He didnt have to evacuate the entire city but he should have evacuated the most vulnerable areas with public transportation and any aid to do so. He had 24-48 hours to make the call. His Twitter says it all. He told people to remain calm, not believe the scary weather reports, and continually committed to his decision to not evacuate. He misled the public by not giving it to them straight. His response since has been good but he did not provide every possible option for at-risk people to evacuate and failed to address the possible danger ahead in the coming days.
Incredible success story. Rain has ended. Bayous have all crested, will start going down in a few days. Around 10 deaths in region of 6.5 million. Far better result than with Rita when over 100 died, and fewer people lived here.
1
It seems if you have the means to leave when you know a massive storm is brewing, you shouldn't wait for the mayor to tell you to evacuate. You should get gone. People who live in that area should be prepared for this type of disaster, especially given what happened with Hurricane Katrina. I'm not saying everyone has the means to have water & food stored or an emergency preparedness kit available or the means to leave the area, but many, many likely do. If we place too much emphasis on waiting for politicians to make decisions about what is best, we are going to be waiting for Hell to freeze over. The mayor would have been damned if he did and damned if he didn't in this situation anyway. Everyone now should be focused on helping those impacted in whatever way possible, especially monetarily. Our country needs unity right now.
An evacuation order is used not just to evacuate people. It also serves to wake people up to the severity of the situation. They are always complacent otherwise.
In two places in this story the answer to the complaint was wrong. The elderly woman said zoned evacuations, the responder answered with 5.6 million on the road. That is the population of the entire city, not a few zoned. You have misrepresented what the governor said. He recommended that people living in low lying areas consider leaving, he said something like "consider taking a vacation". Again, nothing meant to put 6 million on the road. If a few tens of thousands had done this, things would be a bit better. Also reports that the mayor refused to take or return governors calls. Despite this the governor is not criticizing the mayor. Who is the grownup here?
When I first heard this report, before the deluge, when they were already predicting 60" of rain for Houston, I thought "another New Orleans."
When I first heard this report, before the deluge, when they were already predicting 60" of rain for Houston, I thought "another New Orleans."
Two days before this storm hit, I heard an interview with the Mayor on NPR. While he expressed concern (defensively) about the decision to not order a mandatory evacuation, he kept repeating "hunker down, hunker down." There was no mention of directions being given for where to seek shelter or plans for what he acknowledged would be serious flooding potential. No mention of plans for seniors or disabled. He kept reiterating this was a rain storm, not a wind and rain system.
Hunker down.
Hunker down.
1
As a native Houstonian, I have vivid recollections of many hurricanes. My husband and would have stayed out during Rita, but my parents were elderly, and each had been hospitalized not long before the storm. Our area usually had local street flooding, and we felt we simply could not risk the possibility that they might ne without power while we were unable to get to them. We. Hose to drive them to Austin, where we have family.
As the photos of that catastrophe documented, the outcome was disastrous. Austin is usually a three-hour trip from the western end of Houston. It took us 20 hours, usually in bumper-to-bumper, inch-by-inch traffic. No stores were open, most motels full, and most gasoline stations open. I cried in relief when we found gasoline outside of College Station.
Mayor Turner should be commended for his decision, not chided.
As the photos of that catastrophe documented, the outcome was disastrous. Austin is usually a three-hour trip from the western end of Houston. It took us 20 hours, usually in bumper-to-bumper, inch-by-inch traffic. No stores were open, most motels full, and most gasoline stations open. I cried in relief when we found gasoline outside of College Station.
Mayor Turner should be commended for his decision, not chided.
2
In the history of the world, no one has evacuated a metropolitan area of 6.3 million people. That would have been a disaster even without the hurricane. Where could you possibly put all of those people? And how would they get there? Most of them would still be stuck on the road when the storm struck, a far worse position.
This points to a huge vulnerability for modern cities. All modern cities.
This points to a huge vulnerability for modern cities. All modern cities.
They would scatter. And if they had left early, there wouldn't be jams
Would you expect all 6 million to actually leave?
An evacuation order is used not just to evacuate people. It also serves to wake people up to the severity of the situation. They are always complacent otherwise.
Would you expect all 6 million to actually leave?
An evacuation order is used not just to evacuate people. It also serves to wake people up to the severity of the situation. They are always complacent otherwise.
I wonder how the supportive comments would read, were the mayor a republican. Hmm.. Trying to visualize.
Instead of car upon car of drowned people or starving people or medically compromised people, who got stuck trying to evacuate, we have a picture of wading people, who at least have somewhere to wade to, first responders and ordinary citizens doing an amazing job of rescuing people, and services nearby for housing displaced people.
It's far easier to meet the immediate needs. It's possible to provide medical care and feed people and bring in planeloads of supplies, once airports open again.
I think the Mayor made the sane call.
It's far easier to meet the immediate needs. It's possible to provide medical care and feed people and bring in planeloads of supplies, once airports open again.
I think the Mayor made the sane call.
2
Mayor Turner had few options because those who came before him at the state and local level did not do the "urban planning" part of their jobs.
Mega-urban areas like Houston need to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the terrible damage happening now. Rebuilding exactly what has been damaged should not be automatic. New zoning, building codes and a plan for growth which includes preparation for disasters need to be in place before any reconstruction. Admittedly this will be one more huge burden on people and political systems already stretched to the limits.
If Houston and its surrounding areas are too big to evacuate, to shelter or to rescue, then urban planning to save lives in the certain future disasters requires action now. Houston's geology and the lack of control over the many open waterways within the city (however, charming they are) have become dangerous to Houston's people and to its economic future.
Organizing urban planners across the US to suggest plans for a new Houston and funding a prize for the winners would be a good first step. FEMA could include in its needed forms for benefits a short survey asking residents to think about what a future Houston should include for its residents. After the "rescue" phase, officials need to create a plan for a Houston with evacuation routes, shelters and controlled growth.
More rain will fall. Will Houston be better prepared next time?
Mega-urban areas like Houston need to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the terrible damage happening now. Rebuilding exactly what has been damaged should not be automatic. New zoning, building codes and a plan for growth which includes preparation for disasters need to be in place before any reconstruction. Admittedly this will be one more huge burden on people and political systems already stretched to the limits.
If Houston and its surrounding areas are too big to evacuate, to shelter or to rescue, then urban planning to save lives in the certain future disasters requires action now. Houston's geology and the lack of control over the many open waterways within the city (however, charming they are) have become dangerous to Houston's people and to its economic future.
Organizing urban planners across the US to suggest plans for a new Houston and funding a prize for the winners would be a good first step. FEMA could include in its needed forms for benefits a short survey asking residents to think about what a future Houston should include for its residents. After the "rescue" phase, officials need to create a plan for a Houston with evacuation routes, shelters and controlled growth.
More rain will fall. Will Houston be better prepared next time?
In this partisan era and during a tragedy when officials tend to grandstand and overplay their roles, my hat goes off to Mr. King for his honesty:
"Mr. King, the mayor’s competitor in the 2015 election, said that he fully supported the mayor’s decision not to call an evacuation order. He, too, cited the experience with Hurricane Rita."
"Mr. King, the mayor’s competitor in the 2015 election, said that he fully supported the mayor’s decision not to call an evacuation order. He, too, cited the experience with Hurricane Rita."
2
They should at least have an evacuation plan for the elderly and the disabled. They could bus them out ahead of time. The able-bodied can decide for themselves whether to leave. My 2 cents.
1
There is such a thing as partial evacuation, moving out the most vulnerable and moving people in the lowest lying areas to higher ground. It doesn't have to be all or nothing.
But simply sheltering everyone in place in the face of catastrophic flood is NOT a plan. The fact they're now risking the lives of first responders trying to evacuate folks while the storm continues is clear proof of that.
But simply sheltering everyone in place in the face of catastrophic flood is NOT a plan. The fact they're now risking the lives of first responders trying to evacuate folks while the storm continues is clear proof of that.
2
They did evacuate vulnerable... I specifically know about babies in intensive care that were flown out to different state. But you have to consider surrounding areas were effected to, people would have to start leaving waaay in advance to make it out, also in addition that would require stay in hotel for multiple days.
1
I have family in Houston. Everyone says he made a great call.
2
I agree with you, @skanda -- I have relatives in four different locations in Houston, and so far, knock on wood, no one's house has flooded, although that could change. But so far so good. All four households have maintained power.
Four blocks from my sister's house, a friend's home had water almost to the roofline (it's very close to Braes Bayou), yet my sister's house is dry, except for some water that got into the garage. So you just can't tell. Houston is huge, in a city of millions just where would all those people go? The risk of harm is much greater in a car than in a home. During hurricane Rita the evacuation caused more than 100 deaths and terrible gridlock.
Some of the complainers sound like people mad about the flooding who are trying to find a scapegoat for a natural catastrophe.
Four blocks from my sister's house, a friend's home had water almost to the roofline (it's very close to Braes Bayou), yet my sister's house is dry, except for some water that got into the garage. So you just can't tell. Houston is huge, in a city of millions just where would all those people go? The risk of harm is much greater in a car than in a home. During hurricane Rita the evacuation caused more than 100 deaths and terrible gridlock.
Some of the complainers sound like people mad about the flooding who are trying to find a scapegoat for a natural catastrophe.
1
Monday morning quarterbacks,
Please consider the nightmare of 6.5 million people on freeways, before you condemn the poor Mayor.
Please consider the nightmare of 6.5 million people on freeways, before you condemn the poor Mayor.
1
Who called for 6.5 million to evacuate? Not the governor, not the elderly lady.
A fraction of that would actually obey the order. But at least people would know the severity.
This week it was Houston that needed to be evacuated, other days it is a place where there are wildfires. As a nation that is sprawled and dependent on cars, each community needs to develop some sort of mass evaluation plan. We can't go on living like this. Businesses/jobs need to be flexible given severe weather and natural events to allow people to leave town, but not at the last minute. Also there needs to be standard shelter zones/areas, ready to absorb people who are in harms way or displaced. Perhaps state parks, colleges/universities, or military bases. Finally, if insurance companies don't want to lose money, then they need to insure places that aren't in flood zones or prone to wildfires. These aren't 100 year or 500 year events, these are annual somewhere in the USA.
In my view I may have thought he made the wrong call but just think about folks imagine the whole city of Houston getting out and all this flooding happening. There would be no way to get emergency vehicles around that city. It would be catastrophic in all aspects. So my hats off goes to you Houston Mayor.
Why is it that evacuation was a yes-or-no proposition for the entire city? Why couldn't evacuation been ordered only for the most flood-prone areas? Mayor Turner has reitered, in his defense, that this storm was highly unprecedented. But it wasn't unpredicted. In fact, it's behaved pretty much as most weather experts said it would.
2
I think Turner has done and outstanding job in considering the choices he had to make. There would have been naysayers no matter what he did. He made the right choice as 6.5 million people evacuating on freeways would have been a bigger disaster.
1
yeah... been there, done that
More people died trying to evacuate Rita than have been killed thus far in Harvey. Sadly that statement may not hold as the toll rises. RIP.
But the point is that is too many people to evacuate...
People run the gamut in their ability and good sense when it comes to when and how to evacuate, and for that matter... where to evacuate too!
Having lived through such an evacuation, I firmly believe that.
More people died trying to evacuate Rita than have been killed thus far in Harvey. Sadly that statement may not hold as the toll rises. RIP.
But the point is that is too many people to evacuate...
People run the gamut in their ability and good sense when it comes to when and how to evacuate, and for that matter... where to evacuate too!
Having lived through such an evacuation, I firmly believe that.
1
Emergencies are the one place where politics should not interfere, but it does. When Superstorm Sandy hit the NJ coast, the governor and the mayor of Atlantic City gave conflicting advice. Many people stayed in place in Atlantic City, maybe partly because of the wide media coverage of the mess at the shelters in New Orleans.
If people are unconvinced about climate change, they still have to see the need to be prudent and plan for the emergencies that seem to crop up all over the country very often. Cities need to have a way to move people quickly and there have to be enough large buildings to shelter those who can't leave, or are emergency workers.We need to start planning now , or else abandon all cities near any body of water, any fault zone, any area at risk for fire.
If people are unconvinced about climate change, they still have to see the need to be prudent and plan for the emergencies that seem to crop up all over the country very often. Cities need to have a way to move people quickly and there have to be enough large buildings to shelter those who can't leave, or are emergency workers.We need to start planning now , or else abandon all cities near any body of water, any fault zone, any area at risk for fire.
If Harvey teaches us anything it should be not to build in flood plains. Global warming means oceans are warmer by up to a couple of degrees. That's a lot of energy stored in the waters that fuel extra oomph into storms ... Harvey is a good indication that storms this century will be a lot more powerful and dump lots more water when they occur.
Even if homes on high ground remain dry, they still face disruption in electric, gas, water and sewage services possibly for extended periods. Life on the coasts will be tougher with global warming and not just from sea level rise.
Even if homes on high ground remain dry, they still face disruption in electric, gas, water and sewage services possibly for extended periods. Life on the coasts will be tougher with global warming and not just from sea level rise.
I was just thinking that, are tax payers going to fund for these people to build in same area again?
As a Los Angeleno waiting for the long anticipated “big one” to hit Southern California, I read of the trade offs between sheltering in place and mass evacuation with interest. Neither Houston nor L.A. have made the necessary improvements to infrastructure to handle the region-specific threats from Mother Nature. It is very expensive to expand roadways, increase flood resistance and retrofit buildings. There appears no appetite to pay now, so later it is.
2
The Mayor's decision was the correct one. There is simply no practical way to evacuate millions of people on a couple of days notice. The roadways aren't designed to handle that kind of capacity. And, obviously, this isn't an issue unique to Houston. The same would be true of any large metropolitan area. All of our coastal cities have the same challenge. While any loss of life is sad, the death toll of 10 so far is remarkably low for an event of this magnitude. I think the city of Houston is doing the best that could possibly be done under these circumstances.
3
There is a false choice here: to evacuate everyone or tell them to hunker in place.
Why not evacuate the areas most at-risk for flooding first, if you see a potentially huge flooding event (such as a hurricane) coming your way? Of course it would be the height of stupidity to tell the whole city to leave at once, but my question is why was this apparently the only evacuation plan considered?
To me, I see Katrina all over again: An inept local and state government that failed to adequately plan for a hurricane event. This isn't Minnesota folks, it's the Gulf Coast, so it's not even a question of if but when.
For a city like Houston, this should have been a no-brainer - just like New Orleans in 2005. Instead, I see public officials who failed on every level - to plan, prepare, and execute an orderly evacuation in the face of a deadly storm. And now they're trying to justify that failure, despite the fact that these types of hurricanes have been occurring regularly since before humans occupied the Gulf Coast, they'll say just like they said after Katrina: We didn't know it would be so bad!
No. The truth is you were told, you knew, and you still failed.
Why not evacuate the areas most at-risk for flooding first, if you see a potentially huge flooding event (such as a hurricane) coming your way? Of course it would be the height of stupidity to tell the whole city to leave at once, but my question is why was this apparently the only evacuation plan considered?
To me, I see Katrina all over again: An inept local and state government that failed to adequately plan for a hurricane event. This isn't Minnesota folks, it's the Gulf Coast, so it's not even a question of if but when.
For a city like Houston, this should have been a no-brainer - just like New Orleans in 2005. Instead, I see public officials who failed on every level - to plan, prepare, and execute an orderly evacuation in the face of a deadly storm. And now they're trying to justify that failure, despite the fact that these types of hurricanes have been occurring regularly since before humans occupied the Gulf Coast, they'll say just like they said after Katrina: We didn't know it would be so bad!
No. The truth is you were told, you knew, and you still failed.
1
Thank God the mayor did not call for a mandatory evacuation! I remember Hurricane Rita quite well. Houston was told to evacuate, and all four million people, I think, ended up on the highways in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and the inevitable happened: they stalled out and ran out of gas. They were sitting ducks for Rita, and MANY thousands of lives would have been lost had the storm hit Houston hard. Instead, Rita hit east of there. My hometown was right in the eye of the storm. But the area north, around Jasper and Kirbyville, got hit even harder because Rita lingered there for so long.
The towns hit are relatively small. Put them all together, and you still don't have anything remotely close to the population of Houston. People were able to get out but, frankly, folks in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana are accustomed to ignoring mandatory evacuations. My family certainly never evacuated, and we were typical. Hurricanes were simply a fact of life. But Houston has an entirely different kind of population and a lot more of it, and I really think the mayor made the right call. He saved lives.
If you're a new Houstonian, welcome to Southeast Texas. Land of hurricanes, unbearably high heat and humidity, and mosquitoes so thick you breathe them in. As my father used to say, the millions of tons of dirt would never have been hauled in to make the area semi-habitable had oil not been discovered there. The Treasury does not mint enough money to get me back there.
The towns hit are relatively small. Put them all together, and you still don't have anything remotely close to the population of Houston. People were able to get out but, frankly, folks in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana are accustomed to ignoring mandatory evacuations. My family certainly never evacuated, and we were typical. Hurricanes were simply a fact of life. But Houston has an entirely different kind of population and a lot more of it, and I really think the mayor made the right call. He saved lives.
If you're a new Houstonian, welcome to Southeast Texas. Land of hurricanes, unbearably high heat and humidity, and mosquitoes so thick you breathe them in. As my father used to say, the millions of tons of dirt would never have been hauled in to make the area semi-habitable had oil not been discovered there. The Treasury does not mint enough money to get me back there.
3
The knee jerk reaction, especially after Bloomberg's Hurricane Sandy total fiasco killing elderly in retirement homes along the Staten Island coast, is that you should always evacuate ahead of a hurricane, but this local perspective really opened my eyes: (warning, language, but thread is worth the read)
https://twitter.com/KamFranklin/status/901918079483080706
The most relevant is this picture of a highway gridlocked during the last evacuation completely flooded in deep:
https://twitter.com/KamFranklin/status/901922211455488000
It was a tough call where people were going to die either way, but local officials just may have saved more lives than were lost. As others pointed out, that can't be too well judged until the full extent of this disaster has played out, and this has not yet hit its worst
https://twitter.com/KamFranklin/status/901918079483080706
The most relevant is this picture of a highway gridlocked during the last evacuation completely flooded in deep:
https://twitter.com/KamFranklin/status/901922211455488000
It was a tough call where people were going to die either way, but local officials just may have saved more lives than were lost. As others pointed out, that can't be too well judged until the full extent of this disaster has played out, and this has not yet hit its worst
1
Sounds like a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking happening.. This mayor is already being backed against a wall with criticism. And he is beginning to act defensively. It is probably not a good idea to attack your mayor when the city is in crisis..
Mayor Turner was right not to evacuate. Storms fluctuate and sometimes evacuees go into the teeth of the storm when they would have been safer to shelter in place. The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans is a different case, since it is 10 feet below sea level.
This storm is an anomaly because it came, stayed, backtracked, picked up more steam, and came back. The unique nature of this storm should dissuade Monday morning quarterbacks from second-guessing, or trying to make new rules for a one-off event.
This storm is an anomaly because it came, stayed, backtracked, picked up more steam, and came back. The unique nature of this storm should dissuade Monday morning quarterbacks from second-guessing, or trying to make new rules for a one-off event.
1
Do people really need to wait for government to tell them to leave?
If you live in a flood-prone area, have the resources and flexibility, put two and two together, for yourselves.
Gov't officials faced an extremely difficult decision. Staged evacuations sound logical but once you start that, how do you stop panic evacuations?
By the way, why didn't the state and FEMA provide more high water rescue vehicles and boats?
If you live in a flood-prone area, have the resources and flexibility, put two and two together, for yourselves.
Gov't officials faced an extremely difficult decision. Staged evacuations sound logical but once you start that, how do you stop panic evacuations?
By the way, why didn't the state and FEMA provide more high water rescue vehicles and boats?
3
"Do people really need to wait for government to tell them to leave?"
YES, they do. People are always complacent. You need to hit them over the head to get them to wake up. Even then, half stay.
YES, they do. People are always complacent. You need to hit them over the head to get them to wake up. Even then, half stay.
In many areas power is out, cell phone towers are out, and people are stranded. If I were mayor I'd put priority on setting up emergency cell phone service so stranded people could at least communicate their situation.
1
This was a no win situation, but evacuating millions over a short period of time had already proven to be a bad strategy in hurricane Rita. It was a good move to have the county's leading elected Republican join with the mayor in this decision.
1
Trying relocate a entire metro area would be a logistical nightmare from having an adequate amount of gas, providing shelter, and medical care to a large displaced population. Also folks would had ignored the evacuation order anyways. Folk would rather try to hold onto their homes, sentimental items, and their way of life. Also the majority folks wouldn't have the funds to stay in a hotel, move their family, and pack their entire lives into a car. At the end of the day this was a biblical level of a disaster that would rival the Great Flood. There are no perfect solutions and even after the water recedes it will take at least a decade to fully recover from this tragedy. There are people who left their homes with the shirt on their backs and a cellphone. Even if one of us were in charge of the disaster response their would be folks criticizing our choices. Instead lets come together to donate food, water, and our time to help those in need to recover. At the end of the day, in times of crisis we are neither Republican or Democrat. We are fellow Americans that can show the world that we are stronger together in these dark times. God Bless America.
4
An evacuation plan might have been good to have for the elderly and sick within the high risk (low areas) where Harvey was set to hit first. If anything this experience will hopefully inspire better positive discussions to fund infrastructure and evacuation plans.
5
The simple fact is (for reality-based people) -- there sometimes are no good options, just less bad ones. Putting much of the population of Houston on the highway at the same time in an attempt to flee the city would be a disaster even without severe weather. No major city can safely evacuate most of its citizens when there is short warning; any evacuation would have to be tightly controlled and staged to prevent accidents and deaths. The mayor's decision seems sensible to me given the circumstances.
1
The mayor did the right thing. And unlike the mayor of New Orleans, he has not thrown up his hands and told the federal government that he has absolutely no responsibility for providing relief for his own people.
1
As every person who has regularly navigated Houston's notorious traffic knows, the city can no more be evacuated in an orderly manner, on short notice, than can NYC, L.A. or Chicago; politicians pretending otherwise are grandstanding peacocks.
The hope in most large American cities is that no single event will cover an overly wide portion of the city/county/state, to the extent rescue/recovery efforts cannot be carried out, be that event an earthquake, hurricane, or blizzard.
Any city in the country would be paralyzed if it received the equivalent of 450 to 500 inches of snow - which proceeded to immediately melt - and any official who thought putting residents on roadways to possibly be trapped in such weather is trafficking in utter foolishness.
The hope in most large American cities is that no single event will cover an overly wide portion of the city/county/state, to the extent rescue/recovery efforts cannot be carried out, be that event an earthquake, hurricane, or blizzard.
Any city in the country would be paralyzed if it received the equivalent of 450 to 500 inches of snow - which proceeded to immediately melt - and any official who thought putting residents on roadways to possibly be trapped in such weather is trafficking in utter foolishness.
3
Make that 450 to 500 inches of snow falling/immediately melting over just a 3-4 day period.
1
I'm sorry to hear about the disaster in Houston. In South Florida where I live is only 6 feet above sea level. We are are ready for flooding with many lakes and drain systems and pump stations ready to pump the water out to sea. And still can take days to get all the flooding relieved. Let's not blame the mayor. But next time let's be better prepared and have crital flood zone evacuation.
3
This is a question that will never really be answered satisfactorily for a city with millions of residents and little time to evacuate.
People will need to think for themselves. That's people who can afford to leave or stay.
And people in low-lying areas need to evacuated for little or nothing if they choose to leave.
Better yet, the nation needs to adopt a program where low-lying, flood-prone homes are purchased and demolished, with the land becoming parkland for all to enjoy.
People will need to think for themselves. That's people who can afford to leave or stay.
And people in low-lying areas need to evacuated for little or nothing if they choose to leave.
Better yet, the nation needs to adopt a program where low-lying, flood-prone homes are purchased and demolished, with the land becoming parkland for all to enjoy.
7
At least require that attics have an escape hatch and every how have an inflatable boat.
1
What these articles often state is either evacuate the entire city or don't evacuate. It is simple- I can list the neighborhoods that flood off the top of my head. Mandatory evacuations in these areas would free up resources for those who are experiencing flooding in areas where is typically does not flood. Long-term, Meyerland, Braeswood, parts of Jersey Village, along with several other neighborhoods need to be bought out (like the Brownwood subdivision was years ago) and turned into parks. Stop insuring them would help as well.
18
In the last five years, Houston has suffered the worst flooding in the country three of those five years. At this point, Houston government leadership should learn two things. First, stop building and developing every patch of prairie land and swamp land, stop kowtowing to the developers and the no zoning goes mentality, you are drowning your city and your residents. Second, if it rains in Houston it is going to flood so evacuate.
Finally, Houston clearly needs to learn from its past mistakes and start remediating some of the environmental damage it has done to itself.
Finally, Houston clearly needs to learn from its past mistakes and start remediating some of the environmental damage it has done to itself.
4
In the Harvey post-mortem the number of people who will have died while in their vehicles versus the number who died in their homes or out walking will be telling. It's a tragic scorecard to keep.
Please, not this! The mayor made the right decision. To order an evacuation for the Houston metro, think of the 6 million folks (total population of several states or 1 in 20 in the US) trying to leave a gridlocked city in 24-48 hours. Houston citizens for all their goodness in their hearts, are unfortunately not the best drivers (see Hurricane Rita stories). The roads would have been gridlocked for several hundred miles around the city tying up valuable first responders. Once the rains start, the stalled cars would be sitting ducks (pardon the pun).
Instead of looking at about a dozen lives lost so far, we would have been looking at a few hundred casualties. To people suggesting only folks in flood prone areas evacuate, think again. Once evacuation word is issued, it sends the general populace into a panic mode.
I am currently at the heart of Houston midtown Galleria area and could not be more proud of how the city responded (its citizens and the city officials). I have had power and running water with the streets dry in my locale throughout the ordeal. I know that a few blocks from me, the streets are flooded but people all around me are currently safe by staying put.
Let us get through this instead of sowing seeds of doubt in the minds of people.
Instead of looking at about a dozen lives lost so far, we would have been looking at a few hundred casualties. To people suggesting only folks in flood prone areas evacuate, think again. Once evacuation word is issued, it sends the general populace into a panic mode.
I am currently at the heart of Houston midtown Galleria area and could not be more proud of how the city responded (its citizens and the city officials). I have had power and running water with the streets dry in my locale throughout the ordeal. I know that a few blocks from me, the streets are flooded but people all around me are currently safe by staying put.
Let us get through this instead of sowing seeds of doubt in the minds of people.
24
If you are running away from a threat shouldn't you have idea it won't follow you or be where you're going? We Americans propensity is to find fault in wake of calamity as though solutions follow as in television endings.
Here's the problem: as early as 08/23/17, the National Weather service was predicting 40 inches of rain. The mayor knew that the town would flood- on 08/23/17 he could have started moving the elderly and medically fragile people to facilities out of the area. He and the governor should have opened availible military bases, and mustered as much national guard assistance as possible. Then on Thursday, he should have started calling for people to evacuate, again borrowing other states police, etc. to facilitate an orderly progress. On Friday, 08/24/17, the Weather service was stating 6 days of rain, and flooding-at that point, mandatory evacuations should have started. I am not an expert, just someone who believes in science, reads/watches several news sources, and know the vast resources that could have been used but were not.
2
Two days before landfall is not enough time to evacuate.
1
24-48 hours is absolutely insufficient to evacuate the Houston metro. The only direction people could evacuate safely would be to the north towards Dallas. San Antonio, Austin to the west and New Orleans towards the east are in the path of Harvey.
Trying to get atleast 2+ million people on a two lane highway trying to make their way to Dallas would be foolhardy at best and criminally negligent at worst.
Trying to get atleast 2+ million people on a two lane highway trying to make their way to Dallas would be foolhardy at best and criminally negligent at worst.
2
You can't evacuate 6 million people, across a 250 mile area with out weeks of preparation, extra vehicles and extra gas. This is not a blame situation or a partisan situation.
4
They could have done it by zones.
Exactly, some areas must be more prone to flooding than others and they should have been evacuated.
That seems very obvious.
The mayor lost his gamble with the severity of the storm.
Exactly, some areas must be more prone to flooding than others and they should have been evacuated.
That seems very obvious.
The mayor lost his gamble with the severity of the storm.
5
Seems very obvious from Toronto? From Houston's perspective, the Mayor did the absolute right thing. All of Houston is prone to flooding. Evacuating millions with the timeframe in play would have resulted in more deaths (like it did during Rita).
1
Under the circumstances, not evacuating was the best move. You probably would have had thousands of people stranded on highways that ended up under several feet of water. While it's sad that many people will have badly damaged homes, might now be the time to think of planning a newer city better able to cope with the next major storm? They should not simply build the same thing over again and hope it doesn't rain.
9
No winning - if you put 4 million people into a traffic jam there will be a lot of fatalities from accidents, road rage, mechanical failures, exposure...
3
That's why you start the evacuation on 08/23/17, not 8/25/17.
1
I don't know whether Mayor Turner did the right thing or not. I do know
that -- given a choice between him and our current President to deal with North Korea -- I'd pick Mayor Turner in a New York minute.
that -- given a choice between him and our current President to deal with North Korea -- I'd pick Mayor Turner in a New York minute.
25
While I agree that a mass evacuation would have produced its own catastrophe, I would like to know the extent to which the current and each previous mayor is complicit in Houston's lack of storm prep though in paving over wetlands that could mitigate plumbing while relying on mechanical solutions basically designed to fail under predictable storms.
1
Look at the developers instead.
Evacuate as early as possible or stay at your own risk. Telling people to stay and tough it out was as dumb as it gets. Start the process a week ahead of time. Even if it becomes a false alarm, so what but this was predicted well in advance. Stuff can be replaced.
3
I live in Houston. There was not a week's notice with any degree of certainty. There were models and predictions, and the only one came true. And the people of Houston are used to hurricanes and floods, and know how quickly things change. They would not have evacuated a week before, and you cannot evacuate millions of people in a couple of days without risking more lives. Let's focus on rescue and recovery and second guessing.
1
Mayor Sylvester Turner seems wise, informed, reality based and well spoken. I hope he will continue in public office after this disaster. There is another disaster in Washington that could use his talent.
4
A lot of folks have been using the Rita evacuation as a reason not to evacuate. Well, Rita was twelve years ago. That's twelve years in which the problems experienced during the Rita evacuation could have been rectified.
Looks like the politicians in DC are not the only politicians who have been doing nothing.
Also, some of the folks who are in Houston and have supported the mayor's decision are all alive. Let's wait until the end of this event, and the full toll on humans has been determined. Let's wait and see how many houses get messages painted on them that say "one dead in the attic."
And what's going to happen when the folks who are still in place run out of food, or the Houston water supply becomes contaminated? (Hope everyone has a good supply of batteries for their transistor radios.)
This disaster hasn't played out yet. Let's wait until the end to render judgement on whether Mr. Turner's decision was the correct one.
Looks like the politicians in DC are not the only politicians who have been doing nothing.
Also, some of the folks who are in Houston and have supported the mayor's decision are all alive. Let's wait until the end of this event, and the full toll on humans has been determined. Let's wait and see how many houses get messages painted on them that say "one dead in the attic."
And what's going to happen when the folks who are still in place run out of food, or the Houston water supply becomes contaminated? (Hope everyone has a good supply of batteries for their transistor radios.)
This disaster hasn't played out yet. Let's wait until the end to render judgement on whether Mr. Turner's decision was the correct one.
2
Agreed that the debacle of the Rita evacuation should have spurred better evac plans. OTOH, Rita caused a 100 mile traffic jam and gridlock with cars running out of gas and being abandoned. Pictures of Harvey flooding have shown interchanges under water-if there had been gridlock, the number of deaths is unthinkable.
1
Natural disasters are always possible.
Now we have climate change in play.
People are going to need to start thinking about where they live, how they live and begin planning differently.
Hearts and prayers to Houston.
We can no longer live wherever we want and expect things to be ok. Nordic countries have been working for a long time to shore up their communities with great success.
Wash DC has made the wrong call on the environment, but cities will increasingly blame or praise their mayors.
Now we have climate change in play.
People are going to need to start thinking about where they live, how they live and begin planning differently.
Hearts and prayers to Houston.
We can no longer live wherever we want and expect things to be ok. Nordic countries have been working for a long time to shore up their communities with great success.
Wash DC has made the wrong call on the environment, but cities will increasingly blame or praise their mayors.
4
OK, fine, there was no evacuation order. I wouldn't have evacuated if there was (didn't during Rita, nor Ike), because as many below have pointed out, evacuating is not risk-free. Although I thankfully didn't know anyone who got hurt personally, I did have a friend lose both of her dogs to the heat trying to leave ahead of Rita. So, I'd stay put. But here's the thing: not having an evacuation order stops NO ONE from leaving -- and plenty did ahead of Harvey. If I were, or had relatives who were, in the high-risk group, I might leave. And Mayor Turner and Ed Emmet, I promise you, would not have tried to stop me. Let's let the people who have to leave, leave, without having to fight the other six million on the highways.
36
And the people who can't leave because they're home bound or lack transportation? Does the city provide for them and their pets if an evacuation is not mandatory? Or even if it is?
Really? You think the most often flooded city in the US should have a *GASP* plan for how to evacuate the most flood prone sections when the forecast shows a 40" rain event for the entire region? Seems pretty radical to me. You might also spend some money to fix the two dams that are there to help protect the city, they work better when they are in good shape. Or is it cheaper to flood the citizens and make them pay?
10
And what politician would ever get elected if he promised to raise taxes to fix two dams that may never be needed? Same goes for that same politician who also promises to come up with a plan to evacuate 5 million people. I agree with your last point about it being cheaper to flood the citizens. But how about those low taxes?
The perfect is the enemy of the good. As others have noted, at least those living on or near flood plains should have been told to consider going to high ground. The NWS was earning of record flooding last Wednesday. at least give those people a choice rather than putting their lives at risk.
4
The mayor is a fool. In New York, watching the news, I knew about this almost a week before the storm happened. They didn't hear about this in Houston?
People should have been encouraged to evacuate. Now people and their rescuers are seriously at risk. Deaths have occurred. Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?
When this blows over, Houstonians, impeach this dolt.
People should have been encouraged to evacuate. Now people and their rescuers are seriously at risk. Deaths have occurred. Isn't it better to be safe than sorry?
When this blows over, Houstonians, impeach this dolt.
5
You're in NY? I'm in Houston. A week before there were various models with various predictions and degrees of certainty. No one would have evacuated a week before with such low levels of certainty for which model would prevail. Houston has been through this before and knows that things change and they change fast. We were told to prepare for the worst and we did. Some prepared by evacuating, others prepared by sheltering in place. Now we are helping each other. Putting millions on the road would result in greater loss of life as it has in the past.
When the Houston mayor said the weather service did not know where the hurricane would go, and it was just a rain event Saturday, my intelligence was insulted. Thursday I knew in Reston VA, NOAA was predicting 24" and the Euro model was 50-60 inches for metro Houston. So often the Europeans are right, and they are on track to be right about this storm.
Houston's bayou system failed with 10" of rain April 2016 so common sense would tell people to leave town for Harvey. The problem is, there is no way to get 4 million people out of a metropolitan area with nowhere to direct them to. Over 100 died during evacuation during Rita, so I can't be angry about the mayor's political posturing about this situation. He wanted people calm as he could not keep them safe, so he artfully spoke (lied) to the public.
Either you drown in your house or you drown on the freeway. Houston is not a retirement destination for me now!
Houston's bayou system failed with 10" of rain April 2016 so common sense would tell people to leave town for Harvey. The problem is, there is no way to get 4 million people out of a metropolitan area with nowhere to direct them to. Over 100 died during evacuation during Rita, so I can't be angry about the mayor's political posturing about this situation. He wanted people calm as he could not keep them safe, so he artfully spoke (lied) to the public.
Either you drown in your house or you drown on the freeway. Houston is not a retirement destination for me now!
19
But all of Houston is not created equal. They should by now know just where the most flood-prone vulnerable areas are and have ordered evacuations for those parts of Houston. That would seem to me to make the most sense. I don't live there but here we have vulnerable low-lying areas along the river and then higher elevations that are safer in a storm. I know Houston is different but still there has to be known flood prone areas and others that are not prone to flooding. This would have cut way down on the numbers taking to the roads to leave yet have evacuated the areas most endangered.
2
How nice to be sitting high and dry in Virginia throwing barbs our way. Give our Mayor a break and think about how you can help all those in need!
1
The reason the Euro models work better in climate forecasting is that the US Government cut the budget for NOAA satellites. Weather forecast models are highly sensitive to input data and the Europeans have invested in collecting more atmospheric and ocean data using advanced satellites. That means more accurate medium range forecasts!! Time to invest in intelligence not walls.
1
It's so easy to be a critic. They had prior experience with evacuations not working and even becoming a disaster of its own. Low lying area residents no doubt already knew they were living in a high risk zone. Public officials are only able to do so much and the choice here was damned if you do, damned if you don't. When push comes to shove none of us have any idea what the "right thing to do" actually would be other than attend to the lack of wetlands, the destruction of the protective sponge of trees and water along the coast and start to believe in the importance of the natural environment in handling weather events. Nature, as always, endures.
41
"Low lying area residents no doubt already knew they were living in a high risk zone." If the low lying areas were evacuated, though, those people who had no way of leaving could have been bused out. Employing buses in this way could have diminished the number of cars on the highways. Even an internal evacuation system where the highest ground was identified and some accommodations set up would have been better than trying to rescue people from their attics and roofs.
The mayor did what he could given that Houston was not well prepared for this disaster. Part of the problem is that the built environment was not designed to handle a storm such as Harvey. The Obama administration put in place a policy to see that rebuilding is done with an eye toward preparing for the next disaster. Unfortunately, the Trump administration reversed that policy a couple of weeks ago. As it now stands, when history repeats in Houston, the mayor may not be to blame, but Trump will have set up the city for failure.
34
He actively discouraged residents from leaving, even if they had misgivings or a history of flooding. STAY PUT, he said. Hard to imagine, but there are still a few folks out there who put faith in what their politicians tell them. Hindsight is 20/20, but clearly such insistent instructions to ignore your own judgement are ill-advised as a matter of principle.
7
A terrible mess either way you play it. This city floods far too fast with all the concrete. These poor people will be just like the poor people of New Orleans.
The unspoken of devil is the rising temperatures in the Gulf and the cities on the Gulf. This was like a monsoon in India.
The unspoken of devil is the rising temperatures in the Gulf and the cities on the Gulf. This was like a monsoon in India.
6
Before Hurricane Ike, the then mayor of Houston ordered an evacuation, it ended up being hours of grid lock, people getting killed in traffic accidents and people being stranded when they ran out of gas. The Houston region, including surrounding counties, contains over 5 million people. It would be like Governor Cuomo ordering an evacuation of Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk on Long Island. Instead of going north, out of Houston, it would be west getting off Long Island. Like Long Island, Houston mostly flat.
I grew up on Long Island, and lived in Houston, and I have seen flooding events in both places.
By the way, Harvey became a major surprise. No one expected the storm to intensify into a category 4 hurricane and stay where it has fro just about week. At least with Ike, there was enough warning. Harvey, it struck with little warning. There was no way you could get people out of harms way in time. People would have died as the storm hit.
It was a tough decision for Mayor Turner. But, considering what happened with Ike, he chose the better of two terrible choices.
Finally, many who have died in Harvey did so because they got on roads and drove through flood waters. Some of the rescues I saw, live feeds from KHOU and KTRK (Houston TV, were people who drove into high water and it just so happen that people were near by to recuse them. Including some reporters in teh field.
I grew up on Long Island, and lived in Houston, and I have seen flooding events in both places.
By the way, Harvey became a major surprise. No one expected the storm to intensify into a category 4 hurricane and stay where it has fro just about week. At least with Ike, there was enough warning. Harvey, it struck with little warning. There was no way you could get people out of harms way in time. People would have died as the storm hit.
It was a tough decision for Mayor Turner. But, considering what happened with Ike, he chose the better of two terrible choices.
Finally, many who have died in Harvey did so because they got on roads and drove through flood waters. Some of the rescues I saw, live feeds from KHOU and KTRK (Houston TV, were people who drove into high water and it just so happen that people were near by to recuse them. Including some reporters in teh field.
25
There were forecasts for massive rain 48 hours before a drop fell. It is the most often flooded city in the US. And all 8 million people don't have to leave, and even those who evacuate their homes down have to get on the highway. They can stay with a friend, neighbor, hotel or shelter that is higher.
4
John,
If you never been to Long Island or Houston, it is not that simple. A massive evacuation of either place would have taken much longer than 48 hours.
By the way, Long Island Lighting Company spent billions to build a nuclear power plant in Shoreham; north shore, Long Island, Suffolk County. They never opened the plant. Why? It was shown that it would be impossible to quickly, and orderly, evacuate Long Island and southern Connecticut, if there was something like Three Mile Island or worse. They went bankrupt. To this day Long Island pays some of the highest electric rate sin the country.
As for Houston, you have I-10, I-45, US 59 and US290.
I-10 west could not be used; it went into teh storm.
I-10 east sends you to New Orleans
US 59 is only a freeway between Cleveland and Rooseburg.
US 59 South takes you to teh storm, US59 north take syou atwo lane road.
US290 is only a freeway until you get near ryan-College Station. It then becomes a 4 lane, than 2 lane, and back to 4 lane road to Austin.
That leaves only I45 north to Dallas. I45 south takes you to the Gulf.
So, 48 hours to get people out would have crowded I45 North or I10 east.
As for "height", Houston heights is 50 feet above sea level, the rest is at sea level. East of Houston is an off shoot of Galveston Bay. Meaning I10 east could also flood, and has.
That leaves only I45 north.
Houston would have need much more than 48 hours to get people out.
If you never been to Long Island or Houston, it is not that simple. A massive evacuation of either place would have taken much longer than 48 hours.
By the way, Long Island Lighting Company spent billions to build a nuclear power plant in Shoreham; north shore, Long Island, Suffolk County. They never opened the plant. Why? It was shown that it would be impossible to quickly, and orderly, evacuate Long Island and southern Connecticut, if there was something like Three Mile Island or worse. They went bankrupt. To this day Long Island pays some of the highest electric rate sin the country.
As for Houston, you have I-10, I-45, US 59 and US290.
I-10 west could not be used; it went into teh storm.
I-10 east sends you to New Orleans
US 59 is only a freeway between Cleveland and Rooseburg.
US 59 South takes you to teh storm, US59 north take syou atwo lane road.
US290 is only a freeway until you get near ryan-College Station. It then becomes a 4 lane, than 2 lane, and back to 4 lane road to Austin.
That leaves only I45 north to Dallas. I45 south takes you to the Gulf.
So, 48 hours to get people out would have crowded I45 North or I10 east.
As for "height", Houston heights is 50 feet above sea level, the rest is at sea level. East of Houston is an off shoot of Galveston Bay. Meaning I10 east could also flood, and has.
That leaves only I45 north.
Houston would have need much more than 48 hours to get people out.
2
I did predict a Cat 4 - and I'm not a meteorologist. Simply living in the area for so many years gives one enough experience to know a major hurricane/disaster in the making. I was prepped by Tuesday last week. The mayor's office knew as well. They simply didn't want the panic.
1
Despite bands of shifting rain, the flood plains are the flood plains.
And the areas prone to flooding are certainly well known in Houston.
With catastrophic and unprecedented rain by all predictions, these low lying areas should certainly have been evacuated.
That doesn't mean a general evacuation, and the self-reliant Houstonians would certainly understand the difference and the reasoning.
And the areas prone to flooding are certainly well known in Houston.
With catastrophic and unprecedented rain by all predictions, these low lying areas should certainly have been evacuated.
That doesn't mean a general evacuation, and the self-reliant Houstonians would certainly understand the difference and the reasoning.
26
You're in Boston? I'm in Houston. It's all low lying and even meteorologists said they couldn't predict which areas would be flooded in a timely enough manner for the mass evacuation of millions of people. We've been through hurricanes and floods. Evacuating a city this large takes time (way ahead of accurate predictions) and would cause more deaths (think Rita). Instead of second guessing people who know more than you do, do something that is actually helpful.
Do you think all of these folks would be making a fuss if the Mayor was white rather than Black? I don't! But lets take a look at it! So far, only ten fatalities in one of the worst disasters of the last century, and in the fourth largest city in the U.S. All things considered, I'd say he did an outstanding job. But, then again, we live at a time when folks like the mayor, with dark complexions, are routinely being killed by the very folks who are supposed to be protecting them. So maybe we have lots to be thankful for, including the sound logistical thinking of Mayor Turner- thinking that has spared hundreds (maybe thousands) of lives.
9
I think the mayor made the right decision. But if was a Republican , most of the media would be destroying his future for the pictures we are seeing on our televisions
4
Oh give it a rest already with the identity politics. If everyone were as racist as you say, he wouldn't have been elected in the first place. To answer your question: YES of course he'd have been subjected to scrutiny had he been white and there is ALWAYS a "should have could have would have" moment after any tragedy.
6
This just gets old. I would expect way more than ten fatalities when all is over and no, his race doesn't likely matter to anyone(other than you of course).
How do you evacuate millions or even just hundreds of thousand people? Where do you send them? If you send them to Austin or San Antonio what happens if Harvey heads in that direction rather than to Houston.
I think there is no good answer here.
I think there is no good answer here.
18
Throwing you hands up solves nothing. There is no doubt that in the most often flooded city in the US people should have their own plan. People in low areas should have a higher friend, neighbor, family member, shelter, to go to. People on high ground should have a list of people they will shelter and supplies for that. This isn't curing cancer. The city should have a plan for people to evacuate certain low areas, and restrict highway access to those people and emergency vehicles. They can use contra flow to speed evacuations. They could invest in infrastructure, like the dams that are on the verge of failing. Apparently they were rated among the 6 worst dams in the entire country. But no worries, they only protect the most flooded city and it's inhabitants from storms like this. Oh, and in the last 5 years apparently Houston has had a 100 year flood, 500 year flood and 800 year flood. To quote the Princes Bride... I do not think that word means what you think it means. Climate change is real, the US Navy that liberal organization is raising all it's piers and docks around the world. Perhaps the cities that are home to 60 million people below 10 meters should consider similar measures, or move.
13
Alan, they're having to go somewhere now.
That is what listening to scientists,making a plan, using reciprocal services, federal help, and acting on 08/23/17 not when its flooding. You could move the most vulnerable to safety, They already knew where Harvey was headed.
Houston Metro encompasses 600 square miles. Telling residents to evacuate would almost certainly resulted in mass drownings as gridlocked highways became surging rivers.
22
You don't need to evacuate 8 million people. You just need to move the people in the low spots to the high spots. This plan should already exist for the most flooded city in the US. I bet 90% of the people who were flooded have dry homes within a half a mile.
3
How about a plan that identifies locations in each neighborhood that could be used as a shelter for those in the area. Put people in a safe place close by, rather than have them go many miles away. Develop safe zones that can be used for shelter. Since it is impossible to move millions of people out of the danger zones, establish safe zones within the danger zones.
1
Mayor Turner absolutely made the right call in not ordering mandatory evacuation. As previous commenters have mentioned, anyone was free to self-evacuate if they felt the threat to their person or property from the storm was sufficient to warrant it. My family has weathered four days of storm in an almost entirely dry house; there would have been no need for us to leave.
57
"Bill Kelly, the mayor’s director of government relations, said that Mr. Turner’s reaction to the governor’s words was one of 'immediate concern,' and he moved quickly to send out Twitter messages that again urged residents to stay home."
Yes, it is a dilemma - for the mayor and for individuals. The poorest have no place to go and no way to get away. They do our dirty work for little pay and are the people The Con Don wants to get rid of.
There used to be natural storm barriers along the gulf but as developers and people became more greedy - and regulations that protected the natural barrier lands were decimated - these storms are allowed to run their course of destruction.
Greed destroys. WE THE PEOPLE must demand that greed be seriously regulated because OUR lives are the ones destroyed for the sake of profit for a few.
NOW is the time to elect people who care more about saving OUR lives, environment and social/economic justice for ALL Americans as they do today's destructive "markets".
There used to be natural storm barriers along the gulf but as developers and people became more greedy - and regulations that protected the natural barrier lands were decimated - these storms are allowed to run their course of destruction.
Greed destroys. WE THE PEOPLE must demand that greed be seriously regulated because OUR lives are the ones destroyed for the sake of profit for a few.
NOW is the time to elect people who care more about saving OUR lives, environment and social/economic justice for ALL Americans as they do today's destructive "markets".
15
Ron, of the Ron and Don talk radio show on KIRO radio in Seattle, said yesterday that Mexican soldiers helped out with Katrina and are helping out in Texas right now. I haven't seen or heard any other reporting of it and hope there will be some.
It's important that, as The Con Don tries to spread hate-anger-fear, we learn of all the good things our neighbors to the North and South are doing to help us. The vast majority of people in the world want to live in peace. WE must not let our supposed "leaders" create the kind of world they envision - the 5th/15th century model they seem to love. Kings and peons - NO.
It's important that, as The Con Don tries to spread hate-anger-fear, we learn of all the good things our neighbors to the North and South are doing to help us. The vast majority of people in the world want to live in peace. WE must not let our supposed "leaders" create the kind of world they envision - the 5th/15th century model they seem to love. Kings and peons - NO.
10
I've seen no coverage of the role of individual responsibility in the decision whether to evacuate. Those of us living in this area have plenty of opportunity to assess how quickly our own neighborhood floods, whether our homes tend to take in water in heavy rain, etc. I have a sturdy house built in the late 1950s and have been fine; have not even lost power. Biggest threat in my neighborhood is potential damage from very large old trees in high wind, which turned out not to be a factor in this storm. We need to learn from this experience and invest in practical improvements, but the political blame game helps no one.
39
Tell that to the old people in the water in the nursing home...
Sitting here in my high and dry house here in Houston (so dang lucky!!) wishing all the arm chair quarterbacks out there would just zip it re. our Mayor. What a thankless task he has. If you didn't live through the debacle which was the Rita evacuation, you have NO idea what you are talking about.
78
The two technitions started to argue with each other about who did and did not do something. The Captain intervined (not a direct quote), 'Look the two of you can continue to argue but fifeteen minutes from now the same problem(s) will still exist. So stop your belly aching and work the problem.'