Evaluating Road Utilization during Hurricane Evacuation: A Case Study of Hurricane Ian

When disasters such as hurricanes approach, residents rely on transportation infrastructure to evacuate. Evaluating road utilization is essential for emergency evacuation as it facilitates timely traffic congestion identification and alternative route selection. The objective of this research is to evaluate road utilization during Hurricane Ian in 2022 in Lee County. In this study, traffic data, population distribution data, and sociodemographic data were collected. The utilization level of government-declared evacuation roads was evaluated using volume to capacity ratio and the road density. It was found that interstate highways were highly congested during the evacuation period, while other highways and county roads remained underutilized, which highlights the unbalanced use of roads during hurricane evacuation. Practical wise, the road utilization levels can be used by emergency planners and local authorities to design efficient evacuation plans and improve existing transportation infrastructure networks to adapt to higher evacuation needs.