Disaster Response Routes

Disaster Response Routes are a network of pre-identified municipal and provincial roads that can best move emergency services and supplies to where they are needed in the event of a major disaster. Emergency planners and transportation engineers from all levels of government have cooperated to identify these routes. Public awareness and cooperation is necessary to keep these Disaster Response Routes clear following an earthquake or other disaster, in the interest of saving lives and protecting property

Disaster Response Routes are activated only as needed to meet the demands of an emergency or disaster situation. Only required routes are utilized and only for as long as needed.

Fire, police, ambulance and other emergency and life-saving equipment, services and supplies must move quickly to where the greatest need is…and mobility is the key. Road access from one area to another, from airports and ports, must be kept clear of non-essential vehicles and debris. It could be you they are coming to assist!

The Disaster Response Routes should be the first roads to be cleared. Emergency responders and police will control access to Disaster Response Routes and in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, the routes will likely be limited to emergency needs, including controlled evacuation. As soon as possible, the public will e allowed back onto the Disaster Response Routes. In some areas, specific Disaster Response Routes could be reserved for speedy delivery of supplies from ports or nearby airstrips, or for organized medical evacuation to unaffected hospitals.

Designated responders have been issued with placards identifying them and their vehicles. This will allow for quick identification at checkpoints and permit the efficient movement of required resources to where they are needed most.

Many people believe these signs identify an evacuation route which people would use to leave an area. Not true. Disaster Response Routes are required for the movement of responders and resources for emergency or disaster response. The designation of Disaster Response Routes means other roadways can be utilized for nonemergency traffic, commuting, or the unlikely event of an organized evacuation. Disaster Response Routes are NOT evacuation routes.