OT: Dilemna for Evacuess (msp)

actually, I know that many, if not most or all, coastal regions of Florida have evacuation plans and routes set up. And I've seen them in Myrtle Beach, SC too. Just driving around the coastal areas you can see signs all over with "Evacuation Route" and directional arrows.

Yes, there are evacuation routes set up. Unfortunately, they are too few in number apparently. At some points in time, the traffic back up extended from the Louisiana/Mississippi border into Texas. Baton Rouge hotels filled up within a few hours on Monday and then went west from there. My husband, who works at two hotels in this area, was told to sent people to Arkansas (some 5 hours away), because everything in Louisiana was full. I did find out later that we did have several evacuation centers set up by the Red Cross and some local churches and private schools, but this information was not given until Tuesday night after most of these people had already driven through Baton Rouge.

I'm fortunate in that, if a hurricane does head in our direction, we are typically too far inland to get the full hurricane force. If worse comes to worse, I just evacaute to my mom's house a little further north of me and I can drive down country back roads that are not heavily populated.

Selena

Siptah wrote:

I've written and helped write company evacuation plans (Progress Energy's Evac plan for their IT department, and Arthur Anderson in Sarasota) and as part of the research I read about 50 evacuation plans from around the country.

The plans are extensive, they have shelters identified and set up and have evacuation routes set up. Most counties in FL and the myflorida.com sites provide plans for families to use with everything they need to remember and do. Websites like the one for Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Clearwater) even have a place where you can go and type in your address to see what flood zone you are in. Florida in particular lifts all its tolls and has very severe no gouging laws with a toll free number for people to report gougers. They make it a practice to expose gougers on TV, which is a great deterent. Frankly I think they do and have done an outstanding job all things considered. One must, I think, keep the last couple of months in perspective and especially what happened with Ivan. I have no doubt that Ivan caused more people to evacuate from more places than any hurricane in history. One must remember that people evacuated literally from all over Florida, from the Keys to the Panhandle and from both east and west coasts. Then people in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana started to also evacuate. Add to that the people that still hadn't gone home from Frances because their cities still didn't have electricity and well, and one can see why this evacuation became the nightmare that it was and is and will be as people return home. I think that we should look at what was accomplished. Compared to similar past events, few people were killed becuase they evacuated as told by their government officials. People were told to keep going west or north when the hotels were booked. Many of us have donated to the Red Cross to help with the refugies and some have taken people into our homes.

Frankly there are limits to what the government can do with the resources that they have. Perhaps it is time that we also help ourselves more. For example, churches could have exchange plans with other churches and could identify their own facilities and their families to set up lists of available beds. When the location of one church was told to evacuate, the pastors could call each other and set the plan in motion. Unions, quilting groups, scrapbooking clubs, Red Hat Societies, etc could do the same by getting paired with a club in another area. They could then welcome the people from their exchange group at little or no cost to those evacuating and could also, raise money, have clothes drives etc to help their counterparts in times of need. In this way, they would develop a relationship prior to opening their homes to total strangers and would be doing great good. This may be just wishful thinking on my part, a network of people directly helping other people, but then again why not?

M-C getting off her soap box...

"Selena" wrote in message news:%eX2d.23$0j.4@lakeread07...

applauding.......

Clearwater)

You're right M-C in that I believe that, because of the uncertainty of where this hurricane was going, it forced many more people to evacuate that under normal circumstances. Of course, the problems that were faced around here may be a Louisiana problem more than anything. Our bureaucrats are excellent at waiting until after an emergency to see a need to review potential problems. I just felt sorry for the poor people that had to sit in that stuff for hours on end.

I do like what you said about churches and organizations communicating with each other about help that they can provide. Also, they should begin announcing those things on the TV and radio early so that the evacuees do not have to wonder where shelter may be. Like I said, I had the radio on in my class and did not hear about the shelters open around here until after 9:00 PM, and many still had plenty openings. This would have saved a lot of families driving time and aggravation for sure.

Selena

M-C wrote:

That and if we teach ourselves some personal responsibility, then everyone would already have emergency plans taken care of. Our family has three... in case something happens here we have three places to go and plans on how to contact each other incase the communications grids go out. After 911 we planned everything including we both have footlockers of stuff to take along with us (survival gear). We have ham radios (we got our licenses) and shortwave radios and even said "these following frequencies we will meet on" in case there is no phone or electric. We bought hand powered generators that also run on diesel or gasoline (about the size of a suitcase). We got these during the y2k scare stuff. After y2k was over we found hand crank flashlights were cheap and so was emergency blanket (very small, packable and you can make insulated shelter out of them too). We know where we are going and even places to get a horse around here if the roads are blocked. We have talked all this out and formed plans and bought ammo and food. If there is a nuclear war in the US and everyone panics... I'll survive. Will your family? I encourage everyone to look at the depth of thier family plan. Does everyone in the family know how to start a fire in the woods with nothign with them? Do they know how to tell direction or read a topographical map (you can buy a good one through your USGS office). Do you have hiking packs for everyone? (can get them used on ebay and each person should be able to carry 1/2 of their body weight in gear... and animals can carry about the same and eat what you eat so pack food and water on your dogs). Do you have a good set of hiking boots, winter and summer gear, rations, and a communication plan ready? Do you own a gun? I know alot of people are anti gun but when the time comes and people panic and they are trying to get to my food stores or are looting, can you stop them and protect your family if they are armed? It only takes ONE major catastrophie in an area for this to happen.

I pray you all wisely and thoughtfully think about this and prepare. And as for the scrapbooks... they weigh too much to take along in most cases... I'm sorry.... but scan them all in the largest format you can... and burn them to CD... those you can carry with you.. do the same for your pictures... (don't get the kodak cd's ... too much wasted space... scan your own pics and put them on cd at full resolution)... one medium CD wallet is able to be taken along... while your at it, photocopy and laminate all your important documents and scan them too... and remember credit cards could be worthless in situations like this. Store CASH in a waterproof container... enough to make a difference... we had to use our emergency cash here but we are going to build it back up... at least 100 per person per day and save enough for a week if you can. When you need ice or water during a national emergency and the computers are down they aren't going to accept visa..... "Selena" wrote in message news:KU_2d.25$0j.6@lakeread07...

accomplished.

I must agree with you M-C. Something else to consider is that the state governments can't just open up any public building. They must be deemed "safe enough" to withstand certain wind speeds. Many of these are newer that ahve been built to the new building codes after devestating hurricanes. Kenda steppign down off M-C's soapbox. (thanx for the use)

MC, I totally agree with you. Yes beauracy (msp) has tied up a lot of the needs and many private organizations ought to step up to help RIGHT ALONG SIDE the government. Not wait until after they see there is a problem. That is what I saw.

Yes Siptah, ALL OVER the south there is evacuaution signs, BUIT they are only on main routes. If there is to be such a massive move, WHY can't secondary routes also be designated and signed, like they have in Penn. I saw those signs too.

A BIG part of the trouble I saw and even frustrated me was, that the people are more concerned on their pleasure than knowing or NEEDING to know what is going on. What I mean, I had to literally search in the Baton Rouge area for a radio station that had even any updated weather forcast. The stations noted on evac signs had sparse info, their format still was geared, during that time of public need, to entertaining the people and heavens knows get their 5 minutes in a row (OK a bit exagerrated) commercials in because they might lose some ad money. I even approached a sheriff sitting in a WalMart and asked him a couple of questions and he said or acted if he did not know. I really found that hard to believe.

What I was trying to say, there are many states, California is a very good example, that when a potential need presents itself, ALL parties that may need to help are on the SAME SHEET of music at the same time. Much like the Amber notification system for missing kids in many states now. Everyone knows where to go thanks to public and PRIVATE communications.These notices are also given to the people beforehand too and available like a welcome packet. WHY can't other states be like that? MONEY, plain and simple. Money that some politician may lose going into his pocket.

Finally as far as some public buildings not being available or appropriate, I know that too well from here too when we have severe storms brewing. Even after a tornado or other devastion occurs those buildings that are SUPPOSED to be open are not. They are busted out on the news and some city official always has some lame excuse, "he was not notified". BULL!

Ok , sorry for the ramblings but it is sad but true to a large extent also from what Ronni says. WE ARE or NEED TO BE responsible for our own selves FIRST. If you are threatened or in danger, YOU shoud make the ultimate decision.

(falling out of my seat now) 167 for 04

OKC Dave

catastrophie

Extremely well said, my friend. Thank you for your input.... hugs Neets>

Frankly there are limits to what the government can do with the resources

Hugs, Neets, Memere Neets, Anita Connecticut, USA

my email is antispammed (you have to remove a part)... I just read alot about survival and have learned alot from reading books and such... I've read a few survival sites and there is alot of information online.... not to mention I grew up military and came from a survival mode type upbringing.