This study provides data on the optimal staff, materials, space, and time resources required to operate a regional hub reception center, a “short-term facility with the goal to process and transport displaced survivors (evacuees) to temporary or permanent shelters following a catastrophic incident”. The facility will process approximately 20,000 evacuees over its entire 7-day duration following a disaster to assist in community resilience. The evacuation simulation model was created using AnyLogic software. The results of the study demonstrated that the goals set forth by the Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin Regional Catastrophic Planning Team could be improved upon and that the largest contributing factor to optimizing the RHRC is finding the optimal number of total staff members to operate the facility.
Disaster, whether manmade or natural, can have a catastrophic impact on a populated area. Sometimes a disaster is so devastating it requires a large-scale evacuation. As a result, evacuation plans have become a necessity.
One such evacuation plan involves the regional hub reception center (RHRC), which will help to evacuate the careless population when an evacuation is needed. The carless population is defined as “those without access to cars or those without the physical or economic means to evacuate”.
For evacuation simulation modeling AnyLogic software was used, an RHRC developed the model to test the efficiency of the proposed plan. Since the RHRC could be a major tool used in future disasters, a study had to be performed to find the optimal amounts of staff, materials, space, and time needed for the facility to perform all of its necessary functions.
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