Evacuation and Shelter in Place

The City of Brandon Evacuation Plan is a guide to assist us in getting an evacuation started. Each situation will be different. Innovation and adaptation will be essential to ensure each situation is handled with as much ease as possible.

Normally this is a police function. Police may be assisted by fire officials or any available resource such as other city employees, private security, etc., depending on the size of the proposed evacuation.

The City has been divided into a number of evacuation zones. Each of these zones contains an assembly facility where people can gather and register if there is time. A pre-determined collector route through the zone has been determined by Transit and may be used by residents to ride via city buses to the assembly facility. A pre-determined evacuation route out of the zone connects with a route out of the City. These will be announced at the time they are needed.

The main evacuation routes out of the City will be supervised by the Police who direct traffic at choke points and have ready access to tow trucks or heavy equipment required to remove stalled vehicles. The choke points are such things as major intersections, bridges, and uncontrolled access points on to the major route.

One is a request for an immediate evacuation of a specific zone. This will involve many people using their own transportation to leave the area. This movement of people will be augmented by other mass transit means. When an evacuation order is given people are expected to leave the area following a specified evacuation route to a specified parking area. At the parking area people will be registered as a means of determining what homes may not be vacant and to assign a reception centre should an extended relocation be necessary.

A second type of evacuation is less urgent and allows for a more organized management of the situation. In this case people will be requested to report to their zone’s assembly facility, which in most cases is a school within the zone. At the assembly facility people will be registered, a relocation destination assigned, and a means of transportation to that destination will be determined and assigned.

In either case people may use their own vehicles and are encouraged to relocate to a relatives’ or friends’ home that is out of the zone being evacuated. Accommodation will also be arranged at a number of surrounding communities for those who require it.

When a group of people is ready to leave and there is an available mode of transportation to their destination, someone from the group will be asked to be a Warden. The Warden will be responsible to ensure that everyone on the group’s list can be accounted for while in transit. When they reach their destination the Warden will turn the list over to the Reception Centre contact and report on the status of the group. People are not required to remain with the group but are asked to inform the Warden should they wish to leave.

An evacuation could be recommended but not mandatory. If a situation is such that pre-planning can be done, people may voluntarily evacuate in anticipation of the event. If a state of local emergency is declared, and as part of the declared emergency an evacuation was authorized, then evacuation would become mandatory with the police having extra ordinary powers to conduct forced evacuation. At times such as this, citizens are expected to work with the police by evacuating as soon as possible and encouraging others to do so as well.

Depending on the situation and weather conditions, residents may be advised to shut off all services and take essentials items with them including identification. Leave a note in the house as to where you will be going, either an assembly area or relatives’ or friends’ place. You will be directed to the closest emergency bus route if this is the method of transport, or to closest evacuation route if using their vehicle. Even if you are staying with relatives, please register so there will be a way to contact you.

As you will note in this plan many of the schools in the Brandon School Division have been designated as assembly points for evacuees. This is because most people are familiar with the location of the schools. City of Brandon buses will drive routes that collect and drop people off at the assembly area in the evacuation zone. Residents being evacuated from an area who decide to use their own vehicle will be encouraged to register. This may be done at the assembly area or by telephone. Registering is the best way for family and friends to be able to locate you.

The protection of property is a key component of law enforcement. It becomes an even more important detail when an area has been evacuated and is under police protection. The Brandon Police Service will be responsible to maintain a presence in evacuated areas to maintain the security of the area.