Louisiana Gridlock-Hurricane Ivan- would you do it again?

[cajungal]

I know when Louisiana went under a hurricane warning with Ivan, lots started to leave. Lots from Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish and the New Orleans area. Only to get stuck in grid lock for hours upon hours not going anywhere. Some gave up and just returned home. We were going to leave. I live in Terrebonne Parish and my parents were scared and did not want to take any chances. They were trying to force me to leave with them. We never left for any hurricane threat before. We always stuck it out. We were going to go to my grandparents house in central Louisiana. (A small rural town about 30 minutes south of Alexandria.) Now, we know that will no longer be an option since they moved to the Mississippi coast and sold the house. But, anyway, we waited too long and never did leave after all. Just wanted to hear everyone's opinion. If it happens again like this hurricane season or in the future, would you do it again? Would love to hear feedback.

[Rainband]

better to leave 10 times that you didn't have to then to stay the one time you should have left!!

[vbhoutex]

If I were in an area that needed to evacuate and I was told to I would. No waiting till the last minute though. If one does that(wait), especially in areas South of NO then I hope you have a high place picked out somewhere that will be safe. I agree with Rainband. I am not in an area that would be told to evacuate, but I probably would at least send my family packing if a CAT5 was headed into Houston.

[cycloneye]

If San Juan gets threatened by a cat 3 or higher I will definitly evacuate from the condo where I live now to a safe place an uncles house where is safe from floods or to a shelter.And I will not waste time doing so not waiting for the last minute.

[MGC]

People in South La should get out if at all possible if another Ivan intensity hurricane looks to be headed your way. Considering how grid locked the roads were during Ivan I'd consider leaving earlier and beat the rush. It was quite obvious that counter-flow didn't work and the Mississippi River Bridge in Baton Rouge is a major bottle neck.....MGC

[cajungal]

I don't live in a mandatory evacuation zone. But, I do live 60 miles southwest of New Orleans. About 30 miles inland in a brick home. If it was a 4 or a 5 that looked like it was definitly coming our way, I would probably consider leaving. Except the store where I work does not even want to close for a hurricane. No matter how bad the storm is. They only closed 1 hour before Andrew hit. Only because the doors would not stay closed. The wind was so strong that the doors were flying open and debris was flying everywhere. We were getting hurricane force winds here hours before Andrew hit. We lost power about 30 minutes after the first feederband hit. So, I don't even know how they had power. I was only 16 and was still in high school and not working there for Andrew. I am just referring to the stories that the other employees told me. But, if it was between my job and my life. I would choose my life. You could always get another job but you can't replace your life. And if any company would fire you for evacuating, you could have a lawsuit. I could see working at the hospital. But, there is nothing at Sears that is life essential.

[Derek Ortt]

I live in zone B, glad to say I ignored the foolish evac of Dade for Frances, but almost did leave for Jeanne


If there is a direct hit of a major, I will either remain on the Rickenbacker (probably will this year) or will mkae a last minute evac

[depotoo]

Derek - you of all people i would think would know you should leave - you are not setting much of an example here ya know??? lol

[Kennethb]

The state of Louisiana will need to make a very convincing effort to the public that they have improved the evacuation procedures. The next time New Orleans is threatend, people will think about those many hours on the road and think a little longer about whether to evacuate.

I was in the quagmire and it was not very well planned. The contra flow needs to be on Hwy 90 and I-10 to at least Lafayette, I-55 to Jackson, and I-59 to at least Hattisburg.

Law enforcement needs to be placed at crucial intersections to keep the trafffic flowing like Hammond did.

[Derek Ortt]

the evac showed Pinellas' incompetence. No part of dade needed to be evacuated as no hurricane warning was justified for Dade.

I almost did make a last second run for Key West during Jeanne and would have had it wobbled south instead of north (had my roomatte not been here, I would have stayed, but wont risk someone else's life)

[depotoo]

If there is a direct hit of a major, I will either remain on the Rickenbacker (probably will this year) or will mkae a last minute evac

that's the statement i'm referring to! lol you are right miami dade did not need to evacuate - amazing how much they got from fema isn't it??? but that's another story! lol

[sunny]

You put a major hurricane in the Gulf and tell New Orleanians we are threathened - they will hot-tail it out of here so fast your head would spin. Yes, a lot of people complained and said "I'm not leaving again". I've heard it before. And those same people left for Ivan. They will leave next time as well.

The thing that people do need to learn is that the Interstate is not the only way out of this city! There are other roads! I left the city at 1 pm the day of the evacuation. The Interstate was grid-locked. I did 60 all the way to Baton Rouge.

Another thing that you have to take into consideration with the Ivan evacuation is the amout of time we were given. It would take 72 hours to properly evacuate New Orleans. We were given 24 hours. An evacuation by nature is not going to go smoothly. These circumstances made it that much more difficult.

[sunny]

I don't live in a mandatory evacuation zone. But, I do live 60 miles southwest of New Orleans. About 30 miles inland in a brick home. If it was a 4 or a 5 that looked like it was definitly coming our way, I would probably consider leaving. Except the store where I work does not even want to close for a hurricane. No matter how bad the storm is. They only closed 1 hour before Andrew hit. Only because the doors would not stay closed. The wind was so strong that the doors were flying open and debris was flying everywhere. We were getting hurricane force winds here hours before Andrew hit. We lost power about 30 minutes after the first feederband hit. So, I don't even know how they had power. I was only 16 and was still in high school and not working there for Andrew. I am just referring to the stories that the other employees told me. But, if it was between my job and my life. I would choose my life. You could always get another job but you can't replace your life. And if any company would fire you for evacuating, you could have a lawsuit. I could see working at the hospital. But, there is nothing at Sears that is life essential.

It is my understanding that a company cannot fire you if we are under a hurricane warning and told to evacuate. They CAN force you to use your personal time, but they cannot fire you.

[jeff]

If you live in the Houston/Galveston area, you need to learn your elevation above sea level and know your evacuation route. If we do not start moving people at 33 hours prior to the arrival of 40mph winds we will not get everyone out. Everyone cannot wait until 24 hours before landfall to start evacuating. The most astounding fact I recently learned is the lack of public knowledge of the surge danger and areas that will be flooded in SE TX.

Simply put when a cat 3 or higher strikes this area again it is going to be very bad, as the population has doubled since Alica and it is those folks who do not understand the danger. Shadow or panic evacuation of inland residents will only complicate the lead times.

For Galveston the decision to go or not will be made 42 to 38 hours prior to the arrival of TS force winds to give TXDOT time to prepare area roadways for evacuation.

[vbhoutex]

The thing that people do need to learn is that the Interstate is not the only way out of this city! There are other roads! I left the city at 1 pm the day of the evacuation. The Interstate was grid-locked. I did 60 all the way to Baton Rouge.

I bet I know the route you took too, but I can't tell you what the numbers are for sure. Is it HWY 61?

If you live in the Houston/Galveston area, you need to learn your elevation above sea level and know your evacuation route. If we do not start moving people at 33 hours prior to the arrival of 40mph winds we will not get everyone out. Everyone cannot wait until 24 hours before landfall to start evacuating. The most astounding fact I recently learned is the lack of public knowledge of the surge danger and areas that will be flooded in SE TX.

You are so right Jeff!!! It is incredible how many people here do no realize that even though they are not "close" to the coast that the surge will cause their area to flood. Last time I saw the maps I believe for a CAT5 coming in at the right angle areas as far as 21 miles inland would be inundated and if you talk about the bayous and rivers and how they will back up it is MUCH WORSE! It is basically the same scenario in many areas of Southern Louisiana as far as inundation is concerned.

[sunny]

The thing that people do need to learn is that the Interstate is not the only way out of this city! There are other roads! I left the city at 1 pm the day of the evacuation. The Interstate was grid-locked. I did 60 all the way to Baton Rouge.

I bet I know the route you took too, but I can't tell you what the numbers are for sure. Is it HWY 61?

No, we took 3127! It took us 3 hours because we did hit traffic once we got into Baton Rouge.

[MSRobi911]

A lot of the problem in the evacuation for Ivan was all the people from MS/AL going to Baton Rouge because there were no hotels in North MS left open............Ivan was the first time I ever evacuated, I even stayed during Camille which hit Gulfport, approximately 40 miles west of Pascagoula. I was all of 14 years old, but my Mother, older Sister, older Brother all worked for the hospital and had to stay. My Dad worked for Moss Point School System and he had to stay there....so my little brother and I were "orfaned" with the rest of the "families"...mostly dads and kids because at that time most nurses were females, in the physical therapy department of Singing River Hospital....it was fun! Met some cute boys....hahahahaha...remember being 14, OK.......my mom worked in Dietary and she called and had them tell me and my little brother to go to the kitchen to get some food.....had a screaming fight with a nurse in an elevator......she told me no one was in the kitchen at that hour of the morning.....I looked at her and asked.....Well who do you think is going to cook breakfast for all the patients in this hospital?, DA Nurse....she still didn't believe me and "escorted" my brother and myself to the kitchen in a huff.....she was truly surprised to see the kitchen full of people working and to find out that my mother was really there....I guess she thought the food just "appeared".........I will never forget that.....then 2 weeks with no power and sleeping on the screedned in porch on a mattress because it was soooooo hot after the storm.

Anway we headed North to above Meridian and then couldn't get home for 24 hours cause Ivan ran up the state line..........it was over in Pascagoula when it was just getting started good in Porterville. They said Highway 49 was bumper to bumper and it took some people 8 hours to get from Gulfport to Jackson.....so I think I will probably stay unless its gonna be a Cat 4 or higher......Thank goodness it took that small turn to the East or Pascagoula would have been in big time trouble.

[sunny]

A few people I know ended up in Memphis. I won't argue that it was a mess. When people get scared and nervous, it's hard to think straight.

My sisters and I sat down at the beginning of hurricane season last year and put a plan in place of how we would handle an evacuation, should the order come down. My oldest brother-in-law is a supervisor at a chemical plant, and he always has to stay. My other brother-in-law is a tow boat captain, he always has to move his boat. So it is left to the women. So when the evacuation order DID come down, we knew where we were going and how we would get there. And it worked! I also have my "evacuation list" I created after Andrew, things I want to make sure that I do, things I want to make sure I bring. Because I'll tell you Mary, I panic big time. But with our plan already in place, we made out pretty good.

But another thing that happened made me realize how good people are. We have an office in Houston, and when they heard that some people here were having trouble getting hotel rooms, every last one of them opened their homes to people here in the NO office. I thought that was pretty darn good!

[cajungal]

My parents were dead set on leaving at first. They took forever to board up the house. We don't have storm shutters and we have a lot of windows. So it took hours. I still live with my parents at age 28. Kind of embarrasing, but right now at my job I don't make enough to live on my own. Anyway, they were screaming at me to leave with them even if they had to drag me by my hair. They wanted me to go to my grandparents home 30 minutes south of Alexandria. That is normally almost a 4 hour drive. I did not want to go. I told them that I was going to ride it out with my friends who live a mile up the highway from my neighborhood. Yet, they were treating me like a little child trying to force me to go with them. They never, ever left for a hurricane before. They both went through Betsy and Andrew. I knew that the hurricane was not even going to hit here. I knew that it would go further east and not even affect us. My mom and dad took so long procrastinating about leaving. Took so long boarding the house and they never even packed a bag. Just gathered up the important papers. Even if Ivan hit us, I know the surge would not reach us. Maybe up to downtown Houma but that is about it. And we live 10 miles north of Houma. The Houma-Thibodaux area has been dodging hurricanes for years. That is why a lot of people don't leave. We go under a warning and it always go somewhere else at the last minute. We have not dealt with hurricane winds to almost 13 years ago for Andrew here. And now we are 20 miles closer to the gulf than we were for Andrew due to coastal erosion. And New Orleans has been dodging them for years too. They have not really had anything bad since Betsy in 1965. And that is quite a long time. How long could our luck here possibly last? I know it won't be forever. I don't know what we would do next time. My grandparents sold the house in central Louisiana. Now, they live in Kiln, Mississippi. And that is not far enough inland to be safe. And I would never leave my precious Yorkshire Terrier behind. She is 13 years old now and I still love her to death. She rode out Andrew with me as a 7-month old puppy. She was so scared of the howling winds. That my mom had to hold her all night. We never did end up leaving after all.

[Lindaloo]

I evacuated up I-65 heading for Georgia. All four lanes of 65 were open to northbound traffic only. I was the only one that exited to get on 85 though. lol. It was smooth sailing from there. The traffic on both sides of the interstate were smooth and everyone was obeying the laws. Felt weird driving northbound in the southbound side though. I did not know which was the fast lane and which was the slow lane. I was not alone in my thinking either.

Mississippi was supposed to open up westbound I-10 for New Orleans eastbound evac traffic. I assume they didn't or maybe they have not settled their differences about the plan yet. Hopefully, if that is the case, it will be settled before this cane season starts.