Emergency Management

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Transportation is critical to emergency response in times of disaster, whether it is a natural disaster or the result of a terrorist attack. Read about how other agencies responded to these such events and what they learned from those events.

United States Department of Transportation (DOT)
Transportation is critical to emergency response, no matter the size or the frequency of the event. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is committed to improving our nation's ability to manage emergencies that take place within the transportation network infrastructure or affects it in some way. The Emergency Transportation Operations (ETO) Program is intended to address activities along a response continuum, regardless of cause, and provides technical assistance, knowledge and tools. Additional resources include:

• Managing Pedestrians During Evacuation of Metropolitan Areas


• Emergency Transportation Operations Planning Documents List


• Best Practices in Emergency Transportation Operations Preparedness and Response: The Results of the FHWA Workshop Series


• Common Issues in Emergency Transportation Operations Preparedness and Response: The Results of the FHWA Workshop Series

United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina-Lessons Learned Report assesses the federal response, identifies lessons learned, and recommends appropriate corrective actions. The report identifies the systemic problems in federal emergency preparedness and response revealed by Hurricane Katrina - and the best solutions to address them. Where actions at the State and local level had bearing on Federal decisions or operations, they are included in order to provide full context.

Louisiana State University Hurricane Center
A national review of evacuation plans and practices was undertaken by researchers from Louisiana State University (LSU) in cooperation with the LSU Hurricane Center. The National Review of Hurricane Evacuation Plans and Policies report includes information on the application of evacuation strategies and technologies, such as the use of reverse flow operations and intelligent transportation systems. It also summarizes current evacuation management policies, methods of information exchange, and decision-making criteria. The intent of this report is to provide a broad perspective on the current state of evacuation practices, while also presenting similarities and differences in individual state practices.

Simplified Content to the Incident Command Systems for Transportation Professionals
The purpose of this Guide, is to introduce ICS to stakeholders who may be called upon during highway incidents but who may be largely unfamiliar with ICS organization and operations. These stakeholders include professionals at transportation agencies, as well as elected officials and government agency managers at all levels.

Incident Manager: A Crisis Training Simulation
Incident Commander (sponsored by the National Institute of Justice) is a PC-based software simulation, that models real-world situations within a community, allowing for training at the management level for a critical incident. It is based upon the command structure mandated by FEMA in its rules for National Incident Management System (NIMS) compliance, notably the Incident Command System. Incident Commander is available to law enforcement agencies by registering at this site.

Incident Management Standards
Guide to the IEEE 1512™ Family of Standards. This set of standards, which are incident management and traffic incident-related, are being developed through a partnership with US Dept. of Transportation and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. This set of standards is available for download.

US Department of Transportation

• Incident Management Successful Practices: A Cross-Cutting Study
• Traffic Incident Management Handbook
• Model Procedures Guide for Highway Incidents
• Traffic Incident Management, Public Roads Magazine, November/December 2004

Local and State Agencies

• Best Practices for Traffic Incident Management in Florida

Additional Resources

Additional information and links to other related sites.

National Traffic Incident Management Coalition (NTIMC)

The National Traffic Incident Management Coalition is an assembly of national organizations representing the public safety, transportation, and towing and recovery communities. Learn more about the Coalition and its activities at the NTIMC website.

Institute of Transportation Engineers Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Committee

The TIM Committee involves a national group of professionals from the transportation and public safety community committed to the effective implementation and support of local traffic incident management programs. For additional information, visit the Institute of Transportation Engineers web site.