Multi-Modal Mass Evacuation in Upstate New York: A Review of Disaster Plans

Abstract

The devastating aftermath from Hurricane Katrina accentuates the need for localized disaster planning that considers those without access to automobiles—including the poor, elderly, and disabled. Planning for evacuation during extreme events should consider the "carless" by paying special attention to the movement of people to safety using a combination of methods—by foot, public transit, coaches, and vans. Many Upstate New York places are ill prepared for the large-scale evacuation of the carless that may result from an extreme event. The share of households without vehicles in several Upstate cities—Albany (28 percent), Buffalo (31 percent), and Syracuse (27 percent)—surprisingly meets or exceeds the share in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. This study identifies strengths and weaknesses within upstate written disaster plans in regards to multi-modal evacuation. Findings suggest that many upstate places—except for those near nuclear power plants—have inadequate written plans for mass evacuation, especially when considering the carless population. We recommend future research directions to include wide samples, best practices for carless evacuations, and development of multi-modal evacuation models.