Early Evac costs

#1 Postby **MBismyPlayground** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:39 am

The early evacuation of the Fla. Keys is amounting to the loss of over estimated 20 millions dollars.(Key West specifically)
Was there a reason to actually evac so soon. They are now allowing those residents back to the keys and yet the hurricane has not even gone past Cuba yet. Just curious...not trying to bash the authorities that be...but, after all of the damage and costs from the other 2 hurricanes, who can really afford the loss???

Guest · #2 Postby **Guest** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:47 am

I don't like this kind of talk. The officials are trying to save lives. LIVES BEFORE MONEY. Rather evacuate in vain than not and lose your life. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.
...Jennifer...

#3 Postby **MBismyPlayground** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:53 am

I totally understand about saving lives. That was not my point. I would agree to do whatever it takes to save lives. But, so early on???? That is the point......if we had sat back and watched, maybe it would of saved money as well. Alot of these people cannot and could not afford to really evacuate, yet they were required to. When they cannot eat or pay bills does not this affect their "lives" as well??? Plus the strain on their pocketbook from the previous weather. I am not trying to argue with you on this point, only to say that maybe the powers that be jumped the gun a little too early. (48 hours before impact would of worked)

Lebowsky · #4 Postby **Lebowsky** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:55 am

I think maybe they went so early because SE Florida was already a bit of a mess due to Frances, requiring evacuees to travel further north than usual to be in a safe place with electricity and gasoline available.

MiaMom · #5 Postby **MiaMom** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 9:58 am

Early evacuation is necessary, in my opinion.

Think back to Andrew and the 12 hour PLUS drive from Miami to Orlando to evacuate the day before the storm. Compound that by a much larger evacuation radius for a larger storm of the same strength and SFLA would have streets clogged with people as Ivan approached!

We need to be thanking the folks who are working round the clock for all of us....

frankthetank · #6 Postby **frankthetank** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:08 am

models aren't perfect, neither are people.... it was a good decision....

#7 Postby **dhweather** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:09 am

mrschad wrote:I don't like this kind of talk. The officials are trying to save lives. LIVES BEFORE MONEY. Rather evacuate in vain than not and lose your life. Damned if they do, damned if they don't.
...Jennifer...

Exactly. If they didn't evacuate and Ivan hit, the NHC is "at fault"
and if they evacuate and Ivan does not hit, the NHC is "at fault".

I'd take evac with no damage ANY TIME over a MAJOR HURRICANE

#8 Postby **MBismyPlayground** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:10 am

I guess my question is, how early is TOO early???? The Keys were evacuated. Now they are going home. New Orleans is or is talking about Evacuating. As well as possibly Mobile, Alabama. The hurricane is still close/in the Yucatan.
The powers that be have worked hard. Extremely hard. I don't disagree. I am looking a the BIG picture though. Later, we will all be talking of the costs of this Hurricane. From the damage. But, the cost to those other folks who had to evacuate early probably won't figure much into it.
Or the loss from their jobs, business ect....Fl. is gun shy. I don't blame them. I would be as well. I guess I tend to look at other things as well. I just deal with so many people that live on a very strict budget and the cost of all of this will be extreme and will have future impacts in the big picture.
Sorry if you feel as if I am trying to bash anyone

That was not my intention.

x-y-no · #9 Postby **x-y-no** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:18 am

If Ivan would have taken a turn north towards South Florida, then this evacuation wouldn't have been "early" at all - it would have been just on time.

Evacuating when they did was absolutely the right decision.

MBryant · #10 Postby **MBryant** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:19 am

I know it's gatting to be an old analogy for some, but others just don't get it.

Evacuation is like a decision to NOT play Russian Roulette (unavoidable pun with Ivan). Just because the gun didn't fire on your turn, doesn't mean it was a bad decision.

Evacuation decisions have to be made 72 hours in advance of outlying winds (not the center) in most areas of the coast where large numbers of people will be trying to flee on a few evacuation routes. A 48 hour warning would cause many to be caught on the road just as the worst weather reached them.

MiaMom · #11 Postby **MiaMom** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:21 am

A Miami perspective:

In addition to the folks that are still displaced by Charley and Frances, Florida's infrastucture has had to also absorb all the Keys folks. That's a lot of movement on already taxed roads, grocery stores, gas stations, etc.

As someone who lives close to the keys evac route I am impressed by the orderliness and ease of this particular evacuation. I am behind the evac order 100%. We honestly didn't know if we were going to make it to Orlando on time to miss Andrew. Talk about scary!

We pay a price for living where we do.

lilyv · #12 Postby **lilyv** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:22 am

Part of living in a hurricane prone area is living with the possibility of evacuation. I think the officials do the very best they can. They are having to channel a large number of vehicles out of the area, and they try to do it in the safest way possible.

#13 Postby **Ground_Zero_92** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 10:57 am

I am glad that the keys evacuation order went up when the threat to the keys was there. This is not an exact science and I would rather ride on the side of caution if the 3 day forecast points a storm directly at me as was the case in the keys.

If anything has been learned by this hurricane season, it has been that everyone living in a hurricane threat area needs to have a higher state of preparadness so that we don't run out of supplies because the masses rush to the stores at the last minute.

Hurricane season is June 1 through November 30 EVERY year. Residents living in hurricane prone areas need to have thier hurricane kits rushed to completion by June 1.

#14 Postby **MBismyPlayground** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:08 am

Ground,
I totally agree. We live in MB and we have made sure we are totally prepared prior to the season. We have a total hurricane plan, just in case, so we don't run around like chickens with our heads cut off. This is the first thing we did upon moving to the beach.
For all of you who agree with the early evac, I understand. And, honestly, if I were in the Keys, I am not sure what I would of done. Guess it is easy for me to say, not living there.
I am just concerned about the actually cost, not just financially, but emotionally as well to all of the people. Financially it has to hurt some, as I have wired money to friends(young people) there who are just flat busted broke after all of this.
This hurricane has been HELL to predict, and it has been very tricky and, sorry to say, I still think there are a few more tricks to ocme before it is all said and done.

#15 Postby **Stephanie** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 11:09 am

MBismyPlayground - you are asking valid questions. Unfortunately, the call on evacuations are based on what is FORECASTED to happen at that time. You probably noticed that when Ivan was just leaving Grenada that the forecast in some cases took Ivan to the eastern shores of Florida. Based on Ivan's forward motion speed, forecasted landfall area and the time it takes for a successful evacuation, that is pretty much how early they will authorize the evacuations. I heard on the news that it takes a couple of days to get everyone off the Keys. They originally had the tourists and other non-residents leave earlier last week, and that was when we thought Jamaica and Cuba were going to receive a direct hit. Since then, Ivan has slowed and has kept going further and further west.

Yes, there is a huge economic loss for these early evacuations, but if the hurricanes avoid those areas, at least there's something to come back to. If the hurricanes do hit those areas, it doesn't really matter whether they lost three days of income to that area because that's only the beginning...

HurricaneGirl · #16 Postby **HurricaneGirl** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:05 pm

I know this is chiche, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Or is this case dead!!

Eyes2theSkies · #17 Postby **Eyes2theSkies** » Mon Sep 13, 2004 12:16 pm

Only someone who has driven to Key West from Miami can truly appreciate what a monumental task it is to evacuate. It took us 6 hours to get all the way down the keys. There is only one way in, it's a two-lane road. Every now and then, there are passing lanes where quicker traffic can go around slower traffic. Sounds convenient, right? Wrong, now that quicker traffic has to merge back in with the others. MERGE is not a French word for STOP, but that's what happens...takes 2x as long with those lanes. The only way to get out of the Keys quickly is to leave before 6am while everyone is still hungover...and that's on an ordinary weekend. Can't even imagine what happens when you add panic to the situation...

Early Evac costs

Early Evac costs

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