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Developing An Overseas Evacuation Plan

Many companies doing business overseas face the prospects of having to close down operations and evacuate personnel if the situation in a particular country becomes dangerous. We discuss below evacuation procedures needed to ensure that an organization’s employees and their families are safely evacuated from a foreign country.

By Anthony J. Scotti

Companies that have personnel working or traveling overseas may be faced someday with the unpleasant task of evacuating their employees and others from a hostile environment. The relative stability and safety of many countries — even those thought to be safe — can change with little warning.

Deciding To Leave

A major issue for any corporation with overseas activity is deciding when and if to evacuate a foreign country or city. One thing that can help is to know that every US embassy has a Regional Security Office (RSO). These offices can provide advance warning to impending trouble and can provide assistance to organizations in developing an evacuation plan. At least one person in the organization should be responsible for maintaining contact with the appropriate RSO. The State Department also offers a series of warnings and announcements that are designed to alert expatriates to potential dangers to personal safety. These alerts come in the form of travel warnings, public announcements and the publication of consular information sheets.

Travel warnings are issued when the State Department decides, based on all relevant information, to recommend that Americans avoid travel to a certain country. If the State Department suggests that citizens do not travel to a particular country, it should be assumed that there are serious problems in that country that warrant close observation by those living in the country.

Public announcements disseminate information about terrorist threats and other relatively short-term and/or transnational conditions posing significant risks to the security of American travelers. They are issued any time there is a perceived threat, especially to Americans as a target group.

Consular information sheets, which are available for every country of the world, include information such as the location of the US Embassy or Consulate in the subject country, unusual immigration practices, health conditions, political disturbances, unusual currency and entry regulations, crime and security information, and drug-law-violation penalties. If an unstable condition exists in a country that is not severe enough to warrant a travel warning, a description of the condition(s) may be included under an optional section entitled “Areas of Instability.”

There are also many private data services that monitor and report on country stability. These services can include daily e-mail or fax advisories.

Developing An Evacuation Plan

Because evacuating personnel from a country can be a frantic, highly charged, costly and sometimes dangerous experience, companies operating overseas should have an established evacuation plan in place before a situation deteriorates. Waiting until after a situation has gone from bad to worse is an invitation for disaster and needlessly puts the safety of employees and their families in jeopardy. The plan should identify the following steps, including what is to be accomplished during each phase of the evacuation:

(1) Alert. During this phase, personnel should be advised of the possibility of the need for an evacuation within a defined period of time. Personnel should be instructed to assume a readiness position by beginning advance preparations for a possible relocation and await further instructions. The evacuation plan should create a clear line of communication with the various chains of command identified.

(2) Readiness. During this phase, personnel should be prepared to evacuate when instructed to do so. All preparations, including the packing of possessions, should be complete and any needed personal affairs should be in order. Readiness is the final stage before an evacuation is commenced.

(3) Movement. During this phase, personnel and other dependents will be moved from their normal locations to predetermined staging areas, and then to sea, air or land exits, as instructed. Staging areas should be carefully selected to provide the optimum safety and logistics and each employee should receive clear instructions on how to reach the staging area. Arrangements for reception and care as well as transportation of employees should be defined in the evacuation plan. In high- or moderate-risk locations, practice drills may be warranted to achieve peak readiness.

(4) Transit. The primary purpose of the transit phase is to remove personnel from the danger area as quickly as possible. The evacuation plan should address the making of arrangements for transportation and the care, shelter, and reception of evacuees at designated locations outside the evacuated area.

(5) Resettlement. In most instances, once personnel are evacuated they are sent back or repatriated to their country of origin. In some instances, employees may simply be moved to another, safer area where business may be continued. Arrangements for housing the relocated personnel and their integration into the business organization elsewhere, as well as compensation and other adjustments, should be considered when drafting this phase of the evacuation plan.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anthony Scotti is a security specialist with over 20 years of experience. He is author of numerous books, including Executive Safety & InterNational Terrorism: A Guide for Travelers. Mr. Scotti teaches personal security courses for businesspersons traveling overseas. He can be reached at 800-343-0046.

riskVue | The webzine for risk management professionals
October 2001