Evacuation management

Unexpected emergencies causing people to evacuate an area can result from transportation accidents, hazardous materials releases, earthquakes, flash flooding and other natural and man-made causes.

When a large-scale, damaging event has occurred or the imminent threat of one has become known, transportation agencies, working with public safety and emergency management officials, focus on two traditional, principal objectives:

•Minimize the time it takes to get an adequate force of emergency responders to the scene where they can help victims, provide assessments, and control access. •Maximize the proportion of the population moved away from the hazardous area without being subjected to other risks (e.g., traffic accidents; prolonged exposure to the danger) .