|
Evacuation Study Looks at Evacuation Planning
Jan 22, 2008 STATEWIDE EVACUATION STUDY LOOKS AT EVACUATION PLANNING ~TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS IN LEE COUNTY TO BEGIN THIS WEEK~ Ft. Myers, Fla.- As part of regional evacuation studies, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council and local governments, will conduct telephone interviews with 18,800 households Statewide, the largest survey of its kind. A critical component of the studies will deal with how the public reacts during regional evacuations and will include important updates to existing hurricane evacuation studies, as well as wildfires, freshwater flooding, and hazardous material accidents. Interviews in the Lee County region begin this week. Residents participating in the survey will be asked how they intend to respond if an evacuation becomes necessary in their community and how they have responded in past evacuations. They will also be asked how concerned they are about hurricanes and other hazards and whether there are any obstacles that would keep them from being able to evacuate. It is extremely important for residents to participate in the survey if they are contacted by interviewers so that information gathered for each county will be as accurate and representative as possible. If interviewers phone at an inconvenient time, they will be glad to call back at a different time to accommodate residents. Identities of people and households participating in the survey will be confidential. Many aspects of evacuation plans depend on what the public will do when a hurricane or other hazard threatens a region. Public safety officials need to know as much as they can about how their citizens will respond so they can issue evacuation notices effectively, provide enough public shelter space, and direct traffic successfully. For more information about the survey contact: Dr. Jay Baker, Hazards Management Group, Inc., Tallahassee, FL 32309, 850-893-8993 or hazgroup@comcast.net. For local emergency management contact Paul Filla, 239-930-0438.
|