How to Plan Evacuation Routes and Backup Meeting Points

An evacuation plan connects three decisions: how to leave your current location, where to go, and how household members will reconnect. Considering them together is more useful than saving a destination on a phone and assuming the journey will be straightforward.

The Complete Survival DIY Handbook recommends primary and backup routes, plus meeting points near home and outside the neighborhood. Make those arrangements specific to your household, and keep them flexible. A preplanned route never overrides a closure, a current hazard, or official evacuation directions.

Begin with leaving the building

Identify usable exits from home and other regular locations. Consider whether doors, gates, stairs, or access systems could be difficult for someone in the household. Ask the building manager about relevant procedures if you live in shared accommodation.

Keep exits accessible in everyday life. Discuss where household members will meet once outside and how to account for everyone. Immediate safety comes before collecting bags, documents, or possessions; nobody should go back into an unsafe building to complete a checklist.

Practice the route calmly with the people who may need assistance. Note obstacles that are easy to overlook when the usual helper is present. Arrange appropriate support for mobility or care needs rather than relying on an improvised carry during an emergency.

Map a primary route and an alternative

Look at routes away from the local hazards you have identified. Consider low-lying roads, bridges, narrow access points, and places where traffic could restrict movement. Use official local evacuation information when available.

Choose an alternative that offers a meaningful option. Two streets that join the same vulnerable bridge may provide little actual redundancy. Record a simple description and keep a suitable offline or paper map if it helps the people using the plan.

Review routes from work, school, and other common destinations as well as home. People may be starting from different places. Do not assume everyone should travel home first; the safer action may be to follow the procedures at their current location.

Choose meeting points people can reach

A nearby meeting point helps after an immediate building evacuation. An outside-neighborhood option helps when returning home is not possible. Select recognizable locations and discuss alternatives if those locations are unavailable.

Think about practical access: opening hours, toilets, weather protection, seating, and the needs of children, older adults, or animals. If a friend's home is the destination, obtain their agreement and check whether the arrangement still makes sense periodically.

A meeting point and an overnight destination may be different places. Write that distinction clearly. Avoid a plan that sends everyone to an exposed roadside location while assuming suitable accommodation will somehow become available afterward.

Arrange transport before it is urgent

List the actual transport options available to each person. If the plan relies on a car, consider who has the keys, whether the driver may be absent, and whether the vehicle can accommodate people, equipment, and animals safely.

If someone does not drive, ask a willing helper about a specific arrangement. Check local assistance options in advance where available. Do not treat a vague expectation that a neighbor will help as a confirmed transport plan.

Keep portable supplies realistic for the journey. Walkers, wheelchairs, carriers, and other essential equipment need space and appropriate handling. Test packing during a calm period without placing anyone's wellbeing at risk.

Add a communication and change plan

Share the routes, destinations, and outside contact with household members. Agree how to report a change of location when communication is available. Keep the key information accessible if a phone is unavailable or discharged.

During an actual event, obtain current local instructions. Do not drive or walk through floodwater or pass a closure because your saved route continues beyond it. If conditions change, communicate the revised destination when safe rather than trying to preserve the original plan at all costs.

Route review checklist

• Identify accessible building exits and a nearby meeting place.
• Map a primary route and a genuinely useful alternative.
• Agree on an outside-neighborhood destination.
• Confirm transport and backup assistance.
• Include animals, care equipment, and practical access needs.
• Recheck routes after construction, household changes, or new local guidance.

You are preparing options, not prescribing an unchangeable journey. A useful route plan gives your household a shared starting point while leaving room to follow safer directions when the real situation becomes clear.

Source basis: Original ST-KC-215 draft; The Complete Survival DIY Handbook, Chapter 2, Assessing Risk and Planning for Scenarios.