In times of crisis, one of the most critical and often life-saving things emergency managers can do is evacuate the area affected by the disaster. For an evacuation to be effective, a number of processes and practices must be followed, as well as a number of variables that must be considered when preparing for any evacuation. In this essay, I will describe and analyze the processes that emergency management must follow during an emergency evacuation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The most critical aspect of any evacuation is planning and preparation in advance. Before any evacuation, an evacuation plan must be put in place beforehand. The evacuation plan should define the areas that emergency responders should aim to evacuate and in what order, and should define the specific routes that residents should take and follow during an evacuation. When an evacuation occurs, the primary goal of emergency responders should be to ensure that all roads or paths in the evacuation route are free of obstructions to civilians. Second, communication is essential and essential during an evacuation. Appropriate communications equipment must be installed in advance as part of any emergency management plan. Mark Sloan, Emergency Management Coordinator for Harris County, Texas, said, “In the heat of the moment, it has become extremely difficult to communicate quickly and effectively with so many jurisdictions. Not everyone was by their phone or checking their emails” (Stone, 2012). Her community has increased not only the quality of its communications, but also the quantity of methods by which it can communicate with emergency responders and citizens. Emergency planners must consider a number of aspects when preparing for an evacuation. The first, and often most important, thing to consider is shelter. Where will evacuees go during an evacuation? On-site protective shelters protect citizens from wind, ground shaking or water-related crisis situations. For example, during Hurricane Katrina, authorities used the Metro Dome in New Orleans as a shelter for evacuees. Second, potential hazards must be considered when planning the evacuation. For example, emergency planners must take into account any potential obstacles that civilians might face during an evacuation. For example, evacuating an island via a bridge in high winds would be incredibly dangerous, both for evacuating citizens and public safety police officers and firefighters. Plans should therefore be put in place to either avoid such an obstacle during an evacuation, or to ensure that measures are taken to minimize the danger of such an evacuation. Different types of disasters warrant different types of evacuations. For example, aspects of planning and responding to evacuations differ significantly between man-made and natural disasters. Since natural disasters are much easier to predict than man-made ones, it is important for emergency planners to ensure that shelter is in place in the event of a natural disaster. On the other hand, a key aspect of planning for a potential man-made emergency is ensuring that appropriate evacuation routes are planned in advance and that these routes are the priority.