FLEE 2.0

Harris, A., Morss, R. E., Davis, C. A., Roebber, P., Boehnert, J. M. R.. (2025). FLEE 2.0. Weather, Climate, and Society, doi:https://doi.org/10.1175/wcas-d-24-0112.1

Title FLEE 2.0
Genre Article
Author(s) Austin Harris, Rebecca E. Morss, Christopher A. Davis, P. Roebber, Jennifer M R Boehnert
Abstract For this study, we present and evaluate an improved agent-based modeling framework, the Forecasting Laboratory for Exploring the Evacuation-system, version 2.0 (FLEE 2.0), designed to investigate relationships between hurricane forecast uncertainty and evacuation outcomes. Presented improvements include doubling its spatial resolution, using a quantitative approach to map real-world data onto the model's virtual world, and increasing the number of possible risk magnitudes for wind, surge, and rain risk. To assess model realism, we compare FLEE 2.0's simulated evacuations-specifically its evacuation orders, evacuation rates, and traffic-to available observational data collected during Hurricanes Irma, Dorian, and Ian. FLEE 2.0's evacuation response is encouraging, given that FLEE 2.0 responds reasonably and differently to all three different types of forecast scenarios. FLEE 2.0 well represents the spatial distribution of observed evacuation rates, and relative to a lower spatial resolution version of the model, FLEE 2.0 better captures sharp gradients in evacuation behaviors across the coastlines and metropolitan areas. Quantitatively evaluating FLEE 2.0's evacuation rates during Irma establishes model errors, uncertainties, and opportunities for improvement. In summary, this paper increases our confidence in FLEE 2.0, develops a framework for evaluating and improving these types of models, and sets the stage for additional analyses to quantify the impacts of forecast track, intensity, and other positional errors on evacuation.
Publication Title Weather, Climate, and Society
Publication Date Oct 1, 2025
Publisher's Version of Record https://doi.org/10.1175/wcas-d-24-0112.1
OpenSky Citable URL https://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7v129b6
OpenSky Listing View on OpenSky
RAL Affiliations NSAP

< Back