Emergency safe havens

This paper describes how to find or create protective shelter in disaster zones. Federal Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) teams pre-stage directly in the path of on-coming hurricanes and floods, and these forward-positioned teams must seek out buildings and rooms that can survive these events. Safe havens are also needed for those civilians who can’t be evacuated, including the disabled and critically ill. Safe havens are also important in the aftermath of a disaster. Critical work continues for days or weeks at disaster zones, at places where buildings and infrastructure are severely damaged, and where hazards persist. Protected spaces are needed for ongoing humanitarian and medical care for survivors. Rescuers, law enforcement, and medical personnel also need safe interior spaces to eat and rehab. US&R teams and other first responders also seek out safe havens inside the “red zone”, the areas of intense damage and hazards where first responders must operate during rescue, fire-fighting, or HazMat mitigation. The authors describe how safe havens can be rapidly identified or created in disaster zones. This aspect of protective structures is of growing importance as the world population becomes more vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters.