Jim Scott – District Traffic Operations Engineer
Florida Department of Transportation
District II/ FDOT
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
- Evacuation Plan Status: What is the status of your agency’s existing evacuation plan? For example, when was it first developed and when was it last revised? Has it ever been used in an actual emergency situation? Who has the authority to issue evacuation orders?
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has two evacuation plans.- The Contraflow Plan for the Florida Highway System – This is the first version of a statewide strategic plan that was developed in June 2005.
- Evacuation Route Signs – Emergency management officials requested the Department to erect and maintain evacuation route signs on those portions of the State Highway System that comprise official evacuation routes to educate motorists as to the available routes and to ensure the signs are in place well in advance of the actual need to guide motorists away from high risk areas.[1] This plan was developed about 15 years ago and last revised in August 2001.
There may also be a formal emergency evacuation communication plan at the state level. It is possible that the governor’s office, along with local authorities, has the authority to issue evacuation orders. Personnel at the state EOC would likely advise the governor’s office before they make the final decision. The decision to implement the contraflow plan rests solely with the governor’s office due to the statewide impact of such a decision.
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Scope of the Plan: What is the scope of the plan with regard to geographic coverage, agency involvement, and presence of transportation elements? Are plans for evacuation transportation management separate from or a part of the general emergency plan?
Both plans are implemented throughout the state of Florida. The contraflow plan was developed by FDOT in conjunction with the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP). The understanding is that the FHP would be in charge of implementing the plan while FDOT would provide traffic control and ITS elements. It isn’t clear whether or not the contraflow plan is separate from or a part of the general emergency plan.
The evacuation route signing plan is considered part of the Traffic Management Element portion of the statewide regional evacuation plan. -
Plan Scenarios: What types of scenarios are the plans meant to address? Can they be applied to no-notice, advance-notice, and/or special event emergency evacuations? Do they have provisions for naturally occurring, accidental, and/or terrorist events?
The contraflow plan and the evacuation route signing plan were both developed to aid hurricane evacuations. The contraflow plan inherently would require some set-up time, so the plan may not immediately be fully operational in a no-notice emergency evacuation situation. The evacuation signing plan utilizes permanent signs located along different roads and highways throughout the state. The plan could potentially be applied to no-notice emergency evacuations depending on the nature and geographic location of the trigger event.
The state EOC likely has a plan that addresses accidental and/or terrorist events. -
Capacity Needs and Availability: Have any models, computer simulations, or other calculations been performed to estimate capacity needs of the transportation system during an evacuation? How much additional capacity is expected to result from emergency measures that are to be put in place (e.g., contraflow lanes, signal pattern changes)?
Appendix B of Contraflow Plan for the Florida Interstate Highway System documents the analysis that has been performed to estimate commute times and feasibility in the event of contraflow implementation.
The scope of work [for Contraflow Plan for the Florida Interstate Highway System] did not include modeling to evaluate changes in District population growth patterns and evacuation needs. During the course of the meetings held, it became clear that a fundamental change in evacuation philosophy has occurred. This new philosophy, known as “shelter in place,” would likely cause a significant reduction in the number of mandatory evacuees.[2] -
Traffic Control Practices: What is the role of transportation agencies in traffic management and control? What traffic control practices are designated by the plan for use in an evacuation? Examples include pre-established evacuation routes, contraflow, evacuation phasing, regulation of type or number of vehicles (including transit), optimization of signal patterns and lane use, mitigation of work zone impacts, and suspension of tolls and fares.
FDOT is responsible for traffic control in the contraflow plan and erecting evacuation signs in the evacuation signing plan. FHP is responsible for traffic management and control in the contraflow plan. Preexisting hurricane evacuation routes are signed throughout the state transportation network. The contraflow plan designates the closure of exit/entrance ramps, use of temporary barricades, and whatever else may be required to implement the use of contraflow lanes. The state also utilizes their service patrol. Service patrol is a fleet of drivers and heavy-duty vehicles essentially responsible for keeping traffic moving during an evacuation. They carry fuel, change tires, make minor repairs, and have the ability to remove disabled vehicles from the roadway. -
Role of ITS: What intelligent transportation system (ITS) components and other related traffic management tools are used in the evacuation plan? How, when, and why are they each used as part of the evacuation plan? Do you have redundant systems? Can you operate the ITS elements from any location other than the TMC? Examples of ITS components include surveillance cameras, variable message signs (VMS), highway advisory radio (HAR), 511 or other traveler information systems (phone and/or Web), interconnected traffic signal systems, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, ramp metering, traffic signal priority for buses, and vehicle detection systems.
CCTV cameras, VMS, HAR, and 511 are all used in the evacuation plan. The plan also utilizes the network of count stations located all over the state. The public has access to count station information, helping individuals determine traffic conditions along various evacuation routes. The count station information also helps DOTs identify when and where to dispatch or scale back the appropriate services.
The state Emergency Operations Center informs each TMC of what messages to put on their VMS so that there is no conflicting information among TMCs. The Jacksonville regional TMC can be operated from the Florida Highway Patrol facility. There are plans for regional-to-regional communication among the various TMCs. -
Resources and Materials: What is the role of transportation agencies in identifying resource needs and in providing resources or materials? How do they assist in transportation service coordination?
The FDOT is responsible for identifying and providing needed resources and materials. The traffic operations department of FDOT does not handle coordination of transportation services. -
Evacuation Control, Coordination, and Management: Is an incident command system (ICS) used? How are transportation needs and resources, and the role of transportation agencies, integrated into the ICS? How are operations coordinated between TMCs, transit agencies, EOCs, and other agencies? Do you have plans for the re-entry of evacuees after the evacuation? How do you accommodate special needs evacuees (seniors, nursing home residents, hospital patients, inmates, people with pets, etc.)?
An ICS is used starting with the state Emergency Operations Center at the top, followed by FDOT, then followed by the various district EOCs. Considering the fact that any hurricane that hits the state of Florida affects the entire state, all coordination starts at the state level. Any reentry plan would likely be coordinated starting at the state EOC level as well. -
Communications Between Agencies: What are the communications protocols between agencies? Are there established procedures for disseminating information quickly and accurately to personnel?
In the event of a statewide emergency, each local emergency operations organization would be represented at the state EOC level. The state EOC would communicate with local EOCs as to how to proceed with the evacuation. FDOT would also take direction from state EOC officials, and guide local DOTs through the evacuation process. -
Communications with Evacuees: Is the public educated in advance about the evacuation procedures? What information is provided and how is the information disseminated? Do transportation agencies have a specific role in media coordination and traveler information dissemination, either before or during an evacuation? Is information coordinated between agencies and/or centralized before being delivered to the media?
The public is educated in advance about evacuation procedures through the media, state Web site, and evacuation route signage. There are static signs along evacuation routes advising motorists to tune into specific radio stations for evacuation information. The state EOC provides the information that is broadcast through National Public Radio stations all over the state. There is an agreement among local TV stations and newspapers allowing them to view CCTV camera feeds in order to report road conditions to the public. Information is coordinated through the state EOC before being delivered to the media. -
Testing and Training Procedures: How often are testing/training exercises conducted? Who do these exercises involve? What drill scenarios have been used?
Not sure exactly how often the contraflow plan is tested, but it is at least once per year. -
Evaluation of Exercises: What aspects of the evacuation plan were implemented well in drill situations, and what aspects of the plan were found to require improvement? What elements of the plan were most useful for a successful evacuation drill? What lessons have been learned as a result of these drills?
Deferred to Jim Hannigan, FDOT District Maintenance Engineer. -
Evaluation of Evacuations: If the evacuation plan has ever been used in an actual evacuation, how successful was its implementation? To what extent was the evacuation simply monitored, rather than managed, by responding agencies? What aspects of the plan were implemented well in the actual emergency situation, and what aspects were found to require improvement? What elements of the plan were most useful for a successful evacuation?
The contraflow plan has never been used in an actual evacuation in the state of Florida. The contraflow conference hosted by the Florida Department of Transportation in February 2006 may provide answers from individuals who have implemented their contraflow plans in an actual emergency evacuation. -
After-Action Report: What is the process for post-evacuation evaluation? Is the post-incident review a collaborative effort among all agencies that were involved?
Deferred to Jim Hannigan. -
Incorporation of Lessons Learned: Have the lessons learned in testing/training exercises and in real evacuations resulted in revisions to the emergency evacuation plan? Have the lessons learned resulted in changes in personnel training?
Deffered to Jim Hannigan. - Conclusions: What specific recommendations do you have regarding management of traffic during evacuations for another agency developing or improving upon their own emergency evacuation plans?
Try to be as prepared as possible because you can never be too prepared. These situations typically turn out to be worse than what you’ve planned for, so be ready.
1 Florida Traffic Engineering Manual, Section 2.14 – Signing for Evacuation Routes. Back to text.
2 Contraflow Plan for the Florida Interstate Highway System, Section 1 – Introduction. Back to text.
June 26, 2006
Publication #FHWA-HOP-08-016
