A Reason Why Many Did Not Evacuate

[tndefender]

"People living in the path of Hurricane Katrina's worst devastation were twice as likely as most Americans to be poor and without a car factors that may help explain why so many failed to evacuate as the storm approached.

An Associated Press analysis of Census data shows that the residents in the
three dozen hardest-hit neighborhoods in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama
also were disproportionately minority and had incomes $10,000 below the
national average.

"Let them know we're not bums. We have houses. Our houses were destroyed. We have jobs. It's not our fault that we didn't have cars to leave," Shatonia Thomas, 27, said as she walked near New Orleans' convention center five days after the storm, still trapped in the destruction with her children, ages 6 and 9.

Money and transportation two keys to surviving a natural disaster were inaccessible for many who got left behind in the Gulf region's worst squalor."

The interesting and sad analysis: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs. ... 04007/1260

[THead]

Which is exactly why other means for their evac should have been at their disposal. Maybe they just didn't want to leave, I don't know, but looking at this thread, there was definitely a means for transport, that apparently just wasn't used, or the plan wasn't implemented, or who knows.....

http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=73519

[Mattie]

I am sick to death of blame for those that did not provide transport, etc. . . .

There were still people today that were refusing to lave unless FORCED by the National Guard!!!

We have a guy in our shelter that was refusing to leave because he did not realize the magnitude of the devastation. He BBQ'd on his roof top with his nighbors for three days.

Humane caring and compassion can only go so far for those willing to help themselves. i.e., GO WITH THE RESCUERS!!!!

These families made it out by traveled from the Superdome, to the Astrodome to North Texas. HE said he would never EVER take for granted the warnings that accompany a land falling hurricane!!

What else does it take!!!

[cmdebbie]

Sadly, there are many that would have left if they had the means. That is just a fact. The devastation would have been far less, and people probably would have taken it more seriously if they thought the officials of their city were taking it more seriously!

[Garnetcat5]

Just a thought....the time element involved had some play here. The amount of time to evacuate and the amount of road space available to get out of harm's way adds to the mix. Imagine if people had had more advanced notice alternative means of transportation could have been arranged, that is why hurricane research has an important role and needs to be well funded. Also the mind-set of "it won't be that bad" had something to do with it. Maybe with more time people could have had time to process the information, more public announcements educating them ..... more time is needed from warning to actual impact.

[beachbum_al]

I think it is more than that they didn't have the transportation. As I stated in another thread I have a friend who family is from Waveland. They stayed along with about 50% of the population. Why? Because they never dreamed that it would be this bad. It has been along time since I have been to Waveland/Bay St. Louis but from what my friend was saying Waveland area must be surrounded by a bay. Most of the houses are on a Bluff about 30ft high. They just didn't thinkt he surge would be like that.

I have to say hearing her talk it made me realize that even though I think I am safe in my little town of Fairhope is not true. Fairhope is most on a bluff too except the beach area which is a lot of houses. No place is safe from a monster like Katrina.

[baygirl_1]

Also, so much attention was focused on New Orleans before the storm hit. The only national source I heard talking about Katrina's effects on MS and AL before the storm hit was Steve Lyons on the Weather Channel. All other national media outlets were very focused on New Orleans. Unfortunately, I think that may have caused somepeople in South MS and Coastal AL to believe it wouldn't be as bad for them.

[themusk]

Just a thought....the time element involved had some play here. The amount of time to evacuate and the amount of road space available to get out of harm's way adds to the mix. Imagine if people had had more advanced notice alternative means of transportation could have been arranged, that is why hurricane research has an important role and needs to be well funded. Also the mind-set of "it won't be that bad" had something to do with it. Maybe with more time people could have had time to process the information, more public announcements educating them ..... more time is needed from warning to actual impact.

It's not just time, it's means, and not only monetary means. Even if we had given every poor and special needs person $1000 and told them to go get themselves evacuated to luxury resort X where an amply supplied free shelter operated by Club Med was waiting for them, most of them would have been left behind, just as the many tourists who had something roughly like those resources and that destination were left in the city.

There simply isn't enough regularly scheduled private transportation available, even three or four days out. It is extremely difficult for a carrier (aircraft, bus, train, or rental car) to arrange for extra service, even with warning times so long that they verge on climatological. Transportation systems are finely tuned clockwork-like systems -- diverting even one component requires the rescheduling of significant portions of the rest of the system, and diverting many components, as would be necessary, is tantamount to shutting the system down.

Nothing short of employing government resources in an organized fashion can evacuate an entire city.

[f5]

missippis's death toll is high beacuse they though they can ride out katrinia beacuse they rode out Camille,To sum it all of in one word Camille,Camille,Camille

[f5]

mississippi's death toll is high beacuse they though they can ride out katrinia beacuse they rode out Camille,To sum it all of in one word Camille,Camille,Camille