Project 1 Network Analyst - Downtown Tampa Bay evacuation zones, shelters and routes

Scenario Three – Downtown Tampa Evacuation

As the downtown area of Tampa Bay is heavily populated it is important to create routes that will aid the general public in evacuating to the designated shelter for their zone as quickly as possible.  The downtown area is divided into three zones each with one shelter.  In order to to provide the general public with the information as rapidly as possible, the maps were produced for use in newspaper and television.  Again, ArcMap was used to create the network, and transportation routes.  The goal of this map was to illustrate routes for the 15 evacuation points within downtown Tampa Bay.  The routes were color coded and grouped in a logical flow.  While turn by turn directions were not provided, the major streets were labeled.  Ultimately the routes merged toward two main roads, I-275 and Nebraska Avenue.  The maps included staggered evacuation times for each zone so that road congestion was reduced.  Additional safety warnings were included on the map.  Because this map was to be used for newspaper and television, final preparations were made using Adobe Illustrator as this allows for more aesthetically pleasing graphic representations.  As with the other scenarios, the main drawback with the maps and drive times are that they are based upon typical conditions, not pre-hurricane weather conditions.  Drive times could be longer and there is the potential for the designated route to require alteration based upon existing road conditions.  In the event high winds or heavy rains have caused downed power lines, downed trees or flooding, actual routes may need to be altered “on-the-fly” by emergency personnel.

 

Scenario Four – Downtown Tampa Bay Evacuation Zones and Shelter locations

An information map was created to be used by both television and newspaper to depict the Downtown Tampa Bay Evacuation Zones and their associated Shelter Locations.  This map, designed for the general public, was quite generalized in nature so that one could quickly identify the zone in which they resided as well as the shelter for said zone.  The zones were color coded for simple identification and the shelters were both symbolized and labeled.  As this was not a directional map, only Major roads and water features were labeled.  The map was created using ArcMap and then finalized in Adobe Illustrator for simple, aesthetically pleasing results.  Text insets were provided to provide shelter addresses using text which was color-coded to match the evacuation zone color.  Additional information was provided with regard to standard emergency procedures and safety warnings.  The latest available radar image was included on the map for reference purposes.  This map combined with the evacuation route map were both readily accessible to the general public prior to any required evacuation so that families could develop a rapid response plan should the evacuation be mandated.