COVID-19 Supplement for 

Planning Considerations: 

Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place

September 2020
COVID-19 Supplement for Planning Considerations: Evacuation and Shelter-In-Place

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COVID-19 Supplement for Planning Considerations: Evacuation and Shelter-In-Place

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Table of Contents

1. Background, Purpose, Scope .......................................................................................... 1

1.1. Background.................................................................................................................1

1.2. Purpose....................................................................................................................... 1

1.3. Scope .......................................................................................................................... 1

2. Critical Considerations ................................................................................................... 2

2.1. Accessibility/Individuals with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional 

Needs.......................................................................................................................... 2

2.2. Hospitals and Residential Care Facilities ................................................................... 3

2.3. Mass Care & Sheltering Service ................................................................................. 4

2.4. Terminology Used in Public Messaging....................................................................... 5

2.5. Tourist Populations ..................................................................................................... 5

2.6. Tracking/Evacuee Accountability................................................................................6

2.7. Traffic Management.................................................................................................... 6

3. Planning Principles ........................................................................................................ 7

3.1. Shelter-In-Place – First/Default Option.......................................................................7

3.2. Unified Coordination Process...................................................................................... 8

3.3. Critical Transportation Needs .....................................................................................8

3.4. Utilizing Transportation Models .................................................................................. 9
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1. Background, Purpose, Scope

1.1. Background

In July 2019, FEMA’s National Integration Center (NIC) published “Planning Considerations: 

Evacuation and Shelter-In-Place – Guidance for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Partners.” The 

guide helps jurisdictions plan and implement evacuation and shelter-in-place protective actions in 

the event of an incident affecting their communities. Since the publication of the guide, the 

coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted jurisdictions across the nation. 

Public health officials continue to release and update guidance and recommendations on mitigation 

strategies to limit the impacts of COVID-19, to include social distancing, health screening and the 

use of personal protective equipment (PPE). Jurisdictions can benefit from reviewing existing plans, 

assessing the potential impacts and constraints resulting from COVID-19 and making any necessary 

adjustments to ensure continuity of essential functions and services.1 

1.2. Purpose

This document provides planning consideration questions for jurisdictions reviewing their evacuation 

and shelter-in-place plans and resources while considering the impacts of COVID-19. The 

self-assessment questions build off considerations and principles outlined in “Planning 

Considerations: Evacuation and Shelter-In-Place – Guidance for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial 

Partners.” These COVID-19 related planning considerations may factor into jurisdictions’ calculations 

as they review their protective action plans and reassess factors such as evacuation clearance time. 

This document is not prescriptive guidance; it is an aid to help jurisdictions plan and implement

protective actions in a COVID-19 environment. 

1.3. Scope 

This document focuses on key considerations and principles associated with evacuation and shelterin-place planning and execution and identifies impacts that COVID-19 may have on planning and 

executing evacuation and shelter-in-place operations. These considerations may help jurisdictions 

align their protective actions plans with relevant public health guidance. This supplement does not 

identify specific public health standards; jurisdictions may consult applicable local, state and federal

public health guidance for specific requirements and information. 

For more COVID-19 considerations please download FEMA’s COVID-19 Pandemic Operational 

Guidance For the 2020 Hurricane Season and Mass Care/Emergency Assistance Pandemic Planning 

1 For more information on continuity programs and planning, please download FEMA’s Continuity Guidance Circular. 
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Considerations Guidance. For additional COVID-19 related guidance please visit FEMA’s Coronavirus 

page and coronavirus.gov for interagency resources.

2. Critical Considerations

2.1. Accessibility/Individuals with Disabilities and Others with Access and 

Functional Needs

Planning and resourcing for evacuation assistance should be inclusive of individuals with 

disabilities2 and others with access and functional needs.3 Through legal requirements set forth by 

the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, and 

other applicable federal,4 state and local laws or executive orders emergency managers and 

planners should identify the needs within the community and identify the resources needed to fully 

support these populations during the implementation of protective actions.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Have you reassessed planning considerations, including community demographics, and 

identified populations (a) facing a higher risk for being adversely impacted by an incident, 

including those under stay-at-home orders, (b) at higher risk of medical complications from 

COVID-19 as identified by public health officials, (c) individuals with disabilities and (d) others 

with access and functional needs?

2 This document defines an individual with a disability as an individual who has a physical or mental impairment that 

substantially limits one or more major life activities (an “actual disability”), or a record of a physical or mental impairment 

that substantially limits a major life activity (“record of”), or an actual or perceived impairment, whether or not the 

impairment limits or is perceived to limit a major life activity, that is not both transitory and minor (“regarded as”). 

Individuals with disabilities have civil rights protections that may not be waived under any circumstances, including 

throughout emergencies and disasters. 

3 Individuals having access and functional needs may include, but are not limited to, people with disabilities, older adults 

and populations having limited English proficiency (LEP), limited access to transportation and/or limited access to financial 

resources to prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency. Such needs are met by providing physical, 

programmatic and effective communication access to the whole community by accommodating individual requirements 

through universal accessibility and/or specific actions or modifications. This includes assistance, accommodation or 

modification for mobility, communication, transportation, safety, health maintenance, etc.; due to any situation (temporary 

or permanent) that limits an individual’s ability to act in an emergency.

4 Including but not limited to Section 308 of the Stafford Act and 42 U.S.C. 5151, which prohibit discrimination in delivery 

of federal response operations.
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 Have you reexamined existing service and resource agreements with partner organizations to 

confirm that they can still provide accessible and inclusive care and services in a COVID-19 

environment? If not, have you begun to establish new vendor contracts to deliver these 

services? 

 Have you conducted additional risk and needs assessments to account for additional 

financial hardship impacts on individuals and households within your jurisdiction?

 Have you identified processes and accessible methods to communicate COVID-19-related 

changes in evacuation services or procedures to individuals with disabilities and others with 

access and functional needs?

2.2. Hospitals and Residential Care Facilities 

Implementing protective actions at hospitals and residential care facilities may be difficult due to a 

greater potential of impact by COVID-19. Many of these facilities are already combatting the virus 

under normal operating conditions and providing care for patients who are at increased risk of 

impacts to illness. These facilities may face additional challenges when implementing protective 

actions during an evacuation, especially when they must move individuals who require medical 

attention or additional assistance. Facilities may benefit from identifying additional locations that 

can provide a similar level of care if individuals require evacuation. 

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Do your hospitals and residential and long-term care facilities have adequate, functional and 

fueled emergency generators and a plan to keep emergency power systems operational 

during an emergency and reduce the need for patient movement?5 

 Do your hospitals and residential and long-term care facilities have a stockpile of PPE to use

in a shelter-in-place event to provide care for all patients until supply chains are

re-established?

 Have you coordinated with hospitals and residential and long-term care facilities to confirm 

that their emergency plans are up to date and incorporated into planning factors for 

jurisdictional response?

 Have facilities identified additional in-patient locations in the event of patient overflow to 

accommodate the need for social distancing in a COVID-19 environment?

 Do healthcare facilities have enough supplies on hand to ensure 72 hours of 

self-sustainment?

5 For more on improving healthcare facility resilience to power outages, please see “Healthcare Facilities and Power 

Outages: Guidance for State, Local, Tribal, Territorial, and Private Sector Partners” located at: 

https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/healthcare-facilities-and-power-outages.pdf. 
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 Do facilities have necessary resources to provide adequate staffing and ensure the safety of 

staff?

 If any field medical centers are operational in your jurisdiction, have you coordinated plans to 

evacuate and/or shelter-in-place the staff and patients at these facilities, if necessary? 

 Do hospitals in evacuation zones have a plan to not only evacuate patients, but also bring 

along the necessary ventilators, dialysis machines and stockpiled PPE?

 Have facilities validated their evacuation plans by exercising them in a COVID-19 

environment?

2.3. Mass Care & Sheltering Service

During evacuations, jurisdictions, community organizations and neighboring jurisdictions may 

collaborate to provide mass care services such as sheltering for evacuees.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Have you developed and disseminated messaging to inform the public of changes in 

expected services or procedures (e.g., changes to shelter locations, evacuation routes, 

available transportation methods) due to the impacts of COVID-19?

 Have you ensured that all shelter locations, including new alternate locations, meet all 

necessary requirements, including accessibility compliance?

 Have you explored, and coordinated to utilize, accessible non-congregate shelter options and 

identified participating partners to incorporate social distancing into shelter operations?

 Do your evacuee intake procedures include protocols that align with public health guidance 

and promote social distancing?

 Have you examined and, if needed, increased, agreements with vendors that provide 

supplies or services to support evacuees in a COVID-19 environment?

 Do shelters have the necessary resources to provide adequate staffing and ensure the safety 

of staff?

 Have you identified additional PPE for staff to use during operations at shelters, evacuation 

centers or other associated facilities?

 Have you incorporated a testing/screening process for COVID-19 into your plan to implement 

safety measures in shelters? 

 Do you have additional capacity or sheltering facilities that can accommodate household 

pets with the necessary social distancing? 

 Have you considered the impacts of business closures or restrictions along evacuation 

routes? If business closures and restrictions are significant, do jurisdictions have the 

capability to provide additional assistance to evacuees along evacuation routes?
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 Have you developed procedures to handle the relocation and re-entry of evacuees from a 

shelter facility (both congregate and non-congregate) in the event of confirmed COVID-19 

cases?

2.4. Terminology Used in Public Messaging

Maintaining clear, consistent and accessible messaging to the public is essential when implementing 

protective actions. Commonly understood and consistent terminology helps the survivors understand 

what a jurisdiction is asking of the public as it implements actions to protect the community from 

impacts of an incident. In a COVID-19 environment, public messaging should align with current 

public health guidelines.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Have you incorporated COVID-19-related terms and public health guidance (e.g., social 

distancing, use of PPE or face coverings) into accessible education and public messaging 

campaigns on evacuation and shelter-in-place?

 Have you updated accessible pre-scripted messaging to deconflict COVID-19-related public 

health guidance (such as stay at home/safer at home orders) from incident-specific shelterin-place or evacuation orders?

 Have you coordinated with partner jurisdictions, community organizations and other private 

and public sector partners to coordinate accessible messaging and plan for its dissemination 

in the event of an incident?

 Have you encouraged community organizations and households to review and update their 

individual emergency plans to account for COVID-19 factors and incorporate public health 

guidance and additional supplies in a home emergency kit (e.g., extra face coverings, hand 

sanitizer)?

 Have you inserted COVID-19-related language into accessible pre-approved messaging to 

distribute over media or via methods such as the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System 

(IPAWS) and temporary road signs along evacuation routes?

2.5. Tourist Populations

Many communities rely on tourism as part of the local economy. These communities may need to 

prepare to provide services for this influx of individuals who may have access to limited resources, as 

they are away from their homes and familiar surroundings.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Do you have plans to provide shelter services or other evacuation support to tourist 

populations that meet COVID-19 social distancing guidelines?
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 Do you have the necessary PPE to allow staff to provide additional evacuation services for 

tourist populations? 

 Does your plan include increased COVID-19 screening processes to accommodate a tourist 

population? 

 Have you identified additional resources to assist tourist populations in an evacuation or 

identified additional shelter space for use while adhering to social distancing in a COVID-19 

environment?

2.6. Tracking/Evacuee Accountability

Evacuee accountability, or ensuring the safe departure and arrival of evacuees from one facility to 

another, is important to help a jurisdiction maintain safety at facilities and have a good 

understanding of the volume of their evacuation and sheltering operation. Using a system to assist 

with evacuee tracking and accountability can help achieve this goal.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Have you incorporated COVID-19 factors (e.g., whether individuals have been screened or 

tested) into your accountability system?

 Have you updated intake forms for your accountability system to include Health Insurance 

Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) release forms for COVID-19-related testing and/or 

screening as needed?

 Do your plans and procedures to address the movement and accountability of evacuees 

between facilities and/or to alternate facilities also meet public health guidelines regarding 

COVID-19?

 Have you developed procedures to account for evacuee re-entry into an impacted area?

2.7. Traffic Management

In facilitating an effective evacuation, traffic management is a critical component. When producing 

and reviewing a traffic management plan, jurisdictions need to consider several factors, such as 

anticipated traffic volume, fuel management and availability, impacted roadways, the population of 

the zones that are being evacuated and anticipated evacuation clearance time.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Have you incorporated social distancing considerations when calculating evacuation 

clearance time (e.g., reduced load capacity, additional vehicles, increased loading time)? 

 Have you identified additional or alternate evacuation routes to facilitate an evacuation in a 

COVID-19 environment before and after an incident? Have you coordinated with relevant law 

enforcement and transportation personnel to facilitate an evacuation on these routes?
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 Have you updated traffic management messaging to incorporate COVID-19 factors, such as 

sanitation and social distancing? 

 Have you identified and coordinated resources for accessible transportation, including 

ambulance services for individuals requiring medical assistance during an evacuation?

 Have you reviewed clearance times and decision timelines with COVID-19 planning 

considerations, such as mass care and sheltering plans?

 Have you coordinated with neighboring jurisdictions to discuss COVID-19 impacts on access 

and re-entry procedures?

 Have you coordinated with passthrough, host and sending jurisdictions to verify that 

agreements to support and execute potential evacuations will accommodate COVID-19 

considerations (or made any necessary updates)?

3. Planning Principles

3.1. Shelter-In-Place – First/Default Option

Shelter-in-place is appropriate when conditions require that individuals seek protection in their 

homes, places of employment or other locations when a hazard or threat is imminent or occurring. If 

applicable, using shelter-in-place as a protective action in a COVID-19 environment may help reduce 

transmission of the virus.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Have you identified if the severity and specificity of the hazard or threat allows the 

implementation of shelter-in-place actions? 

 Have you identified what types of threats or hazards would make implementing shelter-inplace operations impossible (e.g., wildfires, flood)? 

 If needed, are accessible methods of communication in place to clearly inform survivors they 

may need to move from a shelter-in-place posture and evacuate depending on the severity of 

the anticipated hazard or threat (e.g., hurricane, storm)? 

 Have you established protocols to identify and prioritize the evacuation of individuals with 

disabilities and others with access and functional needs who require medical assistance 

post-incident after sheltering-in-place?

 Is pre-scripted messaging available that clearly informs the community that the reason for 

shelter-in-place activities, or subsequent evacuation, is due to a non-COVID-19-related threat 

or hazard (e.g., hurricane, storm)? 
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3.2. Unified Coordination Process

Evacuations frequently require coordination with entities beyond jurisdictional boundaries, and 

pre-existing relationships are key in planning for such events. Communicating and coordinating with 

partner jurisdictions and associated community organizations is crucial. A coordinated review of 

current mutual aid agreements, memoranda of understanding (MOUs) or memoranda of agreement

(MOAs), and other contracts can help identify any emerging gaps, complications or resource 

shortfalls resulting from the constraints and impacts of COVID-19.

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Have you coordinated with passthrough, host and sending jurisdictional partners to verify 

that agreements to support and execute potential evacuations remain in place, given the

impacts of COVID-19? Are any updates or revisions necessary?

 Have you reviewed (and updated) host jurisdiction agreements or established new 

agreements?

 Do your mutual aid partners have adequate personnel to support your evacuation plan? Do 

you have enough personnel to support their plans or those of other impacted jurisdictions? 

 Have you coordinated with private sector and community partners to identify the necessary 

resources to support evacuation operations?

 Have you coordinated with mutual aid partners regarding receipt or movement of potential 

evacuees with COVID-19 symptoms? As a result, are additional planning courses of action 

required?

 Do the constraints and impacts of COVID-19 within your, and neighboring, jurisdictions 

warrant expanding mutual agreements with new partners? 

 Have you, your partner jurisdictions and community organizations exercised evacuation 

plans and MOUs/MOAs in a COVID-19 environment?

3.3. Critical Transportation Needs

Communities have populations that rely on mass transportation or sources for transportation other 

than their own personal vehicles. These can include daily commuters, some of whom may be 

individuals with disabilities or others with access and functional needs who require accessible 

transportation assistance to evacuate. 

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Do you have the resources necessary to re-establish accessible critical mass transportation 

hubs (e.g., airports, train stations, local mass transit stations) consistent with public health 

guidance and social distancing considerations?
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 Do you have a mechanism to increase public transportation capabilities, if necessary, to 

offset the increased time to evacuate a community to screen individuals for COVID-19 (e.g., 

temperature screening, social distancing considerations)?

 Have you identified additional accessible transportation facilities and vehicles that would 

allow timely mass transit while accommodating social distancing practices?

 Do you have additional PPE resources to support Critical Transportation Needs evacuees?

 Do established procedures address the safety of staff and align with public health guidance?

 Do your plans to conduct re-entry critical transportation services take COVID-19 conditions of 

the jurisdiction into account? 

 Do your facilities and jurisdictions have adequate transportation agreements to 

accommodate medical evacuations within required timelines?

 Are patient tracking mechanisms in place to account for separations resulting from COVID-19 

operations and evacuations? 

3.4. Utilizing Transportation Models

During an evacuation, jurisdictions may utilize one of two transportation models: 

 The Point-to-Point model involves evacuees utilizing their personal vehicles, mass transit or some 

other type of independently sourced transportation to go directly to an evacuation center or 

shelter.

 A Hub and Spoke model involves evacuees moving to an assembly point where they are provided 

transportation or directed to an evacuation center or shelter. 

Key COVID-19 Questions

 Point-to-point evacuation relies heavily on individual vehicle transportation. If necessary, do 

you have the capabilities to screen for COVID-19 on highways/roadways during an 

evacuation? 

 Have you accounted for additional time needed for potential checkpoints during an 

evacuation?

 Do you have the ability to screen passengers upon arrival to assembly areas or evacuation 

centers for COVID-19 symptoms during a hub and spoke evacuation?

 Have you established additional procedures to deal with individuals who are exhibiting 

COVID-19-related symptoms?