An Emergency Evacuation Planning Model for Special Needs Populations
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
2012
Subject Area
mode - bus, infrastructure - stop, place - north america, ridership - old people, ridership - young people, policy - disability
Keywords
physical disabilities, older adults, non-English speaking populations, residents without cars, tourists, evacuation procedures
Abstract
The need to have evacuation plans in place for ready implementation for special needs populations became evident after catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina. For the purpose of this study, special needs populations will include, but are not limited to, people with physical disabilities, older adults, non-English-speaking populations, residents and employees without vehicles, and tourists. The main objective of this study was to evaluate different evacuation procedures for special needs populations from large urban areas using current public transit systems. A microscopic simulation model was constructed to analyze real-life scenarios for evacuation methodologies. A linear programming optimization model was developed to find the optimum locations for evacuation bus stops for the case study area. The results from this study are very interesting and can aid evacuation planners in the future.
Rights
Permission to publish the abstract and link to the article has been given by Journal of Public Transportation, copyright remains with them.
Recommended Citation
Kaisar, E.I., Hess, L., & Palomo, A.B.P. (2012). An Emergency Evacuation Planning Model for Special Needs Populations. Journal of Public Transportation, Vol. 15, (2), pp. 45-70.
