Emergency officials pushing contra-flow maps for hurricane e

[sunny]

Evacuation maps on Red Cross site **YOU MUST SCROLL TO BOTTOM OF PAGE FOR MAPS
http://www.preparelouisiana.redcross.org/

Emergency officials pushing contra-flow maps for hurricane evacuation

05:24 PM CDT on Friday, June 17, 2005

WWLTV.com

More than a million maps detailing the intricate hurricane contra-flow evacuation plan will be handed out to South Louisiana residents in an effort to make sure the next evacuation goes much smoother than the last one.

Horror stories of it taking some people up to 7 hours to get to Baton Rouge and 12-14 hours to get to Memphis and Houston were common as a late call for an evacuation and a populace uncertain of the contra-flow plan stymied a quick getaway.

This time planners have put together a system that will take drivers north as well as west. The “all lanes headed out” contra-flow plan will be implemented in phases and motorists in certain lanes will be forced to continue in that direction, placing an emphasis on everyone being in the correct lane ahead of time.

“What's going to be disastarous for us is if we make a call at the last second and we try to dump the city and the area in a ten to twelve to 14 to 20 hour period,” said John Bradberry of the Louisiana Department of Transportation. “We've gotta prevent that."

If a major hurricane takes aim at New Orleans, experts say there will be many people who can't get out. The city's emergency management chief estimates that 100,000 people have no personal vehicles and rely on public transportation.

Getting them to safety is even more of a challenge.

The Red Cross is working with churches and universities to identify people with no vehicles available to them and city leaders are trying to line up transportation. Those plans call for sending buses out to certain areas and having those people bussed to a safer place north of I-12.

[Stratosphere747]

IMO the only way that areas such as NO and even Houston can avoid these huge traffic jams, is to come up with some-type of staggered evac.

Instead they just blow the horn and everyone hits the road. Not a chance these days with the rising population in these areas that this type of evac will work.

The idea of busing people out sounds like a good concept, but will never work.

[sunny]

The plan is for a "Phase" evacuation. I don't know how well it will work. Example: I am in Phase 1. But what are they going to do, tell people in Phase 2, sorry you can't leave yet? I hope it does work...

[lilbump3000]

I know the phase is probably going to go wrong because theres 3 phases ok phase 1 the coastal areas if im not mistaken will be told to evacuate 50 hours before the storm hits, then phase 2 which is a lil further inland all the way to the westbank of jefferson parish will be told to evacuate 40 hours before, then phase 3 which includes the new orleans area and the east bank of jefferson parish will be told to leave 30 hours before so i dont know if this is going to work because i see it now a big storm heading straight for the city as soon as they tell the coastal residents to leave everybody in southeast louisiana going to leave at once i just know it.

[sunny]

as soon as they tell the coastal residents to leave everybody in southeast louisiana going to leave at once i just know it.

That's the thing right there. The officials start getting on tv and telling people we are "going to get hit and it's going to hurt", what do you think people are going to do? What til they say it's your turn? Heck no. It will be a mass exodus, just like the last two times.

I don't wait til the last minute. People laugh at me, but if there is even the SLIGHTEST indication we might take a hit, I start getting things in place.

[LSU2001]

My biggest worry about the evac plan is the 40 and 50 hour evacuees. How many are going to say"Naw I'm gonna wait to see if it is really going to hit. Remember the Last two times we ran and nothing happend" then at the last minute when New Orleans proper is trying to evac the roads get jammed with everyone again. I can't say that I blame people in Phase 1 and 2 I mean after all 50 hours out a storm that is moving 10mph is 500 miles away. At that distance there is no way to tell for sure where landfall will be. I guess that to me the above is probably the most likely thing that will happen.
Tim

[MGC]

Trust me, the next Ivan type situation will result in similar traffic jams. People are going to act in their own interest and once the traffic starts jamming up people will panic, act like a bunch of lemmings and hit the road. Few will leave 48 hours out. They will take a wait and see attitude like the people in Pensacola did during Opal.....MGC

[Scorpion]

Or it could be a Cat 1 hurricane waiting to bomb into a 5 40 hours later. That would be a nightmare.

[Droop12]

I can tell you Im glad I wasnt around for Opal. I have heard some horrible stories concerning people waiting to late to evacuate and getting stuck. Where I live, the only way out is a 4 lane bridge. Luckily during Ivan everyone left an entire day and a half before the storm. My neighborhood was deserted about 30 hours before landfall. Me and my family was the last to leave, and I must say the feeling in the air was the wierdest...Almost like the end of the world is coming. It felt like we were in the movie "Armageddon". But all I can say about N.O. is if there is ever a major coming directly for them, It was nice knowing ya. I would just move out of the city, its a death-trap IMO.

[bbadon]

The problem with the phased evacuation is simple. No matter what people wait until the last minute. The root problem is LA has no mandatory evacutations. I know a lot of people aren't fond of mandatory evacs. The classic phrase "No one will make me leave my home" well fine be stubborn drown. However the one tool in a mandatory evac is the ability to make businesses shut down. As long as people are serviced they will stay. Shut off there services they will leave. I live in southwest LA. I am the Office of Emergency Preparedness coordinator for my community. We actually go as far as shutting off the water to make people leave. Maybe other places should consider the same thing.

[sponger]

I love how "7 hrs to Baton Rouge" Is a horror story. When Floyd was bearing down on the SE, I spent 6 hours in the car any never even got out of Jacksonville. 24 hours to Atlanta, now that a freakin horror story!

It li likely if another Cat 4 heads this way the situation will repeat.

[cyclonaut]

Phased evacuatios work well in the Keys..I know New Orleans is a different game all together but if its organized & IF most people follow orders correctly it can be done.

Just my .02 cents..I'm sure you New Orleaners know whats best for your community.

[louise_l]

I don't wait til the last minute. People laugh at me, but if there is even the SLIGHTEST indication we might take a hit, I start getting things in place.

People can laugh all they want but that really makes no difference to me. Leaving early when I can is a lot more comfortable and less stressful than leaving later. I was able to leave early for Ivan and encountered no traffic whatsoever. While other New Orleanians struggled for up to 24 hours on I-10 driving to Houston, I sat safe and dry in a motel room in Memphis, perusing Storm2K, watching television coverage, and sleeping.

It's not always possible to leave early, for example if a storm takes a sudden turn. So, I try to prepare for either staying or going.

[Derek Ortt]

the major problem with the Opal evac was the extremely late hurricane warning, because the GFDL model simply didn't see the big trough that picked Opal up (since its run off of GFS, why am I not surprised). There were only about 4 usuable hours of daylight evacuation time and the warning was issued only about 15 hours prior to tropical storm force winds moving onshore (thats more like the lead time France gives)

[sunny]

They just gave us the maps here at work. Good info for everyone in south LA to have.