Evacuations may involve hundreds or hundreds of thousands of people. Regardless of the numbers, in every instance, the transportation network plays a key role in evacuating people out of harm’s way. Over the past two decades, the transportation community’s ability to manage and operate the transportation network has improved considerably. Recognizing the unique challenges posed by the disaster environment on mobility and the safe and secure movement of people and goods, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) seeks to improve evacuation planning and implementation by bringing new ways of better utilizing the transportation network, before and during evacuations, to the emergency management community.

This document constitutes the first of a primer series titled “Routes to Effective Evacuation Planning” and covers the use of the highway system during evacuation operations when advance planning is possible. The primer series, as a whole, captures and catalogues transportation management and operations advancements that can improve evacuation planning and operations. As experience in conducting evacuations increases and the concept of disaster support evolves, these primers may undergo adjustment based on new information, findings, lessons learned, best practices, and tools that local jurisdictions and States use and share.

Evacuation operations are conducted under the authority of, and based on decisions by, local and State authorities.  This primer is intended as a tool 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. We encourage readers to contact FHWA’s Office of Operations to comment on this document, to share experiences, and to offer suggestions to improve this primer and its companions.

The Routes to Effective Evacuation Planning Primer Series will include:

TITLE	CONTENT
Overview: Routes to Effective Evacuation Planning	This is an executive-level summary that covers the five evacuation primers. The summary focuses on the need to include transportation professionals in planning for evacuations; the importance of regional and corridor planning; the integration of transportation in mass care; health and medical, security, and other emergency support function coordination. It also highlights best practices that have emerged from actual evacuations and tools available to local and State authorities in planning for and executing evacuations.
Using Highways during Evacuation Operations for Events with Advance Notice	This is a basic-level guide on onducting planning activities for evacuations that are primarily road-based, when advanced notice of the need to evacuate is available. The guide is more detailed than the overview and includes transportation elements that should be considered by local, State, and regional planning groups.
Integrating Multiple Modes into Evacuation Transportation Planning for Events with Advanced Notice	This guide introduces effective ways to integrate rail, air, and waterway transport into evacuation planning. The guide assumes that the populations are evacuating in advance of a known event.
Using Highways during Evacuation Operations for Events with No Notice	This guide covers spontaneous or no notice evacuations that are primarily road-based. It considers the security environment that comes into play during a biological, chemical, terrorist, or malevolent event, as well as no notice natural events such as earthquakes or tornadoes. This guide also addresses evacuation considerations versus shelter-in-place orders.
Integrating Multiple Modes into Evacuation Transportation Planning for Events with No Notice	This guide introduces effective ways to integrate rail, air, and waterway transport into evacuation planning when there is no notice of the event.
Evacuating Populations with Special Mobility Requirements	This primer summarizes information in the other primers that touches on moving populations with special needs. It provides findings, lessons learned, and best practices that aid in developing evacuation plans for people with special movement requirements, including the elderly, those with medical conditions, and transit-dependent populations.

Inquiries, information, suggested improvements, and requests for additional copies are encouraged and should be directed in writing to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Operations, Emergency Transportation Operations Team, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20590, or via email to ETO@dot.gov For an electronic version of this document or other evacuation planning tools, please visit the Evacuation Planning Knowledge Management Center at the Emergency Transportation Operations website: www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/opssecurity and the DHS Lessons Learned Information System Content Specific page on Mass Evacuations at www.llis.dhs.gov.

J. Richard Capka
Administrator, Federal Highway Administration
December 2006

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has four levels of operational guidance for use by local, State, and Federal planners to develop evacuation plans for personnel involved in conducting or supporting disaster operations. This document corresponds to Level 1.

Level 1	Overview and Primers	A brief concept summary of a function, team, or capability.
Level 2	Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) or Operations Manual	A complete reference document, detailing the procedures for performing a single function (SOP), or a number of interdependent functions (Operations Manual).
Level 3	Field Operations Guide (FOG) or Handbook	A durable pocket or desk guide, containing essential nuts-and-bolts information needed to perform specific assignments or functions.
Level 4	Job Aid	A checklist or other aid for job performance or job training.
This document is consistent with and supports the Emergency Support Function #1/Transportation doctrine developed to support the National Response Plan for implementation of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. § 5121, et seq., as well as Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8, Domestic Incident Management. The most current copy of this document, including any change pages, is available through the FHWA Emergency Transportation Operations Evacuation Planning Knowledge Management Center webpage at www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/opssecurity.