GRANT TO FUND CREATION OF EVACUATION MODEL

Mike Robinson, associate director of Old Dominion's Center for Innovative Transportation Solutions (CITS), has received a grant from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management to help with the creation of a real-time evacuation model for the National Capital Region.

Robinson, research assistant professor at ODU's Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC), will lead a project to use modeling and simulation techniques in the $1.2 million project, of which $300,000 is ODU's share.

The research will advance the planning for and execution of a safe evacuation of Washington, D.C., and the surrounding area in the event of an attack by terrorists, such as the release of toxic gas or the detonation of a dirty bomb.

Robinson said VMASC will expand upon the work of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to improve the capability of the Real Time Evacuation Planning Model, which was originally developed by for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate.

"VMASC will test, demonstrate and assess the use of (the model) as a planning model for an evacuation following a man-made event in the National Capital Region," Robinson said. "Additionally, VMASC will prepare and provide training workshops to selected emergency management professionals on the use of the Real Time Evacuation Planning Model, and will complete critical verification and validation testing."

The Real Time Evacuation Planning Model was developed in response to emergency managers' desire for an easy to use, quick tool to estimate the time required to evacuate an area in response to a natural or man-made disaster, including hurricanes, nuclear power plant disasters, wildfires, floods (including dam breaks) and hazardous material incidents. The model was developed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

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