To evacuate or not to evacuate

[blue]

I live in Houston, Tx. if you guys have seen it in the news, hurrican rita (as of now a cat 5 hurricane) is forecasted to hit land friday afternoon. there are some people completely whacked and running for the hills, and some people that think its nothing to lose sleep over. obviously due to the wake of katrina, many people are on edge. politicians dont want to drop the ball again and not be prepared, but then again many people feel that they are jumping the gun here.

 

what are your thoughts? should people, even inland, evacuate or ride the storm out. (galveston has already been issued a mandatory evacuation)

[RXS]

To me, it all boils down to how much risk you are willing to tolerate based on your geographic location and conditions. If you have a low risk tolerance, pack your bag and get the heck out of Dodge. Keep in mind that typically, the further inland you are, the less impact a tropical storm has (i.e. tidal surge is greatly dimminished, wind velocity slows as the storm loses strength.)

 

If a mandatory evacuation is issued for your area, no question - time to leave.

[[FF5]Knix]

Blue I was actually just thinking that i knew someone in Houston....you.

 

Dude, this sucker is a Level 5 hurricane (as of 8pm EST) with winds up to 165mph. Now one thing I did read, is that it takes optimum conditions for a hurricane to reach level 5, let alone sustain it. There is a good chance that this hurricane will decrease and then increase again in strength.

 

If I were you guys, I would head inland or go to visit your family in Cali. This storm is now the 3rd most intense storm in record.

 

 

[Spacko]

If it's a mandatory evacuation, it's mandatory. And if it is then for heaven's sake there should be buses for those with no means of transport or their own (unlike New Orleans). If it's advisable, those who have safe rooms and basements should do their best to buckle down in their homes while everyone who has to leave, does. This way those who need to go won't get caught in traffic chaos.

 

How about you, blue? You staying or leaving?

[{GD}Independent]

And if it is then for heaven's sake there should be buses for those with no means of transport or their own (unlike New Orleans).

 

 

Funny, when Mary Landrieu wants to get poor black people somewhere and it's in her own interest, she has no trouble finding busses: http://commonsensewonder.com/mtarchives/008369.shtml

[blue]

some of my family is evacuating to bellville, some 60-70 miles west of houston. the hurricanes changing to more of a northern course, so the intensity of it should be less out there.

 

im going to be staying here. if the wind and flooding gets to be too much then ill be going to bellville, too.

ill be online until sometime tomorrow, then im gonna yank my hd's out and put them somewhere for safe keeping.

[Spacko]

Well I read a big article on this the other day and if I'm not mistaken, the absence of buses came to be because FEMA announced them on the way, when in fact they were halfway across the country. In any case that was one of the gravest fumbles committed in the Katrina disaster in my book. To even ask the question of evacuating or not evacuating, we have to suppose there will at the very least be transportation for those without cars and those who need other methods of transport (those in hospitals, old people, handicapped people and so on).

[blue]

yeah, they're trying hard not to re-commit the errors that happened with katrina. galveston was evacuated yesterday, hospitals, elderly, etc were all transported out of the area.

 

the highways here are so jam-packed with people trying to get out of town that they're now going to close down incoming lanes and convert them into out-going lanes.

 

[RXS]

Good luck Blue! We'll be hoping for the best. I think we'd all feel a little better about it if you were leaving too. You are welcome to stay in our guest room for a couple of days if you want to. Send me an IM if you need help getting out of there.

 

 

Well I read a big article on this the other day and if I'm not mistaken, the absence of buses came to be because FEMA announced them on the way, when in fact they were halfway across the country.

I believe what you read is inaccurate. There were 569 buses (mostly yellow school buses) that could have carried 33,350 people out of New Orleans in one trip that got ruined in the floods. There are pics all over the internet showing the fleet of buses in N.O. flooded with water. The use of these same buses was part of the the cities master plan in such a crisis. I think it is becoming evident that the real break down occured in the local government leadership.

 

 

 

One more thing...Blue - get yo azz ow da there! (Or were you waiting for the looting opportunities? ) They say that if you plan to stay, write you SS# on your body in indelible marker.Magic Marker

 

Here is a map for "How to get yo azz ow da there"

[{GD}Independent]

 

One more thing...Blue - get yo azz out da there! (Or were you waiting for the looting opportunities? )

 

Blue! Dood! I could really use a Plasma TV! I don't even really care how big it is -- whatever you can manage to carry would be just great! Thanks!

[[FF5]Knix]

Rita is down to a level 4 hurricane with 150mph winds. Goo produces stronger wind that that!

 

 

Seriously Blue best of luck.

 

 

[Jojo]

Hope things go well for you, Blue.

 

I have many relatives in the Houston, Dallas area.

[blue]

today was such a pain. waiting around most of the day just waiting for seniorita rita to come. some of my family left today but it took them 10 hours or so to get 65 miles. the evacuation process wasn't doing too well. txdot is gonna be in some deep dookie unless if the people on the highway get out of there before friday-saturday.

 

tomorrow ill probably be off line. i plan on taking out my hd's and storing them somewhere dry. if somehow the rest of my computer gets messed up i probably wont be nolfing for a while...not like i could even if i wanted to (st00pit sierra).

 

alright guys, its been real.

[Spacko]

Well, good luck to ya Blue. I'll be crossing my fingers!

[Nova™]

I hope you'll be fine, but in my opinion - evacuate, can't hurt.

 

As you might know...I live in Florida, last year we got 3 hurricanes, one of the three kind of hit us, my family had to put wood on the windows three times, evacuated once to Northern Florida.

[RXS]

So Blue...give us the gory details of how you defied Hurricane Rita!

[blue]

there was a lot of biting, kicking, and screaming....and little branches broken here and there.