Evaluating the Suitability of Phased Evacuation and Contraflow for the Evacuation of Boston's Coastal Population

<p>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. </p> <p>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. </p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Safety, Security, and Emergency Management

Grantor dc:publisher

Eastern Kentucky University

Year

2014

Author dc:creator

• Connor, Courtney

• Boston
• Coastal
• Evacuation
• Hurricane
• Planning
• Transportation
• Emergency and Disaster Management

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2014 Courtney Connor

Repository record dc:identifier

https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/250

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:encompass.eku.edu:etd-1248