The face of evacuation procedures might be changing as a result of lessons learned from last year’s fierce wildfires in California. Fourteen fires, from Oct. 21 through Nov. 4 last year, killed 24 people, destroyed 3,710 homes, and burned 750,000 acres. In some smaller communities, evacuation orders were issued via a helicopter equipped with a loudspeaker system, recalled Thomas Cova, a researcher from the University of Utah. In the future, instead of hearing an mandatory evacuation order, residents may be given the official choice: evacuate or “shelter-in-place.” At least some research has shown that if residents are given the choice between evacuating and sheltering-in-place – that is, staying in their homes or staying in a community shelter – death tolls during wildfires are actually lower. One reason is because, if “we let people sort it out for themselves,” they might avoid unplanned, rushed and risky evacuations. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.