Evacuation planning

Australian Disaster Resilience Handbook Collection: Handbook 4

The purpose of this handbook is to provide authoritative guidance to people within government and its agencies, non-government organisations and communities on how to plan for the orderly management of an evacuation before, during and after an emergency or disaster.

The five stages of the evacuation process support a seamless transition from one stage of the evacuation planning process to the next. Use of this handbook will help ensure the principles and concepts of evacuation planning are applied consistently across Australia.

Central to the handbook’s intent is the safety of community members and emergency responders during the evacuation process, and the early return of evacuees to minimise any negative social and economic impacts for affected communities.