The New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) joined local, state and federal public safety officials to host the first full-scale exercise of the City Assisted Evacuation system at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center last week.
Hundreds of volunteers “role played” as evacuees and helped representatives from various agencies practice the steps required to 
safely evacuate residents in the event of a city-wide emergency. City-Assisted Evacuation provides transportation from 17 Evacuspots to the Union Passenger Terminal (1001 Loyola Ave.) where individuals then board a bus to a State or Federal shelter out of harm’s way.
In 2015, the City received a $500,000 grant from the U.S. DOT Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to support a full-scale simulation exercise of the City-Assisted Evacuation plan, with special emphasis on vulnerable/special needs populations.
