Four Categories of Evacuation

Evacuation can be classified into four categories: emergency protection for short-term, pre-impact response; preventative under long-term, pre-impact [Page 184]conditions; rescue during the short term, immediately after impact; and for reconstruction during the long-term, post-impact phase. Principles and processes of evacuation may be applied on a wide variety of scales, ranging from the egress of people from a burning building to the withdrawal of entire populations from coastal areas threatened by hurricanes. Evacuation can be optional (although it rarely is) or mandatory, and backed ...