With conceptual approval from TRB staff, the idea for an Emergency Evacuation Committee was initially “marketed” nationwide throughout 2000 at various conferences and meetings, including the Annual Meeting of TRB, the National Hurricane Conference, the National Radiological Emergency Preparedness Conference, and to members of other allied professional organizations, such as the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Formal approval to create the Emergency Evacuation Subcommittee was granted by the Transportation Safety Management Committee and its chair (Leanna Depue) at the January 2001 Annual Meeting of TRB.