Before entering fully into the meaning of the term evacuation, we are going to proceed to discover its etymological origin. In this case we can state that it is a cultism that derives from the verb "evacuare", which can be translated as "empty" and that is the result of the sum of two very different lexical components:
-The prefix «ex-«, which is synonymous with «since».
-The adjective "vacuus", which means "unoccupied" or "empty."
The term evacuation refers to the act and result of evacuating : dislodging, clearing or emptying something; expel or extract secretions. The concept is usually used when an emergency forces people to leave a place.
A natural disaster , an accident , an act of war or a terrorist attack are actions that may make an evacuation necessary. With evacuation, people are intended to move away from a dangerous area, heading towards a safe place.
Evacuations can occur spontaneously or in an organized manner. Suppose a building suddenly starts to catch fire due to a short circuit. Faced with the smoke and fire , those who were there began to evacuate the building immediately to take shelter. There are, in this case, no authorities to organize the evacuation.
A government , on the other hand, can order the evacuation of a region in the face of the imminent arrival of a hurricane . This evacuation is mandatory: the rulers, warning of the risk that would be implied by staying in the place in the midst of very intense winds, tell the neighbors to stay away, impose a curfew to prohibit movement through the streets and announce that the services emergency will not work for safety reasons. To facilitate evacuation, evacuee centers are set up where families can settle until conditions are in place for them to return to their homes.
It is common for schools, public buildings, hospitals or buildings with similar characteristics to have evacuation plans that determine how to act in the event of a fire or other emergency. Specifically, these plans establish a series of keys and maxims to follow, such as these:
-The first and most important thing is to try to stay calm.
-Thereupon, it is necessary to suspend any activity that is being carried out.
-You must be clear about where the emergency exit is to indicate it to others and to be able to leave the building.
-It is essential to help disabled people, children and anyone who needs it.
-To avoid crowding, falls and damage, you must go outside through the emergency door in an orderly manner.
-Once outside the building, you must move away from it and, especially, from the area that is the focus of the emergency.
-It is important to avoid blocking access to the street and the building with the clear objective of allowing firefighters and other authorities to carry out their functions.
In the field of biology , finally, evacuation or defecation is the process carried out to expel excrement from the body.