Imagine this nightmare for small towns along the Gulf Coast like Bay St. Louis and Waveland.
Soon after hurricane season begins on Thursday, a gathering storm takes aim at the area, reaching tropical storm or even hurricane force just a few days from landfall. The evacuation order is given by local authorities. And that's when the trouble starts.
There are perhaps 1,000 volunteers scattered throughout the area, living in quarters so temporary they barely withstand strong gusting winds. They have to leave; but many have flown in with church groups and don't have their own cars. There's a scramble to fit all of them into the available vans. As volunteer coordinators try to make sure they have accurate rosters of who is in the area and who has left, the winds begin to pick up.
Those winds will pack even more of a wallop than last year's storms. Since many trees in the area are still barren, a natural wind break is gone. Many of the various Gulf Coast sea walls also have been damaged or destroyed, putting this already fragile area at even even greater risk.
Meanwhile, about half the residents in the area live in 8,000 trailers provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Those are fragile and won't withstand a strong storm either. They're also hard to pull around as trailers, and FEMA says it's illegal to move them. But many Gulf Coast residents lost everything last year, and they're not anxious for that to happen again. So many hitch their trailers up to pickup trucks and hit the road. Unfortunately, many have never pulled a trailer before -- particularly in a harsh wind -- so there are the inevitable accidents. Roads, already swelling with evacuation traffic, are a mess. Tempers flare, and gasoline supplies run thin. The sky grows dark.
And things are worse that last year, when there were three main evacuation routes out of Bay St. Louis and Waveland. The bridge to the east, across St. Louis Bay, is washed out, so now, there are only two routes out of town. And both of those are jam-packed. The rain starts to fall.
No way outWorst of all, some residents simply have no way to leave town. Katrina also swept away nearly half the cars in the area, and while some residents have since purchased new wheels, many haven't. In Bay St. Louis alone, Mayor Eddie Favre estimates that 700 residents currently have no way to drive out. Favre and other town leaders, Hanock County offficials, Mississippi emergency workers are all working on bus arrangements for these residents. But as of late May, no bus stops had been designated and no bus routes printed. Favre remains hopeful that school buses would be used to find and scurry residents out of his town and to safe shelter somewhere else in Mississippi, but no one has yet told him where they can go.
The storm arrives; officials and family members wonder who might have been left behind.
This is the nightmare scenario Mississippi officials are losing sleep over as this year's hurricane season arrives. There are plans floating up and down Mississippi's local, county and state offices, but none has yet been accepted. The biggest hurdle -- different parts of the plan are owned by different bureaucracies, leading to many dead ends. Favre can spirit people out of his town on buses, but once they leave, where do they go? Favre's influence ends at city limits. After that, he's forced to rely on the generosity of other communities, state parks and the like.
As a result, when asking about evacuation plans, the most common answer is: "We need to get that from the county. ... We need to get that from the state..." and so on.
Of course, the worst-case scenario isn't inevitable. And much planning has been done. In Bay St. Louis, Fire Chief Bobby Gavagnie said the town is on the verge of printing a detailed pamphlet that will be delivered to every resident -- by hand. City workers will deliver the brochure and make notes of special needs, particularly those residents who need a ride out of town, he said.
Hancock County emergency director Brian Adams is at the center of these evacuation plans. During a frank interview, he expressed lingering concerns about where residents will go during an evacuation and how they will get there. There have been repeated radio advertisements giving residents instructions, and volunteers are right now going door to door all around the area asking the critical question: "Do you still need a ride?"
Ads warn against taking trailersThe ads also implore people to leave their FEMA trailers behind, Adams said.
But the county's already scant resources are stretched even thinner now. And the reality is, Hancock County only has 250 beds in its emergency shelter. If there's another storm, residents will have to find refuge elsewhere. So the plan, he said, is really for residents to have their own plan.
"You should make plans for what you are going to do," he said, directly addressing his constituents.
The biggest difference in planning everyone here talks about is more lead time for evacuations. Favre and other community leaders said they plan to call for evacuations 72 hours before a hurricane’s landfall – and in some cases, perhaps even sooner than that – bumping up the evacuation schedule by a full day. That should ease road congrestion, said Tommy Longo, mayor of nearby Waveland. He said the National Weather Service was working with the town to offer earlier warnings this year.
But will that be enough? Last year, Waveland lost virtually all of its critical city vehicles in the storm – including police cars and fire trucks. Longo feels confident his city is better prepared this year. City equipment, which only moved 12 miles away before Hurricane Katrina, will now be driven far into the next county, he said, and placed in a safe government lot that’s 1,100 feet above sea level.
But what about the 3,000 Waveland residents who have made their way back into the town? Longo hopes nearly all of them will be able to get themselves out of town. Those who can’t have been asked to register with the city, and during a storm will be asked to meet at a staging area – probably a city school, Longo said. Having given a series of radio interviews, Longo is hopeful residents without cars have heard his appeal and will take the time register. But so far, only 6 people have signed up, he said.
'Please sign up'“We are asking people to please sign up, even if there’s just the remote possibility that you need help, so we know how many buses we need,” he said.
Still, around this community, there are repeated rumblings that local officials haven't done enough to prepare for the impending hurricane season. Why, in late May, are they still scrambling to throw together a brochure?
Favre admits he wishes his town was better prepared, but offers a reasonable excuse.
"We're still simply trying dig out of the hole we're in," he said, sitting in his makeshift office on the second floor of the town's train station. Last year, his city had 40 public works employees; now it has 13.
"There are question marks there because we are breaking new ground," he added. "(Before last year) we never envisioned needing bus transportation or staging areas for evacuations. We never contemplated that before, and it takes quite a bit of time. "
Which leads to the simplest of evacuation strategies that nearly every public official offered in off-the-record comments to our questions.
"If a storm is storm is coming," one said. "Get the hell out.”
'We're coming back'
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Anumber of years ago while living in Pensacola florida we were ordered to evacuate, it tool us 6 hours to go 100 miles, when we arrived in northeast alabama 345 miles north the hurricane followed and knocked out power, while everything remained nor mal in Pensacola, many of neighbors could nto get out due to the roads being clogged. I now have a generator, mre bateries shutters for all windows, etc we are not going anywhere we live inaa brick home with 13 mies between us and the gulf, the south side of the house is solid brick no windows. Worst thing you can tell people is to evacuate
ray cwikowski (Sent May 28, 2006 8:08:52 PM)
Ray,
New Orleans is filled with people that followed that mentality. Get the HELL OUT of the Way. Mother Nature Does not give a SHIT about you and won't think twice about taking you out.
Bill Searls (Sent May 28, 2006 8:52:12 PM)
I have lived in Biloxi since 1984, within 1/2 mile of the gulf. During Ivan, I evacuated to Lake Charles, LA. It took over 12 hours to do what would normally be a 3 hour drive. Halfway there, all the gas stations were empty. When I got back home, nothing had happened. So, I didn't think anything of Katrina. Luckily, my friends and family talked me into evacuating with them. My house was lucky. The gulf only reached my front door, the oak trees crushed my neighbors' homes instead of mine. 100 feet south of my home, nothing survived without major damage. 500 feet south of my home, nothing was intact, and in some cases, 4 storey BRICK aparment buildings were swept from their slabs, minivans were pushed through brick walls. Brick is nothing. 300 miles north of my home, there were tornados and a total loss of communications and power. The interstate, 4 miles north of the gulf, was covered with a log-jam of debris washed up by the storm. The roads half-way up the state were blocked by downed power-lines. I came back the day after the storm, to live in stone-age conditions for several weeks, relying on church groups, red cross, and National Guard for drinking water. Curfews, road blocks, no stores, gas, or restaurants. When the Wal-Mart finally opened, the line took over 4 hours, you had a couple of employees walk with you through the store while you shopped by flashlight. It is almost a year later, very few businesses are open, our east-west bridges on both sides are still gone. We have less than half of our traffic lights back up. The housing of THOUSANDS just in Biloxi is gone. So, if they had not evacuated.... Please do not be an idiot and advice people to not to evacuate because sometimes it is wasted. Waste a couple of days as an unplanned vacation, don't spend the rest of your life trying to call for help as your home or apartment is washed away, or waste everyone's time complaining that FEMA and the President are not helping you. Get insurance, keep your gas tanks full, and keep some money on hand. When the communications fail, if you can find a gas station with gas and a generator, they will only take cash.
Chris Tate, Biloxi, MS (Sent May 28, 2006 9:40:18 PM)
Worse thing you can do is to tell people to evacuate? Not everyone lives in brick houses nor do they have the luxury of having a backup of all the necessities in life. I'm sure people thought the same way you did when Katrina beared down on them; hopefully you won't be left scrambling atop your roof should you decide to stay.
Tyler @ Minnesota (Sent May 28, 2006 9:48:13 PM)
my goodness city county and state officials cannot figure out a plan that is workable..it is time to get it together rapidly.. the wrath of god is coming
currie amelia island florida (Sent May 28, 2006 10:22:39 PM)
It would seem that it all boils down to evacuation routes, and enough time to get folks out, so that the traffic doesn't last beyond the storm. Ray C's comments sound logical in light of this.
mary burgess austin tx (Sent May 28, 2006 10:40:25 PM)
I live in NW Biloxi MS, another 1/4 mile north and I'd be out of the city. I'm in a FEMA travel trailer. Where I used to live doesn't exist anymore and has been replaced with a FEMA trailer court. It will disappear in the next major storm. There are areas where riding out the storm is not possible. My children will be returning in late June after a school year in the Pacific Northwest, they know we won't evacuate the area (I can't, I'm part of Emergency Response). But, I will my FEMA trailer behind my truck and move it three miles up the road if the storm is going to put us in the NE quadrant. If it passes far enough to the east I'll stay here. Stay or move depends more on the wind direction than strenght. I am concerned with the nightmare an evacuation could become, but stubbornly staying in a suicidal location is not to be even considered. I've had plans since my first big storm, Fredrick in '79. The plans have been revised after each storm. A blanket one answer fits all does not work. Each family making their own plan is the best, but only if the plan is developed with accurate knowledge of what is coming, a cautious approach to what we realisticly do, and the assets to pull it off. Then all that is left is figuring out how to last until outside help arrives, maybe as long as three weeks later.
Gordon, Biloxi MS, Spokane&Seattle WA,, Ketchikan/Fairbanks/Kotzebue AK (Sent May 28, 2006 11:18:51 PM)
Ray, You're wrong. The article is right. Get out of the path of any hurricane. I evacuated from "Rita" & The same thing happened to me in east Texas, but if I would have stayed here it would have been much worse. This week I will start preparing to evacuate. JUST IN CASE. Life is worth more than the 36 hours it took to leave.Thanks to the good people of Rusk Tx.for helping me & the 23 other people that I took with me. They were wonderful. I love ya Mike. Peace from the Texas Gulf Coast.
Billy P. Beaumont, Tx. (Sent May 28, 2006 11:34:36 PM)
There are hundreds of people who would be alive today if they had evacuated, including myself and my family. It is always best to evacuate. You need to very carefully map your evacuation routes and alternatives ahead of time.
Rhonda, MS (Sent May 29, 2006 1:38:27 AM)
It is beyond comprehension that so many communities, counties, parishes, and states, that are struck by hurricanes over and over had and still have no comprehensive plans to protect their people. Nor does the federal government, whose sovereign responsibility is to protect its people.
Like possums (who have tiny brains), in the road they stand and stare as a speeding semi roars over them and crushes the life out of them.
Galveston island, at least, has learned from its history. There is one bridge to the mainland, yet they evacuate the island and a large teaching hospital almost every year, sometimes more than once a year.
If nobody else has a good plan, try adopting the one plan that has a proven track record.
The key word for Galveston, is to head inland a couple of hundred miles, that gets clear of the hurricane and the more violent winds and flooding that can follow land fall.
Margaret Barton, life long Texan recently moved to Machias, Maine (Sent May 29, 2006 6:21:26 AM)
"3 or more and we're out the door" is the motto I have for my family. The levee at Lake Okeechobee is a disaster waiting to happen if there's a strong catagory 4 or 5 hurricane. Telling people that evacuation is the worst thing you can do is a ludicrous statement. It really depends on the strength of the storm. People need to realize and understand how long the actual hurricane experience lasts. If you're going to stay, than you need to be prepared patiently endure hte life that comes afterward. If you don't think you can live without AC, ice , water, , electricity, plumbing, and the like then the best thing for you to do is evacuate.
Chris , Boynton Beach, FL (Sent May 29, 2006 6:38:45 AM)
"solid brick" on the southside.....Man hurricanes swirl....gonna get ya from ALL sides...all you CAN do is GET THE HELL OUTTA DA WAY!!!!...brick...shmick
andy,ms (Sent May 29, 2006 8:44:54 AM)
Abvout all of these responses ae right. If Ray is that far from the coast and in a concrete house he should be ok for a level 1-3 storm. with the evacuatrion and traffic problemns we saw, some local emergency managers are actually recommending this
(if his conditions were everywhere).
Dave, Tallahassee, FL (Sent May 29, 2006 9:28:19 AM)
to evacuate houston you dont have many choices . and move 2 million people take time . i left the day befor the manditory order was given . i 10 was a mess going to austin was something ill never forget. anyone on the highway will remember what they saw forever. cars stoped all along the highway,no gas ,no water. people camped along the highway. peoplle having to use the restroom along the highway they had no choice. i saw only one highway patrol car from houston to austin . but five days later on the way back they were thicker than fleas. people were denied use of restrooms by some service stations . about 30 miles east of columbus the traffic stoped and a hundred mile parking lot began after a very long time the traffic started slowly when i got up the highway the i-10 highway some lanes were closed they were paving the highway . the news papers and media has never reported what it was like out there on i-10 and many other roads had the same problems . this is what i saw.
george arthur deer park texas (Sent May 29, 2006 9:53:30 AM)
I was a Red Cross volunteer after Hurricane Katrina. September 8th through September 29th, 2005. The job that I was assign to was hauling suplies from Montgomery, Alabama to shelters and kitchens that were set up for the hurrican victims in Mississippi.
We went down to the shore at Waveland Mississippi and saw the damage.
There was nothing left for about three blocks back from the gulf coast. Only concert slabs. I do not see how anyone could have survived this water/wind surge . I suggest to anyone if you value your life to evacuate. What is a few days of discomfort compared to loseing your life or any loves ones? I had rather be safe than sorry.
Guthrie (Bud) Hunter Sanford, North Carolina 27330 (Sent May 29, 2006 10:14:01 AM)
I grew up in Gulfport, MS and have lived in New Orleans since 1989...how in the world can anyone suggest that people not evacuate? That is just inane. After Hurricane Camille, I told my mother that we would always leave...pretty serious words for a 7-year-old.
I have never regretted my decisions to leave before a storm...even if it doesn't blow hard or do devastating damage. In the past, I have left 2-3 days before landfall and I always seem to beat the traffic. There were only 2 storms where I got stuck in ungodly evacuation traffic (Elena & Ivan)...only because I was waiting on other people to get their act together.
Even though I can never seem to afford evacuating, I try to make it like a vacation...can't dwell on the gas money and time spent on these activities. This is just part of living in the Deep South, in the path of many destructive storms. You have to make the best of evacuating...THIS IS A PART OF LIFE!!!
At least we have warning....at least a few days out. Many other places are not as lucky. I'll take hurricanes over other natural disasters. I am given the opportunity to evaluate the situation and decide whether to stay or go. From what I hear, earthquakes, fires, floods, tornados don't give us the luxury of advisories and planning.
So what if you waste gas, time, money on evacuating only to come back to a home which is still standing...that's the upside. Unbelievably, I came home to New Orleans after Katrina to a crackshack which is still standing...the water stopped 1 block from my house. I might not always be so lucky. We went home to Gulfport to see my mother's house gone. Her reaction? "We lost everything in Camille and it took almost 40 years to lose it again...pretty good odds, huh?"
No matter what you leave in your house...it's only stuff...yep, some of that stuff might represent memories, but at least you will have those memories as you are still breathing, walking, etc. We can build new memories, but not new people. We all need to do what we can to preserve our material memories, but not lose our lives over them.
I suggest that this hurricane season that we ALL pitch in...if you know of someone who does not have a vehicle...let them ride with you or collect bus/train/airfare for other not as fortunate.
Our new "mantra" down here in the Deep South applies to so many scenarios..IT IS WHAT IT IS. Our philosophy down here is...Is there anything we can do to change our situation? No? Well, then, let's pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and do what's gotta be done.
So many people ask how we can live where we live. Well, why haven't these people been asking that question before the largest natural disaster in the history of this country? New Orleans and the MS Gulf Coast both experienced major storms in the past (Betsy 1965, Camille 1969) and we survived. We rebounded. We did what we had to do to get back up on our feet again. BUT, we came back and THRIVED!!!
How can we live where we live? Shoot, all you have to do is stand still and take a deep breath to get an inkling...oh, the air is fabulous. All you have to do is talk to the residents of this area and you should "get" it. Where else can you go and have an entire conversation with a neighbor with just one word or nod? The people here just understand each other. We wave to each other while passing each other on the street as we drive. We tip our heads to others as they sit on their porch, their stoop, etc. We inquire about their mamas. We spend much of our time just hanging with each other, laughing and singing.
Yes, this land on the Gulf of Mexico is land that deserves to be preserved. However, THE PEOPLE are the most important thing to preserve...so, LEAVE...EVACUATE...but come home IMMEDIATELY after the storm!
Robin Chambless, New Orleans, LA (Sent May 29, 2006 10:51:42 AM)
It is always best to plan and have a place to go. I rode out Katrina in New Orleans. I no longer live there. I am fortunate to be alive. Some people don't have the money for a hotel and have no family or friends to stay with. Right before the storm one official said on TV the day before the storm, "If you are still here and have no place to go, just get in the car and drive". It seemed ridiculous to me at the time. I met up with a family after the storm when I arrived at my destination 90 miles norheast of New Orleans, (I am still there) from St. Bernard Parish that did just that. Had they stayed, they may have drowned. They lost everything but their lives and a truck.
Charles M., Kentwood, La. (Sent May 29, 2006 11:51:02 AM)
I know that folks are emotionally attached to their homes or place of birth,but what does it take for people to realize that some places should not be inhabited .One being an area that is 15 feet below sea level.I am not a genius but I know water seeks its own level.You can build all the sea walls you want but with the next hurricane you will see all the havoc once again.Our government does not have unlimited money to keep rebuilding an area that is hopeless.Do these people have some kind of death wish?Nature is cruel and will not be denied.
v taylor Ofallon,missouri (Sent May 29, 2006 12:56:11 PM)
I cannot believe the number of people who think the government, at any level, should be the one to take care of them in an emergency. If they live on the Gulf coast, they KNOW the risk of being hit by a hurricane is HIGH. Though these governments can provide assistance, it should not be expected. If you are told to evacuate, residents should have their own plans; if the local government has offered aid, take it if you do not have your own resources. But don't complain when you are left alone in your home with no way for rescue because you opted not to.
I would also like to remind everyone that the term "Free country" does not refer to room and board as many citizens now seem to think it does, only the right to choose to stay in a deadly place if one wishes. Plan ahead.
E Simmons, Beaumont, TX (Sent May 29, 2006 1:10:43 PM)
Brick doesnt mean a thing to a hurricane. My friends had a brick house that was TOTALLY demolished (only slab left) in Katrina.
Leslie, memphis (Sent May 29, 2006 1:38:44 PM)
MOVE!
RB, Chicago, IL (Sent May 29, 2006 2:29:18 PM)
What do you expect when all of the major offices at all levels, local, county, state, and federal are all occupied by Republicans who don't give one shit about the common man?
Chuck Loch, Los Angeles, CA (Sent May 29, 2006 3:10:23 PM)
In the past when big hurricanes hit the gulf coast the goverment gave some poeple old army tents and some shovels and said good luck. That was it, no more was given, no more was expected and the people rebuilt with there own hands not the federal government. That is the American way that people have forgotten, here you can make something from nothing. These hand outs are rediculous and often seem unappriciated. It is as the people expect the government to take care of them. That is the wrong impression, we need to show them that is not the way things work. Good ole hard work makes for a good life and happiness. That is what we need to get back to. Show a little pride in your neighborhood, work with your friends and family and do it yourself now and quit complaining about the government taking so long to do it for you. Evacuate and keep your most prized things, the life of you and your family. The rest you can work on later.
Barnes, houston, Texas (Sent May 29, 2006 3:18:19 PM)
In the past when big hurricanes hit the gulf coast the goverment gave some poeple old army tents and some shovels and said good luck. That was it, no more was given, no more was expected and the people rebuilt with there own hands not the federal government. That is the American way that people have forgotten, here you can make something from nothing. These hand outs are rediculous and often seem unappriciated. It is as the people expect the government to take care of them. That is the wrong impression, we need to show them that is not the way things work. Good ole hard work makes for a good life and happiness. That is what we need to get back to. Show a little pride in your neighborhood, work with your friends and family and do it yourself now and quit complaining about the government taking so long to do it for you. Evacuate and keep your most prized things, the life of you and your family. The rest you can work on later.
Barnes, houston, Texas (Sent May 29, 2006 3:20:58 PM)
E Simmons can't believe that people expect help from their government in the event of a natural disaster??? Good Lord, man. When Americans are suffering, this is no time to promote your underlying theory of Social Darwinism. We pay taxes to our government for just this reason!!! I suppose you have no compassion for people who didn't have the resources to evacuate before Katrina. Yes, how crappy of them not to pull themselves out of the flood by their bootstraps.
Christy R, Blaine, Minnesota (Sent May 29, 2006 3:31:33 PM)
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