Optimal evacuation planning using staging and routing

Evacuation is an important disaster management tool. Evacuating a large region by automobile (the most commonly used mode) is a difficult task, especially as high levels of traffic congestion often form. This paper studies the use of demand‐based strategies, specifically, the staging and routing of evacuees. These strategies attempt to manage demand in order to reduce or eliminate congestion. A strategic mixed‐integer programming planning model that accounts for evacuation dynamics and congestion is used to study these strategies. The strategies adopted incorporate different evacuee types based on destination requirements and shelter capacity restrictions. The main objective studied is to minimize the network clearance time. We examine the structure of optimal strategies, yielding insights into the use of staging and routing in evacuation management. These insights are then used to develop effective solution procedures. To demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed solution technique, we provide computational experience using a large realistic example based on Virginia Beach.