Galveston County orders mandatory evacuations

[KatDaddy]

I know this should posted in the other thread but wanted to make sure everyone knows the severity of this storm in the Houston-Galveston Areas

County orders mandatory evacuations

By TJ Aulds
The Daily News

Published September 20, 2005

Officials have called for mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Rita. The order is for every one living in Galveston County.

People in medical centers and nursing homes to start at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Residential evacuations start at 6 p.m. The county's evacuation plan calls for the evacuation of residents in phases.

People in medical care and other facilities needing special help are scheduled to begin evacuations at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Zone A of the evacuation plan which includes the southern portions of the county including Galveston Island, Tiki Island and Bayou Vista begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Zone B of the plan which includes the central portions of the county's mainland as well as the bay front communities of Kemah, San Leon and Bacliff are to start evacuation at 2 a.m. Thursday.

Zone C which is the northern reaches of the county including League City and Friendswood will start evacuation at 12 p.m. Thursday.

Tropical force winds from Hurricane Rita are expected to hit the county by early Friday.

EVACUATION ZONES

ZONE A – 6 PM Wednesday, Sept. 21

Galveston Island (I-45)
Jamaica Beach (I-45)
Tiki Island (I-45)
Bayou Vista (Hwy. 6)
Clear Lake Shores (Hwy. 146)
Kemah (Hwy. 146)
San Leon-Bacliff-Bayview (Hwy. 146)
Bolivar Peninsula (Hwy. 87 and Hwy. 124)

ZONE B – 2 AM Thursday, Sept. 22

Texas City (Hwy. 146)
La Marque (I-45)
Hitchcock (Hwy. 6)
Dickinson (I-45)

ZONE C – 12 NOON Thursday, Sept. 22
(Use Highway 6)

League City (I-45, Hwy. 146)
Friendswood (I-45)
Santa Fe (Hwy. 6)

[baitism]

Seems a little premature to me. There are plenty of ways to get out of Galveston......its not like NO.

[Windy]

If this is accurate (please provide a link!), then this means that you should get in your car (which you already have packed, right?) and go now. Don't wait around on this one now that the order has been given. They're clearing the place out for a reason and you don't want to be in the carmageddon that's sure to ensue when everyone in south Texas decides to drive north at the same time.

Wish everyone out there the best of luck and will be thinkin' n' praying for you.

[gboudx]

Seems a little premature to me. There are plenty of ways to get out of Galveston......its not like NO.

Using maps.yahoo.com, I see 1 bridge as a way to get off Galveston Island. Unless you're talking about by boat, then there appears to be 1 way out of Galveston.

[Windy]

Found a link!

http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=17e4003b27365233

[vbhoutex]

Seems a little premature to me. There are plenty of ways to get out of Galveston......its not like NO.

WRONG!!!!CHECK YOUR FACTS!!!! There is one way off of Galveston Island. We aren't talking evacuating 50,000 people here, with the mainland areas included we are talking evacuating well over 100,000(I think that is a very low estimate)people in an orderly fashion. I amnot going to go into the specifics since they have been dealt with in other threads about this, but you do not know of what you speak.

[wlfpack81]

Seems a little premature to me. There are plenty of ways to get out of Galveston......its not like NO.

There's only one main way out of Galveston and that's I-45 north (or NW going by actual orientation of the highway). So there aren't plenty of ways off that island. And w/all due respect kind of easy for someone way way inland such as KS to second guess decisions being made by those along the COAST who may get directly impacted by this storm. Please don't down Texas officials who are in the direct path of this storm. They know what they're doing.

[Houstonia]

Seems a little premature to me. There are plenty of ways to get out of Galveston......its not like NO.

This was discussed earlier. There is exactly one way to get off of Galveston Island. That's I-45/the causeway. The causeway is closed when the wind reaches 39 mph.

I don't think any more needs to be said about the prematurity of it all. Galveston operates under very different needs from those of us in the Houston area. They have to.

[scostorms]

I don't know about you, but I'd be leaving Galveston area about 17 minutes ago.

[Air Force Met]

Seems a little premature to me. There are plenty of ways to get out of Galveston......its not like NO.

Either you forgot your sarcasm tag...or you are clueless about Galveston.

[CharleySurvivor]

Agree with AFM 100%

[southerngale]

Attention seeker, perhaps?

[scostorms]

Hurricane Local Statement
GMZ330-335-350-355-370-375-TXZ200-213-214-226-227-235>238-210500-

HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...CORRECTED TO INCLUDE GALVESTON COUNTY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
430 PM CST TUE SEP 20 2005

...RITA MOVING INTO GULF OF MEXICO AND INCREASING IN INTENSITY...

...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS
OF...JACKSON...MATAGORDA...FORT BEND...WHARTON...HARRIS...
BRAZORIA...LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...AND GALVESTON COUNTIES...

...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST.

...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...

.LOCATION...
AT 4 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
24.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.4 WEST...OR ABOUT 850 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
GALVESTON TEXAS.

.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING WEST AT 15 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS
WERE 100 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. A GRADUAL INCREASE IN INTENSITY IS
FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

.EVACUATION INFORMATION...
FOR GALVESTON AND BRAZORIA COUNTIES...VOLUNTARY EVACUATION IS IN
PROGRESS. MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED-LIVING
FACILITIES WILL BEGIN AT 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. ON GALVESTON
ISLAND... BUSSES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE ISLAND COMMUNITY CENTER ON
BROADWAY WEDNESDAY MORNING AFTER 10 AM FOR PERSONS WITH NO OTHER
MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. IF THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OF RITA'S
TRACK IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS...A MANDATORY EVACUATION OF GALVESTON AND
BRAZORIA COUNTIES IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AT 6 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING.

VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE ALSO IN PROGRESS THIS EVENING FOR LOW LYING
AREAS OF CHAMBERS COUNTY... HARRIS COUNTY... AND THE CITIES OF
HOUSTON...SEABROOK AND BAYTOWN

DECISIONS CONCERNING EVACUATIONS FOR OTHER COUNTIES AND COMMUNITIES
WILL BE MADE EITHER LATER THIS EVENING OR ON WEDNESDAY.

.SCHOOL AND GOVERNMENT FACILITY CLOSINGS...
CLEAR CREEK...GALVESTON...FRIENDSWOOD AND HIGH ISLAND ISD SCHOOLS
WILL BE CLOSED BEGINNING WEDNESDAY. GALVESTON COUNTY FACILITIES
WILL ALSO BE CLOSED BEGINNING WEDNESDAY.

.STORM SURGE AND TIDES...
TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING NEAR NORMAL ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS
COAST AND ARE NOT EXPECTED TO RISE SIGNIFICANTLY BEFORE
THURSDAY NIGHT OR FRIDAY MORNING.

.WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS
COAST BEFORE FRIDAY MORNING.

.RAINFALL...
NO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

FOR MORE TROPICAL WEATHER INFORMATION...SEE THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER WEB PAGE AT HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV OR THE WEB PAGE OF THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HGX.

THE NEXT HURRICANE RITA STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 11PM CST.

$$

[Stratosphere747]

Without creating confusion...

There are three ways out of Galveston *four if you consider ships/boats...

45 as mentioned, Bluewater Hwy and the Boliver ferry..

With that said, there is only one feasible way out, and of course that is 45...

It's imperative that Galveston is evacauted now.

[msbee]

Seems a little premature to me. There are plenty of ways to get out of Galveston......its not like NO.

If we learned anything from Katirna, we had to have learned that nothing is premature where a hurricane is concerned.