The Northeast Florida Regional Council released today the 2005 Hurricane Evacuation Study that details evacuation plans for Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
The study analyzes hurricane risks, vulnerable areas, transportation, shelter resources and the number of hours required to clear the roads before winds and storm surge from hurricanes reach the area.
"The latest study really puts (Jacksonville) in a different league," said Don Lewis, PBS&J Program Manager, who calculated the times residents of each county have to evacuate.
According to the study, Duval County clearance times range from nine hours to more than 70 hours.
Experts say population growth and road network constraints require residents to evacuate sooner than before.
OUCH!!!!
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/loca ... ryid=61249
JACKSONVILLE, FL-- A hurricane study done by the Northeast Florida Regional Council finds evacuations in Duval County could take from nine to 70 hours.
One of the reasons why is the county's surge in population. The road infrastructure can't keep up with it.
The study shows in a category one storm it would take nine hours for residents to evacuate. For a category five it would take 30 hours. Those numbers are only based on folks in Duval County.
According to the study, if you add in surrounding counties like St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam and folks in South Florida fleeing a storm, a category five evacuation time is seventy hours.
In 1999, Floyd sent thousands of Jacksonville residents out of town. For some, it took more than 16 hours to get just to the Georgia line.
Emergency Management says folks need to start preparing now. Have a plan in place on where your family will go and when.
Chip Patterson, Duval County's Emergency Management Director, says folks need to start leaving 48 hours in advance and not wait to see where the storm will go.
If you wait, the experts say there's a good chance you'll be stuck on the road with no where to go when the storm arrives.
Patterson says in Jacksonville safe zones are on the Southside and Westside of town. Those areas are considered out of the hurricane evacuation zone and are safe areas to stay during a storm.
Ninety percent of hurricane deaths are from the storm surge.
