The government has approved an evacuation plan. When war breaks out, they will be the first to leave.

• Local government officials in the affected area must take action to prepare for evacuation. Their responsibilities include designating major roads and railway lines, as well as the locations of assembly points.
• Similar actions are undertaken by district heads and voivodes. In times of war, they designate main roads and railway lines for evacuation. They also indicate measures to secure the evacuation and protect property.
• During evacuation, priority will be given to children, women, and people with special needs. Evacuees should have the necessary supplies to survive during the journey and stay in the temporary shelter.

The Council of Ministers' regulation on detailed procedures for evacuating people and securing property has already entered into force . It provides, among other things, for expanding the responsibilities of local governments.

The preparation of a detailed method of implementing activities in the field of evacuation of people and securing property results from the Act of 5 December 2024 on population protection and civil defense.

The regulation specifies the detailed procedure for evacuating people and securing property in the event of an evacuation order for people living in a specified area, in particular from regions threatened by dangers resulting from military operations or natural disasters.

The evacuation of people is carried out in a way that takes into account eight factors :

• verification of the population evacuation plan depending on the type of threat and the adopted evacuation directions;
• alerting the staff and evacuation team responsible for organizing and conducting the evacuation;
• informing the population about the ordered evacuation, concentration points and types of means of transport and directions of movement;
• managing the evacuation of people, taking into account the tasks of teams supporting the processes of planning, organizing, coordinating and supervising its course;
• self-evacuation of the population;
• conducting a census of the population, cultural assets and property evacuated by prepared means of transport;
• reception and registration of evacuated people in designated places of temporary stay;
• ensuring a safe return to places of residence.

Referring to the security of property, the regulation assumes actions including:

• securing particularly important immovable objects, including monuments designated in the plans for the protection of cultural property in time of war;
• preparation for the relocation of animals and other most valuable property and previously designated movable cultural goods;
• securing cultural goods against damage during transport, documenting their condition if necessary;
• keeping records, loading, transporting to designated places, unloading and depositing for safe storage.

The regulation also imposes new tasks on local government units - commune heads (mayors, city presidents), starosts and voivodes.

According to the new regulations, the head of the commune (mayor, city president) in the threatened area must immediately take action to prepare for evacuation.

Its tasks include, among others , determining the first evacuation areas, estimating the number of people to be evacuated , especially those requiring transport, designating the main roads and railway lines for evacuation, and locating assembly points and marking them.

In addition, it must designate civil defense resources, means of transport, and develop a way to secure the most valuable property and cultural assets.

He or she is also responsible for effectively notifying the public, disseminating warning messages, and identifying support needs from higher-level authorities. All of these activities are aimed at ensuring efficient and effective evacuation in the event of an emergency.

Similar actions must be taken by district heads and voivodes at higher levels of local government. The voivode collaborates with the director of the Government Security Centre to determine evacuation directions and, in times of war, in consultation with the Armed Forces, designates the main roads and railway lines for evacuation.

It indicates the means to secure evacuation and protect property, the persons responsible for coordinating activities, the methods of notifying the population and prepares warning messages.

The Head of Civil Defence, who is the Minister of the Interior and Administration, before ordering an evacuation in a given area, implements processes related to preparation for it, including determining the areas within the country designated as priority for receiving the evacuated population and instructing the voivodes to prepare these places; in consultation with the Director of the Government Security Centre , he designates communication routes to be used during the evacuation and determines the method of effectively notifying the population of the threat , as well as preparing the content of information to be made public and announcements for the purpose of alerting the population at risk.

In addition , it identifies needs and determines the scope of support required by other ministers and within the framework of international assistance or the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The civil defense authority in the voivodeship designated to accommodate the evacuated population determines the number of currently available accommodations with social and living facilities, along with their location and capacity, as well as available beds in care facilities and hospitals. It also determines the availability of means of transport that can be used during the evacuation process and the possible roads and railway lines planned for use during the evacuation.

The regulation draws attention to disinformation - when organizing the evacuation of people, the appropriate body carries out activities to counteract disinformation and the creation of panic, as well as to limit the uncontrolled movement of people, in particular in directions where the threat occurred.

It was also indicated that during the evacuation of the population, the authorities should try to ensure, among other things, shared transport for families, especially mothers with children, people with special needs and their caregivers, as well as elderly people requiring care.

Priority should also be given to the evacuation of children, pregnant women, people in care facilities, hospitals and other health facilities, as well as people with disabilities or limited mobility.

Another issue is evacuation supplies. Evacuees should be provided with the necessary supplies for survival during the journey and stay at the temporary shelter, such as food, medicine, clothing, water, hygiene products, and sanitary facilities.

The regulations also impose restrictions on the possessions taken by evacuees. During an evacuation, possessions taken must be limited to those necessary for survival for 72 hours.