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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: April 15, 2003 <br />Action Age' d~ <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT• Regional Evacuation Study <br />DEPARTMENT: Emergency Management PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Evacuation Study <br />(under separate cover) <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Nick Waters, ext 3030 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To receive a report on a study of a seven county region (including Johnston, <br />Chatham, Wake, Durham, Alamance, Guilford and Orange) that assessed the abilities of <br />governments to evacuate or isolate all or part of that region in case of emergency and that <br />identified some available resources within the region. <br />BACKGROUND: Orange County departments involved in planning for terrorism that had <br />started addressing the need to evacuate or isolate citizens in part or all of the County in certain <br />potential emergencies realized that the need for better planning guidance existed. Concerns <br />were also expressed that some hazards, which threaten the citizens of Orange County, may be <br />from sources outside the County. There was agreement that the region needed to be included <br />in a "capabilities assessment" to determine if evacuation was possible. <br />Following several staff level emergency management meetings, Orange County submitted to <br />the State a request for anti-terrorism grant planning funds on behalf of seven counties in the <br />Triangle region. Emergency Managers, local officials and others expressed concern that no <br />regional plans exist to address quarantine or evacuation and hosting of the counties' <br />populations. The grant focused on a feasibility study for evacuation of a six county area along I- <br />40 from Johnston County to Guilford County. Among other points, the study was designed to <br />examine: <br />• How evacuation might be accomplished <br />• What roads would be involved <br />• The expected traffic flow per hour <br />• How much and what population would be left that could not self-evacuate <br />• How long an evacuation would take <br />• What percentage evacuation could be done by hour <br />• What local governments would be expected to do <br />