Importance of Having a Hurricane Evacuation Plan in Place

Evacuation plans are necessary, proactive measures that all households need to have practiced and understood. A family that works as a team and is ready to face adverse situations will lead to a much smoother, safer, more effective and efficient process. Without practice, a plan is of little use. Evacuation plans are necessary for basic survival reasons. When a life is at stake, an evacuation plan should be part of your preparedness ideals as an individual or family.

History has shown us that taking quick, decisive orderly steps can save lives. Disasters may require that people are not only evacuated out of buildings or to a safe area, but they may need to evacuate entire communities from various geographical areas. Hurricane Katrina is an example of how disaster can cause ruin, death, and destruction.

A large range of emergency situations, both man-made and natural, can strike at any time. Workplace or home environments need to have a written and practiced plan. A varying range of emergency situations may occur. Recently, the severity of natural disasters include hurricane Katrina and most recently, Hurricane Dean. Other emergencies range from fires, explosions, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and biological disasters.

In the workplace, employers are responsible for employee safety and well-being. Thus, it is the employer's responsibility to develop a means of employees and the general public to respond in a variety of ways to particular threats. Employers, for instance, need to have a variety of evacuation tactics designed and ready for implementation. If, for example, a work site is threatened by floodwaters, there are specific steps to take in order to facilitate orderly evacuation procedures. A tornado, on the other hand, is equally as threatening, but staff will need to gather in a different safe, area than when face with a flood.