Evacuation Plans
Educated and Aware
A large part of preparedness is becoming educated and aware of what type of potential emergencies could occur in the area where you live. Consider the characteristics of the area you live in. Do you live in a floodplain? Are cyclones common occurrences for your area? Have there been widespread evacuations due to bushfires in the past in your community? Understanding what has taken place in the past and the likelihood of what could take place in the future is incredibly valuable in the preparedness process.
Escape Routes
The scope of an emergency can be limited to your home, or it can affect an entire region. Determine meeting locations based on the potential scope of an emergency. For example, if the emergency is around your immediate home, consider meeting next to the neighbour’s mailbox. If the emergency causes you to evacuate from your city, consider meeting at a gas station or grocery store outside the city that your family is all familiar with. Decide on meeting locations for different scopes of emergencies, and put the information in your family communications plan.
Home Evacuations
In the event of a home emergency, identify safe escape routes within the home. Review the routes with your family, especially children, so they know how to exit each room in an emergency. As a family, choose locations to meet in case of an emergency. Involve your children in the selection process to teach them about safety and help them remember where to meet.
Community Evacuations
Community evacuations are more common than many people realize and can happen for a variety of reasons from industrial accidents releasing harmful substances to approaching bushfires or floods. When community evacuations become necessary, local officials provide information to the public through the media. In some circumstances, other warning methods such as sirens or telephone calls are used. The amount of time you have to evacuate will depend on the hazard. If the event is a weather condition, such as a tropical storm that can be monitored, you may have a day or two to prepare. However, many disasters allow no time for people to gather even the most basic necessities, which is why having a Family Preparedness Kit is essential.
Ask local authorities about emergency evacuation routes and see if maps are available with evacuation routes marked.
Evacuation Guidelines: Prepare Yourself & Your Family
ALWAYS
- Be sure to have a full petrol tank in your car if an evacuation seems likely. Petrol stations may be closed during emergencies or unable to pump petrol during power outages. Plan to take one car per family to reduce congestion and delay.
- If you don’t own a car, preplan evacuation arrangements with family or friends.
- Keep up-to-date with your local weather station, weather radio, or emergency services social media pages.
- If instructed to do so, gather your family and leave immediately.
- Leave early enough to avoid being trapped by severe weather.
- Follow recommended evacuation routes.
- Be alert for washed-out roads and bridges. Do not drive into flooded areas.
- Stay away from downed power lines.
IF TIME PERMITS
- Be sure to pack the most necessary items from your Family Preparedness Kit into whatever vehicle you’re evacuating in.
- Wear sturdy shoes and clothing that provides some protection.
- Secure your home by closing and locking doors and windows.
- Unplug electrical equipment (such as computers and televisions) and small appliances (such as toasters and microwaves). Leave freezers and refrigerators plugged in unless there is a risk of flooding.
- Leave the gas utility on unless otherwise directed by local authorities.
- Let others know where you are evacuating to.