Building Resilience in a Major City Evacuation Plan Using Simulation Modeling

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” (Regional Catastrophic Planning Team, 2012). The facility will process approximately 20,000 evacuees over its entire 7-day duration following a disaster to assist in community resilience. The study was performed using a model created using the computer simulation software, AnyLogic. 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.