Efficient operation of a highway system during disaster is of fundamental importance in strategic evacuation planning.
Recent terrorist events in the United States and around the globe underscore the importance of evacuation planning.
Government entities such as the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are concerned with having a robust evacuation plan in place during major disasters with the main objective being to remove the maximum number of units (humans, animals) from the disaster area in the least possible time as emergency management resources are deployed to the
area.
This means that reliable highway networks that support evacuation routes become critical in determining if any efforts to save lives and properties are successful. Delays along the route are not desirable.