EM09-Evacuation and Reentry Management (Service Package*)

The following discusses how the National ITS Architecture provides the transportation service described by this service package. Each numbered item describes the operation of that portion of the service package identified with the corresponding number on the transaction set diagram.

1. The evacuation process is asynchronously monitored (emergency operations status) and managed (emergency operations inputs) by the Emergency System Operator and the operators of the other systems involved in this process. Note that while evacuation strategies are implemented under system operator control, the evacuation itself may begin spontaneously as the public reacts to disasters that may have little or no forewarning.
   
   
2. Evacuation plans are developed at the county, state, and multi-state levels and coordinated between emergency management, public safety, transportation, and other allied agencies that manage evacuation and reentry. In the National ITS Architecture this is represented as emergency plan coordination between Emergency Management Subsystem (EM) and Other Emergency Management, Traffic Management Subsystem (TMS), Maintenance and Construction Management Subsystem (MCMS), Transit Management Subsystem (TRMS), and Rail Operations. This coordination begins prior to an evacuation as regional plans are developed for anticipated evacuation scenarios. These plans coordinate evacuation routes across jurisdictional boundaries and supporting models allow evacuation route designs to be reviewed and modified if necessary to support planned evacuation strategies. During an actual evacuation, the plans may be tailored and coordinated in near real-time to account for the specific scope and nature of the disaster and unanticipated system impacts and requirements. Modeling and simulation tools may be used in the future to tailor plans in near real-time. Plan coordination is asynchronous and on-going before, during, and after an evacuation as lessons-learned are incorporated into the plans.
   
   
3. For emergencies that involve bio-hazards or other threats to public health, public health organizations may be queried as evacuation requirements are determined. Recommended courses of action (public health response) are provided to the Emergency Management Subsystem on request (public health request).
   
   
4. When evacuation is required, an evacuation strategy is identified and current and forecast evacuation information is shared with transportation, emergency management, law enforcement, and other allied agencies at the county, multi-county, and multi-state levels, represented by the following National ITS Architecture entities:
   
   
• Other Emergency Management (evacuation coordination)
  
  
• Traffic Management (evacuation information)
  
  
• Transit Management (evacuation information)
  
  
• Maintenance and Construction Management (evacuation information)
  
  
• Rail Operations (evacuation information)
  
  
• Shelter Providers (evacuation information)
  
  
This coordination includes the evacuated counties (evacuation origins), host and response counties (evacuation destinations and counties that provide assistance in the evacuation process) and counties on evacuation routes. Coordination across state boundaries is also important where applicable to ensure that evacuees from one state do not compound evacuation problems in another state.

The evacuation information includes the evacuation strategy, specifying evacuation times and routes, evacuating the population in shifts to reduce demand where possible. It also provides current and forecast status information as the evacuation progresses. The evacuation information is continuously updated and made available throughout the evacuation and reentry process. This on-going coordination keeps participating agencies appraised of current evacuation status. Examples of events that require on-going coordination during an evacuation include new events (e.g., additional disasters, secondary incidents) that require evacuation strategy changes, potential decision to terminate an evacuation under emergency circumstances, and reentry decisions and information.


5. Shelter providers, such as the American Red Cross, establish shelters at evacuation destinations that provide basic shelter, food, and health services to evacuees. The shelter provider coordinates with the Emergency Management Subsystem to identify evacuation destinations and anticipate sheltering needs. Where feasible, shelters are identified close to evacuation origins to reduce demand on overtaxed transportation facilities. Specific evacuation destination and shelter information is coordinated with the Emergency Management Subsystem (shelter information).
   
   
6. Changes in toll facility operation to support evacuation, including temporary lifting of tolls and changes in toll facility restrictions, are coordinated with the Payment Administration Subsystem (toll service change request, toll service change response).
   
   
7. Maintenance and construction resources are requested to clear evacuation routes, control access, and provide other evacuation-support tasks. These requests may be for pre-staging, staging, or immediate dispatch of resources, depending on the scenario. The Emergency Management Subsystem requests resources to support the evacuation plan (maint and constr resource request). These requests are provided to the Maintenance and Construction Center Personnel (maint and constr operations information presentation). The MCMS, under control of Maintenance and Construction Center Personnel (maint and constr center personnel inputs), services the request and provides a response to the resource request that indicates the status of resource request (maint and constr resource response).
   
   
8. Transit resources play an important role in an evacuation, removing many people from an evacuated area while making efficient use of limited capacity. Transit also plays a critical role in evacuation of those with special needs. Additional shared transit resources may be added and managed in evacuation scenarios to meet these needs. Service changes and transit resources are requested (emergency transit service request), and provided to the Transit Operations Personnel (transit operations status). The ability of the transit system to service the request is determined by the Transit Operations Personnel (transit operations personnel inputs), and a response is issued indicating the availability of the requested service or resources (emergency transit service response). As with other requests, the service requests that request resources may request pre-staging, staging, or immediate dispatch of the transit resources.
   
   
9. Transit service changes are coordinated with other transportation agencies, emergency response agencies, and traveler information providers (emergency transit schedule information).
   
   
10. The Traffic Management Subsystem adapts the traffic control strategy to simultaneously meet the needs of the evacuation while maintaining ingress and egress routes to the disaster for emergency response personnel. Special traffic control strategies are implemented to control evacuation traffic, including traffic on local streets and arterials as well as the major evacuation routes. Reversible lanes, shoulder use, closures, special signal control strategies, and other special strategies may be implemented to maximize capacity along the evacuation routes. The Emergency Management Subsystem may make explicit traffic management requests (emergency traffic control request), or the Traffic Management Strategy can adapt system operation based on the evacuation strategy provided by the Emergency Management Subsystem earlier in the process. In both cases, the evacuation and reentry traffic control strategy is under the asynchronous monitoring and control of the Traffic Operations Personnel (traffic operator inputs / traffic operator data). The traffic control strategy is updated over the course of the evacuation and again during reentry. The current traffic control strategy is made available to the Emergency Management Subsystem (emergency traffic control information).
    
    
11. Traffic information and control are coordinated across traffic management jurisdictions. The sharing of traffic control responsibilities between centers (emergency traffic coordination) allows one center to take over for another center in scenarios where local center operations are impacted by the disaster.