5.0 Operational Scenarios

To summarize the information provided in the previous three chapters, this chapter examines sample disaster scenarios (one urban and one rural) including the major systems, stakeholder roles and responsibilities, and ATIS delivery to the public for a specific disaster. The examples provide a description of the event with some salient characteristics of the disaster, the stakeholders involved, the ATIS assets available, the operations and activities performed by the various agencies during the stages of the event, and finally some potential improvements and suggestions for communicating with the public during disasters.

5.1 Urban Setting Example

5.1.1 Description of the Event

On a Sunday, late afternoon, close to a major metropolitan area, dry forest conditions and wind caused a wildfire to spread extremely rapidly west out of a mountainous area and into residential areas. Due to the size of the event the duration is expected to last over 4 days. There is low visibility on sections of a major interstate due to smoke, and various state routes approaching the freeway are also impacted by smoke and fire. Many state routes and county roads are suffering fire damage to sign posts, guard rails, striping, power poles, and other structures. Several small municipalities are in the path of the fire, as are some predominately residential portions of the city itself.

5.1.2 Stakeholders

The agencies involved in the various stages of this event include:

• Transportation department – Since it's a large urban city, the agency operating the TMC is the lead transportation agency in conjunction with the regional MPO, county traffic departments and two smaller city traffic departments.
• Emergency management – Due to the size of the event, the state police, local and county fire and police departments and the regional emergency agency responsible for operating an EOC are all involved.
• Major transit providers – Due to the size of the city, major bus and rail agencies are used as evacuation transportation to move a large number of people to safe shelters and buildings.
• Private traveler information providers – Due to the size of the urban area, several media affiliates (radio and TV) and other private information sources are available.

5.1.3 ATIS Assets

The information dissemination tools available in the urban area include the following:

• DMS – fixed and portable
• Internet
• Telephone/511 system
• Text message, pager and email alerts to registered recipients (typically part of an ATIS)
• Media outlets – radio, TV, local access cable.

5.1.4 Stakeholder Actions and Timeline of Events

The table below summarizes the series of events that occur during and after the disaster based on the description of the event, the stakeholder agencies that are responsible for managing, maintaining, and performing operations during a major disaster and a list of ATIS assets available to the agencies to inform the public about the disaster.

Table 3. Actions and Timeline of Events – Urban Disaster Example

Timeline of Event	Agency	Activity/Operation
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	City Fire Department	Local fire department officials are on-scene near the major freeway, close to the residential area. State Police is called into the scene by the fire department to close down the freeway and start potential evacuations.
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	State Police	State Police calls into the department for back up and describes the size of the event. The State Police activate their emergency operations and dispatch.
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	Private Media (Radio and TV)	Private media helicopters visually see the size and extent of the fire and get ready to send their reporting personnel to the scene of the event.
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	Regional County	County emergency operations contact receives the call regarding the nature, extent and rapid growth of the event.
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	Transportation Management Center (TMC)	Traffic management personnel monitoring the state police data hear about the disaster. Traffic management personnel use CCTV to view images of the disaster. TMC goes into emergency operations 24 hour mode.
During the Disaster	Regional County/Emergency Center	Due to the nature of the disaster, the county officials activated the EOC. The county called specific agency representatives on the EOC contact list to start a shift phase operations. The county identifies the leader of the Joint Information Center (JIC) responsible for dissemination of information from the EOC. The county uses an incident command plan to document and communicate operations and priority actions.
During the Disaster	Public/Elected Official	EOC communicates to the elected official in the area on the extent of the disaster and the need to declare an "emergency." Elected official announces emergency for the immediate affected area.
During the Disaster	State and Local Police	With coordination from EOC, the police post an Incident Commander (IC) on the scene to be in charge of the events and to communicate with the EOC and sets up a mobile command unit on-scene. IC coordinates with the EOC and begins evacuations. Police headquarters calls for additional support from adjoining cities and counties to assist in evacuations of residential areas. State Police coordinates with the TMC on road closures and alternate route information to travelers. TMC provides access to Police personnel to portable dynamic message signs and post messages on "closed roads". State police web page also posts information on the web site regarding closed roads.
During the Disaster	TMC	TMC emergency contact (senior level personnel) and PIOs are posted at the JIC established at the EOC. TMC personnel are in constant coordination and communication with their personnel at the EOC and receive information on the resources required, damage to infrastructure, traffic management, etc. TMC uses the cameras and sensors to continuously monitor the situation. TMC PIO carefully crafts messages for the media and answers questions from the media based on the direction of the JIC. Also coordinates with TMC staff who post messages to the DMS, HAR, web page, telephone system (including 511 and IVR), e-mail and pager alerts.
During the Disaster	Transit Agencies (Bus and Rail)	State Police coordinates with major bus and rail agencies that have assets in the areas affected to assist in evacuations, phased if necessary, of large residential areas.
During the Disaster	Private Media Outlets (Radio and TV)	Radio and TV stations place representatives at the TMC and gather critical and accurate information from the TMC PIO. Radio and TV affiliates disseminate information to the public on road closures, evacuation and shelter information.
During the Disaster	Other Private Information Providers	Other providers like XM Satellite Radio, OnStar, and Internet traveler information service providers use the information from their sources and send it to their subscribers reaching a wider and larger set of the population.
Post-event	Fire Department	Fire officials inform the EOC that the event is under control and that it is safe for the public to return to their houses.
Post-event	Regional County/EOC	EOC closes and representatives return to their respective offices to resume normal operations. Representatives from each major agency fill out after action reports on lessons learned, significant suggestions/improvements.
Post-event	State Police	Open roads and resume normal operations.
Post-event	TMC	Send information to the public on open roads and any prolonged closures. Start assessing the damage to the infrastructure and begin repairs Enhance/develop emergency response plans based on after action reports. Input relevant information into 511 system if available.
Post-event	Traveler Information Providers	Provide information to the public on open roads and resume normal operations.

5.1.5 Potential Improvements

Listed below are some lessons learned/suggestions that were compiled into some common themes from the workshop members for an urban disaster scenario:

• Typically, an urban setting offers disaster managers and responders more information dissemination options as ITS devices like DMS, HAR, metro-focused travel information websites and 511 phone systems are more prevalent. In addition, there are also more media outlets – radio, television, newspapers – with a presence that are focused on the urban area, and these are what most people turn to during a major event. Another useful tool is Reverse 911 which can be used to alert people at home, especially if the disaster occurs at night. Agencies also need to be aware and ensure that the ATIS dissemination tool has enough capacity to handle larger volumes (i.e., call volumes into 511 phone system, accessing the website, etc).
• It is also necessary to plan for many of those tools to experience reduced capacity or to fail completely due to limited electrical power, or only to be available through back-up supplies. Additionally, overloaded communications infrastructure and failures also impact the utility and effectiveness of these tools. When these problems occur, the number of information tools quickly becomes limited to battery-powered portable (or car) radios as they are ubiquitous, don't require the user to be stationary, and can provide information to a wide area quickly.
• In planning for disasters, it is important to forge relationships ahead of time and not at the scene of an event or in the lobby of the TMC for the first time. The DOT should strive to create ties with the following communities and groups:
  • All agencies and key individuals that may have direct control over a major event should be educated about the information gathering abilities and limitations of the TMC and the dissemination abilities and limitations of the ATIS.
  • Other supporting agencies (i.e., transit, public health) should also be aware of the ATIS and key persons at each entity should know what to expect or receive.
  • Large employers and large facility managers should be recruited to receive email, text and other alerts. They should know what to expect from the ATIS during disasters and should not see an alert for the first time.
• It is important to realize that emergency response plans may differ greatly from region to region, due to differences in political makeup, responsibilities, and geography.

5.2 Rural Setting

5.2.1 Description of Event

On an early Monday morning, a warehouse fire started in a small rural town, 100 miles from the closest major metropolitan city. The products that started the fire contain calcium hypochlorite which combusted, creating a very intense fire and massive chlorine-scented cloud of smoke. The concentration of atmospheric chlorine close to the burning plant was about the same level as that of a swimming pool and tended to diminish further away from the plant. However, the smoke plume had the potential to cause respiratory, eye, and skin irritation for those closest to the source and for "at risk" population like the elderly. A massive plume billowed out of the fire and continuously streamed east and northeast from the fire for more than two days.

5.2.2 Stakeholders

The agencies involved in the various stages of this event include:

• Local City and County Traffic Departments – Since the area is largely rural, the traffic and roads are maintained by the city and county traffic departments.
• Emergency Management – The local sheriff's office and fire departments provide emergency management and operations in the rural town. The sheriff's office served as the lead agency for this event.
• Private Traveler Information Providers – There is a general lack of private information service providers in a rural town due to the lack of everyday traffic and congestion.

5.2.3 ATIS Assets

The information dissemination tools available in the rural town include the following:

• Internet
• Telephone / 511 System
• Limited portable DMS
• Radio and TV (especially all news programming)
• HAR.

5.2.4 Stakeholder Actions and Timeline of Events

The table below summarizes the series of events that occur during and after the disaster based on the description of the event, the stakeholder agencies that are responsible for managing, maintaining, and performing operations during a major disaster and a list of ATIS assets available to the agencies to inform the public about the disaster.

Table 4. Actions and Timeline of Events – Rural Disaster Example

Timeline of Event	Agency	Activity/Operation
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	Local Sheriff	Sheriff's office receives 911call regarding the warehouse fire. Sheriff dispatches to the scene immediately to assess the damage.
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	Local Fire Department	At the same time the sheriff receives the call, the local fire department is contacted and they rush to the scene of the event.
On-Scene when Disaster Occurs	City and County Traffic Departments	Emergency contacts at the traffic departments are informed of the event and ready to begin emergency operations.
During the Disaster	Local Sheriff's Office	Sheriff's office sets up an incident command and a mobile command center near the disaster. Sheriff department requests additional resources from adjoining counties and cities to help in the evacuation of nearby residences and offices. Sheriff's office uses buses, ambulances and other means of transportation to evacuate nursing homes, trailer parks and other near-by rural communities. Sheriff's office closes roads leading to the plant and uses portable DMS signs along the major arterials to inform the traveling public of the potential danger.
During the Disaster	City and County Traffic Departments	Using limited monitoring facilities, traffic management personnel support and assist emergency responders in disaster response. Using the limited dissemination technologies available to them, traffic management personnel disseminate information to the local media affiliates, and a general customer service information telephone number, and 511 if available.
During the Disaster	Private Media (Radio and TV)	Radio and TV stations gather information from local sources. Radio and TV affiliates disseminate information to the public on road closures, and evacuation information.
Post-event	City and County Traffic Departments	Send information to the public on open roads using limited dissemination media. Start assessing the damage to the infrastructure and begin repairs. Enhance/Develop emergency response plans based on after action reports.

5.2.5 Potential Improvements

Listed below are some lessons learned/suggestions from the workshop members that were compiled into some common themes for a rural disaster scenario:

• A disaster experienced in a rural setting provides a unique set of challenges and limitations primarily due to a lack of infrastructure. Typically, a rural environment requires disaster managers and responders to rely on more traditional information dissemination options, since ITS devices like DMS and travel information websites and phone systems may not be available.
• Rural areas also typically have fewer media outlets – radio, television, newspapers – than an urban area. However, this can be viewed in a positive light as most residents will know which outlets to turn to and the messages being disseminated have a reduced chance of being changed or misunderstood if only coming from a limited number of sources. As with an urban area, radio and television are the sources of information most people are familiar with and turn to during a major event.
• Knowing what resources are available in advance is the key to managing the information flow to the public, which in this case may be solely through the media. This requires that the media be a trusted part of the process. Sometimes, agencies can depend on the citizens themselves as viable sources as they may serve as a dissemination media to inform their neighbors, friends and surrounding communities.
• Rural areas, their communities and the evacuations of special populations pose challenges and issues. Planning ahead for multi-lingual evacuees and enabling contacts with emergency personnel who can speak, for example, Spanish or French, is essential. Rural areas also have large farm communities that are reluctant to evacuate unless their animals are taken care of. Identifying the location of potential animal and farm shelters can help agencies plan for evacuations of these rural farm communities more easily.
• As with the urban environment, it is necessary to plan for a reduction in carrying capacity or complete failure due to limited electrical power. Communications infrastructure can also impact the dissemination of the key messages. When these problems occur, the number of information tools quickly becomes limited to battery-powered portable (or car) radios as they are ubiquitous, don't require the user to be stationary and can provide information to a wide area quickly.