Now that Claudette has made landfall,most of us can agree that hindsight is 20-20. Would anyone like to share their thoughts on how the NHC, local authorities, and the public in general could have handled this better. Your thoughts and suggestions could make some very valid points as a future reference.
What was done right and what could be improved...
CLAUDETTE FEEDBACK
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Toni - 574
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CLAUDETTE FEEDBACK
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GalvestonDuck
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First off, let me give you the final remarks for the UTMB emergency operations folks (the bold type is my emphasis - the one line that really set me off):
"Special Closing Message from IEPO on Hurricane Claudette
(posted Tuesday, July 15, 4:15 p.m.)
As Claudette wings its way west this afternoon, I wanted to take a moment to say “thank you.” With some planning and preparation, information, Texas toughness and a lot of luck, we’ve weathered another storm. We got wet and windblown in the process, some got stranded, some slept in strange beds and some are still bailing out. But we were here, and babies were born and people were healed and business went on. That’s important, important because we’re in the business of serving people--people who rely on us and often entrust their lives to us.
Did we make the right call, keeping the university open today? I feel strongly that we made the right decision at the time we made it, with the information we had. I know that Claudette’s impact on the university campus was minimal, and that there was good work done here today. But I also know that this morning’s commute was harrowing for some, and that wasn’t something we’d anticipated. We go to great lengths to keep our people out of harm’s way, and we take that responsibility seriously. Had we had a more accurate sense of Claudette’s timing, intensity and local impact, we may very well have taken a different approach.
We still have a long storm season ahead of us. We’ll continue to track developments carefully, consider all options, communicate with you, and incorporate what we learn from each new experience. For your part, don’t let up now. This is the time to continue to plan and prepare--at work and at home--for the next big storm.
So, thank you for literally being “here for the health of Texas.” It is your spirit, sense of service and dedication that makes our institution and the UTMB community unique. We will continue to monitor for any lingering effects of Claudette, but are otherwise officially “standing down” from this threat."
(End of IEPO stuff)
Now it's my time to vent:
"a lot of luck"
That's a lot of bull. We should never have gambled on luck, especially with a storm and this island and what it takes to evacuate. Thankfully, we didn't have to evacuate. However, if she hadn't turned west when she did, it would have been too late. We've been told in the past that it takes 28 hours to fully evacuate the island. And then you tell us not to be complacent? Practice what you preach.
"I feel strongly that we made the right decision at the time we made it, with the information we had."
Yeah, well...the information you had was that Galveston was under a hurricane warning as of Monday 4:00 PM. That ALONE should have been enough to tell non-essential employees or non-island-living employees NOT to come to work the next morning. At least, wait until afternoon if things are clearer or just don't come in at all.
"Had we had a more accurate sense of Claudette’s timing, intensity and local impact, we may very well have taken a different approach."
Maybe you should read Storm2K's forum. Anyone could see that even when she finally made a westward turn, we were going to get hit with some nasty stuff, even though it wasn't a direct hit. The freaking newscasters standing out on the Seawall were proof enough. The police were saying, "Don't get out and drive." I've heard the stories about how horrible it is to drive over the causeway in tropical storm force winds. That's one of the main reasons they say that Galveston should evacuate early -- the winds over the causeway are dangerous to drive in and the causeway usually floods on the mainland side, making it impassable and preventing further evacuation. Sure, we weren't evacuating. But the point is that transportation was difficult.
How awful would it have been to give mainland and non-essential employees half a day or, if necessary, a full day off to stay safe?
Thanks....needed to vent.
"Special Closing Message from IEPO on Hurricane Claudette
(posted Tuesday, July 15, 4:15 p.m.)
As Claudette wings its way west this afternoon, I wanted to take a moment to say “thank you.” With some planning and preparation, information, Texas toughness and a lot of luck, we’ve weathered another storm. We got wet and windblown in the process, some got stranded, some slept in strange beds and some are still bailing out. But we were here, and babies were born and people were healed and business went on. That’s important, important because we’re in the business of serving people--people who rely on us and often entrust their lives to us.
Did we make the right call, keeping the university open today? I feel strongly that we made the right decision at the time we made it, with the information we had. I know that Claudette’s impact on the university campus was minimal, and that there was good work done here today. But I also know that this morning’s commute was harrowing for some, and that wasn’t something we’d anticipated. We go to great lengths to keep our people out of harm’s way, and we take that responsibility seriously. Had we had a more accurate sense of Claudette’s timing, intensity and local impact, we may very well have taken a different approach.
We still have a long storm season ahead of us. We’ll continue to track developments carefully, consider all options, communicate with you, and incorporate what we learn from each new experience. For your part, don’t let up now. This is the time to continue to plan and prepare--at work and at home--for the next big storm.
So, thank you for literally being “here for the health of Texas.” It is your spirit, sense of service and dedication that makes our institution and the UTMB community unique. We will continue to monitor for any lingering effects of Claudette, but are otherwise officially “standing down” from this threat."
(End of IEPO stuff)
Now it's my time to vent:
"a lot of luck"
That's a lot of bull. We should never have gambled on luck, especially with a storm and this island and what it takes to evacuate. Thankfully, we didn't have to evacuate. However, if she hadn't turned west when she did, it would have been too late. We've been told in the past that it takes 28 hours to fully evacuate the island. And then you tell us not to be complacent? Practice what you preach.
"I feel strongly that we made the right decision at the time we made it, with the information we had."
Yeah, well...the information you had was that Galveston was under a hurricane warning as of Monday 4:00 PM. That ALONE should have been enough to tell non-essential employees or non-island-living employees NOT to come to work the next morning. At least, wait until afternoon if things are clearer or just don't come in at all.
"Had we had a more accurate sense of Claudette’s timing, intensity and local impact, we may very well have taken a different approach."
Maybe you should read Storm2K's forum. Anyone could see that even when she finally made a westward turn, we were going to get hit with some nasty stuff, even though it wasn't a direct hit. The freaking newscasters standing out on the Seawall were proof enough. The police were saying, "Don't get out and drive." I've heard the stories about how horrible it is to drive over the causeway in tropical storm force winds. That's one of the main reasons they say that Galveston should evacuate early -- the winds over the causeway are dangerous to drive in and the causeway usually floods on the mainland side, making it impassable and preventing further evacuation. Sure, we weren't evacuating. But the point is that transportation was difficult.
How awful would it have been to give mainland and non-essential employees half a day or, if necessary, a full day off to stay safe?
Thanks....needed to vent.
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ColdFront77