Using Highways During Evacuation Operations for Events with Advance Notice

Routes to Effective Evacuation Planning Primer Series

Produced in collaboration with the Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (ITS JPO)

Operations: Operations Phase

Once a decision to execute an evacuation has been made and the EOT has been given orders to proceed, public officials must turn to the emergency management infrastructure to provide support to the EOT. Decision makers should continue to monitor the environment and the evacuation operations throughout and adjust orders based on up-to-date information.

The Operations phase involves two separate components. The first is aiding evacuees in their exodus of an area. The second is helping to facilitate their re-entry, allowing them to return to their homes and work as quickly as possible. The elapsed time between when the evacuation is ordered and when re-entry is authorized may be hours, days, weeks or even months depending upon the damage caused by the event and the degree of impacts.