In the summer of 2006, the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety requested a research team from West Virginia University conduct a study of the publics potential response to a range of terrorist attack scenarios in Washington, D.C. The reason for this request was a concern that a large scale terrorist attack in the nations capital could lead to a spontaneous evacuation of metro area residents, thereby affecting West Virginia and the surrounding rural region.
The study that was produced,The Potential for an Uncontrolled Mass Evacuation of the DC Metro Area Following a Terrorist Attack: A Report of Survey Findings,is an initial effort aimed at providing some empirical basis to understand the possible scope of any spontaneous evacuation that might occur. The study is now available online for downloading atwww.vmc.wvu.edu/evac.htm
Dr. Brian Gerber, an assistant professor at WVU who led the assessment research, presented the studys findings last August at a conference in Canaan Valley. The focus of that meeting was on understanding potential evacuation issues related to a major terror attack in the DC metro area. Participants included homeland security and emergency management officials from Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Since then, recognition of the potential importance of this issue has grown significantly.
The study indicates that a terror attack in DC would have consequences for the surrounding region. It is important that the state of West Virginia has taken a leadership role in pointing out the need to plan for these sorts of worst-case scenarios. As Hurricane Katrina showed, if you dont engage in preparedness for catastrophic events, the consequences will be dire,Gerber said.
Mark Fischer, assistant director of program operations at WVU VMC /Homeland Security Programs, was a contributing author to the study.
The study is important for two reasons. Number one, this is a very real threat to West Virginia, but number two, and perhaps more importantly, the questions asked about reactions to terrorism and human behavior in advance of a crisis is a research tool that has not been sufficiently used or understood prior to our work,Fischer said.
Planning for evacuations encompasses a variety of substantive concerns, from traffic management, to managing sheltering facilities to public health issues. Jodi Van Horne, an emergency response medical specialist at VMC /Homeland Security Programs at WVU contributed to the report. She works on developing plans that consider functional needs populations (pediatric groups, geriatric groups, and those with physical, cognitive, or emotional disabilities) during evacuations. Van Horne suggested that the studyfurther reinforces the scope, vulnerability and necessity to plan for functional needs populationsduring a spontaneous evacuation.
To download the Executive Summary or the full report, visitwww.vmc.wvu.edu/evac.htm. In addition to the report, contact information for authors of the study is available on this site.