6.1 Advanced Preparation and Planning

Develop Action Plans to Include the Use of Buses to Transport People Who Do Not Drive and for Situations Where Roads Are Congested or Fuel Supplies Limited

Emergency transportation action plans can include:
1. Communication and support networks that serve the most vulnerable people. This involves a system to identify and contact vulnerable people, provide individualized directions for their care and evacuation, and establish a chain of responsibility for caregivers.
2. Planning to allow quick deployment of buses, vans, and trains. This requires an inventory of such vehicles and their drivers, and well-established arrangements for their use.
3. A system to prioritize who should be evacuated first, based on factors such as geographic location and individual needs.
4. Information on pickup locations and routes distributed to at-risk populations and all officials. This information should be distributed regularly, not just during major emergencies.
5. Instructions on what evacuees should bring, and help for carrying baggage.
6. Coordination of fuel, emergency repair, and other support services.
7. Priority given to buses and other high-occupancy vehicles where bottlenecks occur or critical resources are limited.
Lessons from Katrina: What a Major Disaster Can Teach Transportation Planners
Develop Effective Community Outreach to Persons without Transportation — “Each neighborhood should have an inventory of people who may need assistance, ways to contact them, directions for their evacuation, and a list of their friends and family who can provide emergency support. If possible, social service agency staff or volunteer community leaders should travel with vulnerable evacuees to provide information and reassurance to people who may be frustrated and frightened. Implementing such a system requires that planning professionals work with a broad range of community groups, professionals and social service organizations.”
Lessons from Katrina: What a Major Disaster Can Teach Transportation Planners
Have Call Out Procedures and Contact Lists — “Ninety-eight responding agencies (approximately 92 percent) have formal call-out procedures in place for responding to traffic incidents. Eighty-eight responding agencies (approximately 82 percent) have developed a multi-agency contact list for their regions which contains the names, phone numbers, pager numbers, and other pertinent information for the appropriate response personnel.”
Emergency Transportation Operations: Freeway Traffic Management Center Capabilities and Needs
Have Multiple Agencies Participate in Statewide Emergency and Traffic Incident Response Planning — “Eighty-one responding agencies (74 percent) participate in a team that meets on a regular basis to evaluate and improve coordinated incident response and to address traffic problems as well.”
Emergency Transportation Operations: Freeway Traffic Management Center Capabilities and Needs
Have Pre-Planned Alternate Routes for Traffic — “The majority of these respondents have established criteria to direct the implementation of alternate route plans, including incident type and duration, incident location, number of lanes involved in incident, and time of day.”
Emergency Transportation Operations: Freeway Traffic Management Center Capabilities and Needs
Learn from Previous Events and Incorporate into Response Plans — “First, an agency needs to learn from previous events and incorporate that learning into an agency’s response plans. The events of September 11 have served as a wake-up call to cities and towns across the country about the need to prepare for the unexpected.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Cross-Cutting Study
Proactively Plan for and Coordinate Activities Related to Special Events — “The majority of these agencies coordinate their participation through multi-agency teams and interagency agreements.”
Emergency Transportation Operations: Freeway Traffic Management Center Capabilities and Needs
Rely on Staff to Make Good Decisions — “Second, there is a need to rely on agency staff at all levels to make good and timely decisions, often without complete knowledge of all the mitigating circumstances. Emergencies do not occur at convenient times and it is important that staff at all levels are able to respond to situations and make decisions, often without immediate input from headquarters.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Cross-Cutting Study
Remember to Practice for the Expected and Unexpected — “Third, there is a need to practice for the expected and the unexpected. Knowledge gained and relationships developed through day-to-day contact are extremely useful when catastrophes strike. In both New York and Los Angeles, existing traffic control centers and organizations whose main function was coordinating daily transportation operations were able to quickly implement emergency procedures.”
Effects of Catastrophic Events on Transportation System Management and Operations: Cross-Cutting Study

February 7, 2006
Publication #FHWA–HOP-08-015