Date of Award
January 2014
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Document Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Safety, Security, and Emergency Management
First Advisor
E. Scott Dunlap
Department Affiliation
Safety, Security, and Emergency Management
Second Advisor
Ryan K. Baggett
Department Affiliation
Safety, Security, and Emergency Management
Third Advisor
Chad S. Foster
Department Affiliation
Safety, Security, and Emergency Management
Abstract
Because the city of Boston rests along the Atlantic coast and is highly vulnerable to flooding from hurricanes, local emergency planners have considered utilizing phased evacuation and contraflow strategies as a means to more effectively evacuate. This research attempted to determine whether phased evacuation or contraflow are suitable evacuation strategies that can be incorporated into Boston's evacuation plan in order to increase the evacuation rate and reduce motor vehicle congestion.
A computer simulation evaluating the use and non-use of phased evacuation and contraflow was performed. The simulated evacuation included 50% of the population from South Boston and the Columbia Point peninsula of Dorchester and a 20% shadow evacuation from downtown Boston. This research concludes that when an evacuation anticipates moving 60,000 vehicles or less from coastal areas, contraflow may not be necessary, while phased evacuation will require thorough planning prior to implementation to avoid extending an evacuation beyond the scheduled time frame.
Copyright
Copyright 2014 Courtney Connor
Recommended Citation
Connor, Courtney, "Evaluating the Suitability of Phased Evacuation and Contraflow for the Evacuation of Boston's Coastal Population" (2014). Online Theses and Dissertations. 250.
https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/250
