Citation

Zikeloglou I, Lekkas E, Lozios S, Stavropoulou M. Safety Sci. 2024; 172: e106434.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2024.106434

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Mitigating the consequences of forest fires requires a proactive and well-coordinated evacuation strategy, particularly in areas where human lives are at risk. The tragic Mati fire in Greece in 2018, which claimed 104 lives, highlighted the critical importance of efficient evacuation efforts. In response to this devastating event, authorities recognized the need for a robust evacuation strategy whenever forest fires threatened populated areas. This quantitative research focuses on the correlation between successful evacuations during the 2021-2022 forest fires in Greece and aims to assess readiness, performance, and areas for improvement in evacuation strategies. The findings reveal significant concerns, notably the lack of tailored evacuation plans for vulnerable communities in almost half of the surveyed municipalities. Despite claims of being "very well prepared" by civil protection representatives, the study uncovered a misalignment between perceived and actual preparedness levels. The research also identifies gaps in educational initiatives, with 64.1% of municipalities not providing evacuation training for residents in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas. Moreover, 82.1% of municipalities do not conduct evacuation exercises. A correlation was observed between municipalities offering resident training and the limited usage of public shelters during evacuation. The study emphasizes the necessity of alternative strategies, such as shelter-in-place, in situations where evacuation is impractical. Overall, the research underscores the need for improved coordination, education, and strategic planning to enhance the effectiveness of evacuation efforts during forest fires.

Language: en

Keywords

Early Evacuation; Forest fire; Shelter-in-place; WUI