David Cassel – Plan and Training Section Director
Oregon Emergency Management (OEM)
- 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 State of Oregon has a State Emergency Management Plan promulgated in 2000, which has been updated annually. In Oregon, local jurisdictions and counties make decisions about evacuations during any natural or manmade disasters. All evacuation plans are local. The State provides support on request.
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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?
Each jurisdiction’s evacuation plan is specific to its own jurisdictional area. Plans also address some coordination issues with neighboring counties. -
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 State of Oregon’s most frequent hazards are wildland fire, flood, and severe weather. Oregon Emergency Management is also prepared for other events in the all-hazard environment. -
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)?
There are no models or computer simulations used at the state at Oregon Emergency Management. Local jurisdictions estimate their evacuation capacity. Oregon DOT may have some freeway capacity estimation tools, and they may have developed contraflow studies, etc. -
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.
ODOT is working in this area. Again, each county jurisdiction has its own traffic strategies for evacuations. OEM is not involved directly in traffic control except to support requests by local government. In that case, OEM would coordinate providing resources needed. -
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.
Again, local jurisdictions and ODOT may have these devices and control systems. -
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?
This must be asked of ODOT. -
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.)?
ICS is used in the State ECC. These activities are conducted in accordance with the State Emergency Operations Plan. There is not enough space here to detail answers on how the emergency management system operates. Again, counties conduct the details of these operations. -
Communications Between Agencies: What are the communications protocols between agencies? Are there established procedures for disseminating information quickly and accurately to personnel?
In addition to face-to-face operations during ECC activations, OEM communicates with other agencies by phone, email, computer software, and various radio systems. Many agencies have their own operations centers. -
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?
It is the local jurisdictions that are responsible for evacuations. Information content is disseminated by them via the Emergency Alert System, message boards, the media, and other systems which vary with jurisdictions resources, such as sirens, reverse 911, or verbally. -
Testing and Training Procedures: How often are testing/training exercises conducted? Who do these exercises involve? What drill scenarios have been used?
Each county conducts its own exercise or training. There are also quarterly meetings among key emergency response agencies to discuss improvements or updates of the emergency response plans and procedures after events. Frequency varies with jurisdictions based on training schedules. -
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?
OEM found that the coordination between neighboring jurisdictions receiving evacuees needs to be improved. -
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?
Large-scale evacuations are rare. Several small-scale evacuations annually, usually due to wild land fires, are all successful. -
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?
After-action reports are prepared for every event and the results used to improve plans and procedures. -
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?
The lessons identified during evacuation and after-action evaluation will be incorporated in future plans and procedures as appropriate. -
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?
One lesson is that receiving jurisdictions need to be included early in evacuation planning.
June 26, 2006
Publication #FHWA-HOP-08-016
