Shelter & Evacuation

Guidance: Evacuation and Shelter Recommendations

Agency
Evacuation
Shelter
Comments

ASTM E2601-15: Standard Practice for Radiological Emergency Response

N/A

N/A

No specific guidance on evacuation versus shelter in place given. Document only mentions that both should be considered when taking action.

IAEA Manual for First Responders to a Radiological Emergency

Evacuate public from inner cordoned area.

Assume that people from the area are contaminated.

See comment

For those members of the public who are within the inner cordoned area when first responders arrive:

(1) Promptly evacuate as possible. Before evacuation takes place instruct the public to take best available shelter (e.g. go to indoor hall, stay away from windows).

IAEA (2003) Method for Developing Arrangements for Response to a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency

Intervention level at 50 mSv: Evacuation

Intervention level at 10 mSv: Shelter

These levels are of avertable dose, i.e. the action should be taken if the dose that can be averted by the action, taking into account the loss of effectiveness due to any delays or for other practical reasons, is greater than the figure given.
Sheltering is not recommended for longer than two days.
Evacuation is not recommended for a period of longer than one week.

Authorities may wish to recommend sheltering at lower intervention levels for shorter periods or so as to facilitate further protective actions, e.g. evacuation.

CRCPD RDD Handbook (2006)

In the absence of any other information, evacuate to 1650 ft (500 m) from the detonation site in all directions.

Shelter if in immediate area.

Keep as great a distance as possible from these radiation sources/areas. The public in the immediate areas should seek shelter indoors rather than stay outside.

NCRP 138: Management of Terrorist Events Involving Radioactive Material

See comment

See comment

Table 8.2a provides “Countermeasures available for each route of exposure listed in Table 8.1”.

Table 8.2b provides corresponding “Countermeasures available for each phase of an event” that provides time phased actions that include evacuation and sheltering.

NCRP Commentary No. 19: Key Elements of Preparing Emergency

None

None

None

NCRP 165: Responding to a Radiological or Nuclear Terrorism Incident: A Guide for Decision Makers (2010)

See comment

See comment

NCRP recommends that the initial public protective action for both radionuclide dispersion incidents and nuclear detonations be early, adequate sheltering followed by delayed, informed evacuation. Until the level and extent of contamination can be determined, efforts should be made to avoid being outdoors in potentially-contaminated areas.

Recommendation: After the blast wave has passed, the most critical lifesaving action for emergency responders and members of the general public is to seek adequate shelter [with a protection factor (PF) of 10 or more] for at least the first hour, and then use radiation measuring instruments (if available), public messages, and shelter PFs to determine when to evacuate.

FEMA 358, 05/10
Radioactive Materials
Transportation And Incident Response (the Q&A booklet)

Evacuate personnel who were in the immediate downwind area.

None

None

FRMAC Assessment Manual / EPA

EPA Evacuation/Sheltering PAG is in the range of 1 to 5 rem (1000 to 5000 mrem) TEDE for the Early Phase

EPA Evacuation/Sheltering PAG is idn the range of 1 to 5 rem (1000 to 5000 mrem) TEDE for the Early Phase