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Synonyms

Clear; Escape; Flee; Leave; Remove; Vacate

Definition

Evacuation is a protective action where people move from a high-risk area to one offering greater safety. It can be recommended by officials or performed voluntarily by residents without an official warning.

Introduction

Evacuation is an effective protective action when a community is threatened by wildfire. The threat, in this case, is flammable vegetation and structures that pose a risk to residents in the form of radiant heat and smoke. Wildfire evacuations are typically precautionary (or pre-impact), as they are conducted when a wildfire is proximal but prior to community impact. The main questions in evacuating a community are who should evacuate, when they should leave, and where they should go. The corresponding steps are to delimit an evacuation zone and transmit a warning message to residents that includes recommended departure times, routes, and destinations.

Evacuation planning in wildfire areas can be performed...

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Correspondence to Thomas J. Cova .

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© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Cova, T.J. (2019). Evacuation. In: Manzello, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Wildfires and Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) Fires. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51727-8_104-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51727-8_104-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-51727-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-51727-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering

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