ITS shall provide a Disaster Response and Evacuation (DRE) function that provides for effective, coordinated management of the surface transportation system during all types of disasters including natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, severe winter storms, tsunamis, etc.), terrorist acts, and other catastrophic events (e.g., nuclear power plant disasters). Two primary subservices are provided: (1) Disaster Response and (2) Evacuation Coordination. The Disaster Response Subservice provides support for planning, transportation management, resource sharing, and information coordination between transportation agencies and principal responding agencies (emergency management, public safety, and other allied agencies) to improve the effectiveness and safety of a disaster response. The Disaster Response Subservice consists of eight major functions: 1) Coordinate Response Plans, 2) Monitor Alert Levels, 3) Detect and Verify Emergency, 4) Assess Infrastructure Status, 5) Coordinate Response, 6) Critical Service Restoration, 7) Manage Area Transportation, and 8) Disaster Traveller Information. The Evacuation Coordination (EC) Subservice efficiently manages an evacuation and provides evacuees with the information they need during evacuation and subsequent reentry to the evacuated area. The Evacuation Coordination (EC) subservice includes four additional major functions: 9) Evacuation Planning Support, 10) Evacuation Traveller Information, 11) Evacuation Transportation Management, and 12) Evacuation Resource Sharing.

Disaster Response shall provide a Coordinate Response Plans (CRP) function to support dissemination and coordination of emergency response plans, continuity of operations plans, and other emergency plans between agencies in preparation for a potential future disaster.

Disaster Response shall provide a Monitor Alert Levels (MAL) function.

MAL shall monitor alert levels and threat information provided by federal, state, and local agencies to include the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) and related systems for terrorist alerts, the weather forecasts, watches, and warnings issued by the National Hurricane Centre, other National Weather Service components and other weather service providers, and the various early warning systems operated by federal, state, and local emergency management agencies.

MAL shall increase system preparedness as the alert level or the likelihood of a disaster increases, taking actions including:

Activating physical security systems and implementing security procedures,

Pre-staging activities

Review and update resource inventories

Stage resources

Assign personnel

Clear obstructions

Implement traffic management strategies and traffic control plans

Disaster Response shall provide a Detect and Verify Emergency (DVE) function that provides initial emergency situation information to all allied agencies.

DVE shall use available sensors, weather information, and field reports to detect potential emergencies.

DVE shall verify the emergency and collect available information to include location, nature of the emergency, nature and extent of the damage, nature and extent of the impact area, and potential hazards.

DVE shall notify emergency management, public safety, and other allied response agencies and provide available information about the emergency situation.

DVE shall alert transportation agencies to disasters that have been identified by other agencies

DVE shall alert transportation agencies of safe reentry conditions following a disaster.

Disaster Response shall provide an Assess Infrastructure Status (AIS) function.

AIS shall assess the impact of the disaster on the transportation infrastructure and associated ITS systems using:

Asset Management Systems

Surveillance systems and sensors

Built-in-test of electronic systems

On-scene reports and inspections

Information gathered by aerial surveillance.

AIS shall provide an assessment of transportation infrastructure damage to transportation, emergency management, public safety, and other allied agencies.

Disaster Response shall include a Manage Area Transportation (MAT) function that manages the transportation system in the vicinity of the disaster. Depending on the nature of the disaster and the status of the infrastructure, the following actions may be taken.

Detours or alternative transportation resources, including transit systems, shall be identified to mitigate the transportation impacts of the disaster.

Closures and detours shall be implemented. Closures may exclude all vehicles except for emergency vehicles or other special vehicles.

Transit and transit fare schedules and toll schedules shall be modified.

Special traffic control strategies to manage traffic in the vicinity of the disaster shall be implemented to limit and/or manage traffic in the area to include signal timing modifications and special traffic signal modes used in conjunction with personnel manually directing traffic.

Special traffic management strategies shall be implemented in surrounding areas to support efficient movement of personnel and resources into the disaster area.

Disaster Response shall include a Critical Service Restoration function that will coordinate with allied agencies to restore critical transportation and utility services.

Emergency construction and maintenance shall be planned, coordinated, and initiated to restore critical transportation infrastructure.

Emergency access to right-of-way, permits, and needed equipment and resources shall be coordinated as necessary to support restoration of other critical public works.

Disaster Response shall include a Coordinate Response (CR) function to coordinate the disaster response between transportation, public safety, emergency management, and other allied agencies. Information may be shared with individual agency centres, emergency operations centres, and unified command systems at the scene.

CR shall provide information about the transportation system including:

Egress and ingress routes for the scene and staging areas.

Transportation system condition information including video surveillance information as appropriate

Traffic management strategies in effect, including closures, detours, tolls, and HOV restrictions.

Routes for specific origins and destinations on request

CR shall provide Information on transportation resources and personnel that are available, en-route, or deployed at the scene. Transportation resources include construction and maintenance equipment used at the scene and transit vehicles that may be used to move emergency response personnel to and from the scene.

CR shall receive information from emergency operations centres and other emergency management systems including:

Current situation information

Requests for resources

Requests for transportation information, including video surveillance

Requests for ingress and egress routes

Requests for special traffic management strategies, including detours and closures, tolls lifted and HOV restrictions lifted.

Disaster Response shall include a Disaster Traveller Information (DTI) function that will coordinate with public information offices of the principal responding agencies in providing traveller information for the disaster scene and surrounding area to include:

Special traffic restrictions,

Detours and closures,

Special transit schedules,

Traffic conditions at and around the scene.

Special traffic allowances (HOV restrictions lifted, tolls lifted, shoulder use, reverse lane operation).

Evacuation Coordination shall provide an Evacuation Planning Support (EPS) function.

EPS shall provide archived evacuation data such as traffic flows, travel speed, vehicle occupancy, road closures, network geometry, traveller behavior, travel origins, travel destinations and evacuation traffic management strategies.

EPS shall support the development of regional and multi-regional evacuation plans.

EPS shall assist in identifying required modifications to transportation network geometry to accommodate evacuation strategies.

EPS shall assist in defining the required resources for evacuation strategies.

EPS shall avoid simultaneous work zones on parallel routes in case evacuation without warning is required

Evacuation Coordination shall include an Evacuation Traveller Information (ETI) function.

ETI shall be accessible to users from multiple distributed locations, including, but not limited to:

homes,

public buildings,

evacuation shelters,

rest areas,

hotels,

restaurants,

airports and other mode terminals, and

wireless devices (in-vehicle and handheld).

ETI shall identify mandatory and voluntary evacuation zones and any special evacuation requirements for each zone.

ETI shall provide a list of alternative evacuation destinations.

ETI shall provide shelter information including:

Location

Time of operation

Vacancy

Available facilities including accommodations for people with special needs, such as pets, disabilities and elderly.

ETI shall provide recommended evacuation and reentry route(s) based on:

Real-time and forecast traffic and road conditions.

Traveller-specified route parameters.

ETI shall provide the recommended evacuation start time for a selected evacuation origin and destination based on:

The travel time required for the trip.

The capability of the evacuation network to handle evacuation demand based on current and future network conditions.

The existing and forecast conditions at the evacuation origin and destination.

ETI shall identify reentry times for those jurisdictions that have cleared an area for reentry.

ETI shall provide road and traffic conditions on evacuation routes including:

Current and forecast speed and travel times

Incident information

Current and forecast road, bridge and lane closure information.

Advisories of hazardous conditions such as flooding, malfunctioning traffic signals, debris and falling objects.

Current and forecast weather information

ETI shall provide information for transportation modes including buses, airlines, trains, ferries, and ships Including:

The availability of transportation mode services.

Arrival and departure information for available transportation services.

ETI shall provide general evacuation guidance information to travellers, including guidance/tips for trip preparation, trip duration and trip return.

ETI shall provide information regarding traveller services available along evacuation routes and at evacuation destinations including:

Lodging,

Restaurants,

Stores,

Hospitals and medical services

Rest areas

Vehicle fueling stations

ETI shall provide emergency public information including diversion information and information on refuges of last resort and other safe havens if emergency termination of an in-progress evacuation is necessary.

Evacuation Coordination shall provide an Evacuation Transportation Management (ETM) function to assist evacuation coordination personnel as they manage evacuation operations.

ETM shall have a real-time data collection process to assist in the selection of evacuation strategies and to monitor the operations of the selected evacuation strategies.

ETM shall have a demand forecasting function that takes into consideration current traffic flows, current and historical evacuation trends, the size of the area to be evacuated and expected human responses.

ETM shall include a strategy selection function that maximizes efficiency during evacuation and reentry operations and supports the overall response plan of the principal responding agencies.

The strategy shall integrate the control of freeways and surface streets.

The strategy shall consider traffic movement over the entire evacuation network.

The strategy shall be responsive to current demand as well as the forecast demand.

The strategy shall optimize the movement of emergency, public safety, and other vehicles associated with the disaster response and evacuation.

The strategy shall consider the operation of the access to and from the evacuation routes.

The strategy shall consider the impacts to local traffic along evacuation routes.

The strategy shall consider the time available for evacuation, time required for evacuation and time required for implementing the evacuation strategy.

The strategy shall consider the availability of the resources required for the evacuation strategy.

The strategy shall consider the severity of the expected disaster and the size of the area affected by the disaster.

The strategy shall consider the use of transit and school bus fleets during mandatory evacuations.

The strategy shall consider current maintenance and construction activities and their impact on evacuation route capacity.

The strategy shall consider quarantine requirements.

ETM shall provide the control of devices as required by the evacuation management plan, including:

traffic signals,

dynamic message signs,

ramp meters,

reversible lane signs,

turning restriction signs,

road closure devices,

lane closure devices,

HAR,

shoulder use signs.

ETM shall provide the operator with the capability to manually override the system automatic control.

ETM shall manage incidents on evacuation routes.

ETM shall discontinue current work zone activities on evacuation routes where possible.

ETM shall manage the evacuation of special needs populations including matching transit resources with locations/individuals, planning evacuation routes, and managing the special needs evacuation.

ETM shall have the capability to eliminate tolls and transit fares.

ETM shall have a lane reversal management function.

It shall be possible to collect real-time data for traffic moving in all traveling lanes, with and without lane reversal.

ETM shall have the capability to monitor the location and status of transit vehicles participating in evacuation operations.

ETM shall implement special traffic control strategies including traffic diversions and closures if emergency termination of an in-process evacuation is required.

Evacuation Coordination shall provide a Resource Sharing (RS) Function that allows information and resource sharing between agencies involved in the evacuation including transportation, emergency management, law enforcement and other emergency service agencies.

RS shall allow information sharing between agencies at local, state, multi-state, and federal levels, covering all jurisdictions affected by the evacuation

RS shall provide information sharing capabilities among transportation agencies and between these agencies and the emergency management, public safety, and other allied response agenies.

RS shall provide information to assist evacuation management personnel in making decisions including traffic management and shelter operations.

RS shall assist evacuation management personnel in making decisions regarding deployment of resources and sharing of resources based on existing and forecast demand for these resources.

RS shall identify the resources required for the current and forecast evacuation scenarios.

RS shall identify the resources required to implement alternative evacuation management strategies.

RS shall identify the resource deployment stages, in time and space, for each evacuation scenario.

RS shall assist local, state, multi-state, and federal agencies in sharing resources between agencies.