New Orleans Tests Hurricane Evacuation System
In 2015, the city received a $500,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration to support a full-scale simulation exercise of the city assisted evacuation plan, with special emphasis on vulnerable and special needs populations.
City officials including Mayor Mitch Landrieu and personnel from the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) joined local, state, and federal public safety officials May 17 to conduct the first full-scale exercise of New Orleans' city assisted evacuation system. They held the exercise at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center downtown in advance of the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1.
In 2015, the city received a $500,000 grant from the Federal Transit Administration to support a full-scale simulation exercise of the city assisted evacuation plan, with special emphasis on vulnerable and special needs populations.
About 100 city residents played the role of evacuees as representatives from various agencies practiced safely evacuating residents before a hurricane's arrival, with city-provided transportation moving them from 17 Evacuspots to the Union Passenger Terminal (1001 Loyola Ave.), where individuals would board a bus to a state or federal shelter.