Citation

Lindell MK, Perry RW. Int. J. Mass Emerg. Disasters 1991; 9(2): 133-136.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1991, International Sociological Association, International Research Committee on Disasters)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Evacuation behavior has long been an important issue for disaster research. Its importance stems from both its applied role in emergency management and its focus as a phenomenon for social scientific investigation. For emergency managers, evacuation may be seen as a generic protective mechanism. It is effective across a variety of disaster agents: floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, hazardous materials incidents, and nuclear power plant accidents, to name only a few. Furthermore, there is a second dimension to the utility of evacuation in disaster management. When the state of technology permits accurate prediction or detection of the threat, evacuation is an effective preimpact tool for reducing danger to human life. At the same time, when predictions are not feasible -- as in the case of earthquakes -- evacuation still may serve a variety of emergency functions when used as a postimpact measure. This flexibility, combined with its wide applicability and relatively uncomplicated logistical nature, makes evacuation a powerful tool for managing the uncertain environment.