Emergency Escape Route Planner

Urban Emergency — New York City

Manhattan is an island with limited bridges and tunnels. When the order comes, leave early — bridges choke within hours.

3 routes

Urban Emergency — Los Angeles

LA is freeway-dependent. Gridlock is guaranteed — know which freeway leaves the danger zone before you start the car.

3 routes

Urban Emergency — Chicago

Chicago sits on Lake Michigan. For most threats, head inland (west/south). For lake-related threats, head away from the shore.

2 routes

Urban Emergency — Miami

Miami is low-lying and hurricane-prone. For storms, evacuate NORTH early. For tsunamis/coastal events, get inland fast.

2 routes

Urban Emergency — Houston / Texas Gulf

Houston floods fast. Avoid underpasses. For hurricanes, go NORTH — never ride it out on the Gulf coast.

2 routes

Yellowstone Supervolcano — Wyoming / Montana / Idaho

A full Yellowstone eruption would devastate a 500-mile radius with ash and pyroclastic flows. The only rule: drive AWAY from the caldera, upwind if possible.

3 routes

California Volcanoes — Lassen / Shasta / Long Valley

Northern California has active volcanic zones. The main threat is ashfall (downwind) and lahars (mudflows) in river valleys. Get OUT of valleys and to high ground.

3 routes

Hawaii Volcanoes — Kīlauea / Mauna Loa

Hawaii volcanoes produce lava flows (slow, you can walk away) and vog (volcanic gas). Lava flows follow terrain — get to higher ground or out of the flow path.

2 routes

Hoover Dam Failure — Colorado River / Lake Mead

If Hoover Dam fails, a 500+ foot wall of water surges down the Colorado River through the Black Canyon, past Laughlin/Bullhead City, through Lake Havasu, and into the Colorado River basin. Anyone along the river downstream has HOURS at most.

4 routes

Oroville Dam Failure — Feather River, California

Oroville Dam (tallest in the US) sits above the Feather River. A failure would send a massive surge through Oroville, Marysville, Yuba City, and into the Sacramento River — flooding the Central Valley.

2 routes

Grand Coulee Dam Failure — Columbia River, Washington

Grand Coulee is the largest concrete dam in the US. A failure would send a catastrophic surge down the Columbia River past Wenatchee, the Tri-Cities, and toward Portland/Vancouver.

2 routes