The purpose of an evacuation centre is to temporarily house evacuees who do not have other accommodation following withdrawal from an area of risk. Evacuation centres:
- are established outside the area at risk
- must meet the immediate needs of a population impacted by disaster
- should be safe and secure places of shelter providing basic needs until evacuees can return to their place of residence.
Facilities are considered as potential evacuation centres if they meet minimum requirements in terms of the provision of food, water, sanitation, personal space, accessibility and, if possible, sleeping facilities.
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A full list of requirements for evacuation centres can be found in the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience
Evacuation planning handbook.