Ready for Anything: A Disaster Planning Manual for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
What access to transportation do I have?
What if my organization has
scattered-site housing?
Transportation is especially critical if you house youth at more than one site. Different emergency evacuations may require that you transport youth from one site to another, or out of the region entirely.
Consider the following questions:
- Will each site have enough vehicles to handle its transportation needs?
- Will several sites share vehicles?
- Will all of the vehicles be stored in one place?
- Who will be responsible for bringing vehicles to sites affected by a disaster?
- In the event of a large-scale (regional) evacuation, will everyone rally at one site before evacuating, or leave on their own?
There are no right or wrong answers. Weigh your decisions against the realities and needs of your various sites. |
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Disasters that require a full evacuation of your facility will be rare. Should one arise, the relocation may be brief—a few days at a partner facility across town, for example, or a day or two spent at a local church or hotel—or it may stretch on for a more extended period. The evacuation may be local, or it may require that you leave the area completely. Whatever the scenario, you must plan in advance how to transport your facility’s population from one location to another.
Your first concern is seating. You should have enough seating in facility vehicles to guarantee evacuation for every member of your population. For example, if your facility can house 15 youth and, during peak hours, has 3 full-time staff working, you must be prepared to immediately evacuate 18 people—a number that exceeds the capacity of most large vans. Perhaps your facility has a 15-passenger van on site. How would you transport the remaining three people?
There are three transportation scenarios to consider. In the first, your facility has its own vehicle or vehicles, with enough combined seating that all youth and staff can be transported at once.
The second presumes that your facility does not have its own vehicle(s), or that your facility’s vehicle(s) do not have enough combined seating for everyone. In either of these cases, you will have staff provide their own vehicles to help facilitate an evacuation.
The third requires relying on public or third-party transportation. While this is undesirable for several reasons, it may still be an eventuality you’ll want to plan for, particularly if you have concerns about access to facility or staff vehicles.
Facility vehicles
The best-case scenario in the event of an evacuation is that you have enough seats in facility-owned vehicles to transport your entire population. However, as with all other aspects of disaster planning, you must take steps to ensure that facility vehicles are ready for this type of use:
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VEHICLE LOG: A vehicle log (Appendix D) allows you to track a vehicle’s maintenance history (see below). It also provides space for you to list the people riding in it (including its driver) during an evacuation. In the event of an evacuation, you can use this list to take attendance at pit stops and ensure that nobody is accidentally left behind. Each vehicle at your facility should have its own vehicle log stored in its glove compartment. |
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REGULAR PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE: Vehicles designated for use in emergency evacuations must be in good mechanical condition. Regular oil changes as well as inspections to check hoses, belts, brakes, tires, and fluid levels are critical. Vehicles should have a half a tank of gas or more at all times. Track the maintenance history of each vehicle on its vehicle log (Appendix D). |
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CURRENT VEHICLE INFORMATION: Current registration and insurance information should be kept in each vehicle’s glove compartment at all times. Copies of this information should also be stored securely with your other records. |
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COMMUNICATION: If you intend to use more than one vehicle during an evacuation, it is important that the drivers are able to communicate with one another. Each vehicle should be equipped with either a cell phone and charger or two-way radio. |
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NAVIGATION DEVICES AND MAPS: Ideally, each vehicle will be equipped with a GPS device that is preprogrammed with your evacuation destination (See “Where would I go during an evacuation?”). Staff who might drive the vehicle should be trained to use it.
If GPS devices are unfeasible, supply each vehicle with local and regional maps with evacuation destinations clearly marked (and the most direct route to each highlighted in an easy-to-see color). Keep in mind that, during large-scale regional evacuations, some area roads may be closed or designated for emergency vehicles only. |
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CHILD SEATS: If your facility’s population includes young mothers and their children, you will need to have enough child seats on hand for every child in your facility. Plan according to the maximum number of children that may be present. Ideally, these child seats will be stored inside the vehicles so that you are ready to go at any time. |
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EMERGENCY SUPPLIES: In addition to communication devices (see above), stock your evacuation vehicles with basic supplies. These include:
- flashlight with extra batteries*
- matches or lighter*
- blankets*
- first aid kit*
- multi-purpose pocket tool (with screwdriver and clippers)
- leather work gloves
- spare tire, jack, tire iron
- flares
- jumper cables
- brightly colored cloth (for use as a flag or signaling device)
- small shovel
- small sack of sand (for generating traction under wheels)
- extra oil and windshield fluid
*Note: Have these supplies in each vehicle as well as with the facility’s emergency supplies. There’s nothing wrong with duplication!
Carrying extra gas inside your vehicle is dangerous, and a full gas can should not be part of your emergency supplies. Also note that you will need to have enough room in your vehicle(s) to carry not just your facility’s population, but also your stockpile of emergency supplies. |
Staff vehicles
If you do not have enough space in facility-owned vehicles to transport your entire population, you may be forced to use staff vehicles during an evacuation. It is critical, however, that you identify these vehicles before an emergency takes place—you do not want to be in a crisis situation with no volunteers to donate their cars! Consider the following when planning to use staff vehicles in emergency evacuations:
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CREATE A VEHICLE LIST: Create a list of all the vehicles that you would be able to use during an evacuation. Keep track of each vehicle’s make and model, license plate number, owner, and available seating (keeping in mind that a “seat” should only be considered a spot in the vehicle with an available seat belt), as well as the phone number to call to reach the vehicle’s owner if that person is not on site during the emergency. (See Appendix E for a template.) |
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DUPLICATE VEHICLE PAPERWORK AND KEYS: Vital information for each vehicle (registration, insurance information) should be stored securely on site with your other important documents. |
In all other respects, treat staff vehicles just as facility vehicles for the purpose of planning for an emergency evacuation. This includes stocking vehicles with supplies, ensuring there is communication between vehicles, using vehicle logs (Appendix D), especially for the purpose of tracking occupants, and so forth.
Third-party transportation
Third-party transportation includes buses, taxis, rental cars, and trains. Where emergency evacuations are concerned, third-party transportation is the least ideal option, primarily because widespread emergencies that might require regional evacuations will often overwhelm the systems that provide such transportation in the first place. Evacuating 20 people on a bus may seem feasible now, but in a disaster scenario, when hundreds or even thousands of people may be competing for the same seats, you may find yourself faced with an impossible dilemma.
But what if third-party transportation is your only viable option? In that case, it is vitally important that you secure your travel arrangements well in advance of a disaster.
Once again, the first question to ask yourself is how many seats you need. All evacuation plans should assume that your facility is full to capacity, with a maximum number of youth and staff present. Once you have determined this number, you must explore what’s available. The best (and least expensive) option is to seek out a partnership with individuals in the community or with other agencies (churches, other youth facilities, community centers). If those arrangements aren’t possible, contact local transportation companies (bus companies, taxi services, car rental agencies) and inquire about establishing a standing rental agreement in which you reserve the use of that company’s vehicles during an emergency evacuation.
Regardless of whether you secure transportation from an individual, an agency, or a company, obtain a signed commitment, or transportation agreement, spelling out the exact terms of your agreement (the number of vehicles reserved, compensation, drivers). A sample template for a transportation agreement is included in Appendix F. You will also need to ensure that you have enough qualified drivers available (either from the person or agency providing the vehicle or your own staff). If, for example, you reserve the use of a bus, you also will need to have someone licensed to operate it.
Post contact information for all of the transportation providers with whom you form agreements so that during an emergency evacuation, staff can request immediate transportation should the situation require it.
Moving on: Transportation checklist
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Determine how many seats you require for an evacuation, taking into account special accommodations (child seats, wheelchair access). |
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Determine whether your facility can rely on facility-owned vehicles or whether staff and/or third-party transportation options must be used. |
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Ensure that contact information for all staff drivers is included on the staff contact list, and that staff have access to contact information for third-party transportation. |
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Create a vehicle log (Appendix D) for every facility/staff vehicle. |
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Use a vehicle list (Appendix E) to track staff vehicles available for use during evacuations. |
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Use transportation agreements (Appendix F) to spell out transportation arrangements with third-party providers. |
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Ensure that each facility or staff vehicle is equipped with adequate emergency supplies, including maps and/or GPS devices, cell phones or two-way radios, and chargers. |
Where would I go during an evacuation? >> |
