Definition
Shelter in-place consists of remaining in a location, usually a structure, that provides greater protection against an environmental hazard than being outdoors. Shelter in-place is appropriate for situations when the shelter location provides adequate protection against hazard exposure but also might be chosen when insufficient time for evacuation would lead to being exposed to the hazard in a vehicle that provides even less protection than the shelter location.
Introduction
The essential distinction between shelter in-place and evacuation is that the former generally provides protection by shielding from a hazard, whereas the latter provides protection by distance from the hazard. There is a variation on shelter in-place, shelter in-refuge, that can be used when there are nearby locations that are safer than the locations where people find themselves when they recognize the need to take protective action. For example, a coastal community at the tip of a peninsula might have...
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Further Reading
Cova, T. J., Dennison, P. E., Li, D., Drews, F. A., Siebeneck, L. K., & Lindell, M. K. (2017). Warning triggers in environmental hazards: Who should be warned to do what and when? Risk Analysis, 37(4), 601–611.
IBHS – Institute for Business and Home Safety. (2007). Builder’s guide. Tampa: Author. Accessed 1 Nov 2018. http://disastersafety.org/fortified/safer-living/
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants CMMI-1760766 and CMMI-1826455. None of the conclusions expressed here necessarily reflects views other than those of the author.
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Lindell, M.K. (2019). Emergency Management: Shelter In-Place. In: Shapiro, L., Maras, MH. (eds) Encyclopedia of Security and Emergency Management. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_267-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69891-5_267-1
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