The multi-modal evacuation system (MES) for Baltimore metropolitan region

Evacuating large metropolitan areas during emergencies in an efficient manner is one of the critical concerns of most responsible agencies. Previous studies focused mainly on strategic evacuation plans or controls for passenger cars, giving inadequate attention to those pedestrians relying on transit systems or other modes. This study has developed a multimodal evacuation system for Baltimore city. The proposed system can generate evacuation plans to guide people to the parking lots or pick-up points, dispatch shuttles to pick up evacuees, and provide route guidance to vehicles. The system uses a hybrid method to simulate traffic conditions, allowing users to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed plan. An evacuation planning for Baltimore downtown is used as an illustration case in this study.