and agencies, identification of technologies that can be adopted to improve planning and management of evacuations, simulation of evacuation traffic flows, and other technical steps. The study terminated with recommendations for enhanced procedures for conducting evacuations.