6 U.S.C. § 721 (2024)

The Administrator, in coordination with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall provide evacuation preparedness technical assistance to State, local, and tribal governments, including the preparation of hurricane evacuation studies and technical assistance in developing evacuation plans, assessing storm surge estimates, evacuation zones, evacuation clearance times, transportation capacity, and shelter capacity.

(Pub. L. 109–295, title VI, §632, Oct. 4, 2006, 120 Stat. 1421.)

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Guidance on Evacuation Routes

Pub. L. 115–254, div. D, §1209, Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3441, provided that:

"(a) In General.—

"(1) Identification.—The Administrator [of the Federal Emergency Management Agency], in coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, shall develop and issue guidance for State, local, and Indian tribal governments regarding the identification of evacuation routes.

"(2) Guidance.—The Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, in coordination with the Administrator, shall revise existing guidance or issue new guidance as appropriate for State, local, and Indian tribal governments regarding the design, construction, maintenance, and repair of evacuation routes.

"(b) Considerations.—

"(1) Identification.—In developing the guidance under subsection (a)(1), the Administrator shall consider—

"(A) whether evacuation routes have resisted impacts and recovered quickly from disasters, regardless of cause;

"(B) the need to evacuate special needs populations, including—

"(i) individuals with a physical or mental disability;

"(ii) individuals in schools, daycare centers, mobile home parks, prisons, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and detention centers;

"(iii) individuals with limited-English proficiency;

"(iv) the elderly; and

"(v) individuals who are tourists, seasonal workers, or homeless;

"(C) the sharing of information and other public communications with evacuees during evacuations;
ility;

"(ii) individuals in schools, daycare centers, mobile home parks, prisons, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, and detention centers;

"(iii) individuals with limited-English proficiency;

"(iv) the elderly; and

"(v) individuals who are tourists, seasonal workers, or homeless;

"(C) the sharing of information and other public communications with evacuees during evacuations;

"(D) the sheltering of evacuees, including the care, protection, and sheltering of animals;

"(E) the return of evacuees to their homes; and

"(F) such other items the Administrator considers appropriate.

"(2) Design, construction, maintenance, and repair.—In revising or issuing guidance under subsection (a)(2), the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration shall consider—

"(A) methods that assist evacuation routes to—

"(i) withstand likely risks to viability, including flammability and hydrostatic forces;

"(ii) improve durability, strength (including the ability to withstand tensile stresses and compressive stresses), and sustainability; and

"(iii) provide for long-term cost savings;

"(B) the ability of evacuation routes to effectively manage contraflow operations;

"(C) for evacuation routes on public lands, the viewpoints of the applicable Federal land management agency regarding emergency operations, sustainability, and resource protection; and

"(D) such other items the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration considers appropriate.

"(c) Study.—The Administrator, in coordination with the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration and State, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments, may—

"(1) conduct a study of the adequacy of available evacuation routes to accommodate the flow of evacuees; and

"(2) submit recommendations on how to help with anticipated evacuation route flow, based on the study conducted under paragraph (1), to—

"(A) the Federal Highway Administration;

"(B) the [Federal Emergency Management] Agency;
tate, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments, may—

"(1) conduct a study of the adequacy of available evacuation routes to accommodate the flow of evacuees; and

"(2) submit recommendations on how to help with anticipated evacuation route flow, based on the study conducted under paragraph (1), to—

"(A) the Federal Highway Administration;

"(B) the [Federal Emergency Management] Agency;

"(C) State, local, territorial, and Indian tribal governments; and

"(D) Congress."

[For definition of "State", as used in section 1209 of Pub. L. 115–254, set out above, see section 1203 of Pub. L. 115–254, set out as a note under section 5122 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare.]