Evacuting a major city..discussion not action

[lovemygoofy]

I'm reading and listening about all these possible worst scenario plans include evacuating boroughs in NYC.

I've sat through meetings about the same in the DC area regarding military families. I had to wait over 2 hours on the interstate to go 10 miles when the earthquake hit this week. I couldn't imagine trying to leave in a mass evacuation. Seriously traffic is horrible on a normal rush hour day.

Where the world would people go? Ohio? How the heck would they get MILLIONS of people the hell out of town?

 

[hereyago]

I'm reading and listening about all these possible worst scenario plans include evacuating boroughs in NYC.

I've sat through meetings about the same in the DC area regarding military families. I had to wait over 2 hours on the interstate to go 10 miles when the earthquake hit this week. I couldn't imagine trying to leave in a mass evacuation. Seriously traffic is horrible on a normal rush hour day.

Where the world would people go? Ohio? How the heck would they get MILLIONS of people the hell out of town?

They couldn't unless they had about a week to do it and even then some people think, well it hasn't happened here so it probably won't.

I live in Southeastern part of VA and every year they tell us, that they would not be able to have everyone evacuate in a couple days time, even with the contra flow, which they are not even doing since they don't think it's catastrophic enough.

 

[HM]

The difference between what you experienced this week and an actual evacuation that would be called, is how the authorities respond. They would open up all freeways and roads going out (none coming in) and information about what to do would be disseminated in many ways to the residents. Not everyone would be able to leave and believe me, many many would choose to stay in any kind of event. (People don't like to leave their homes....you can see that in news casts about the hurricane now).

 

[budbeerlady]

You couldn't get them out in a couple of days. People will run around trying to "save" things, find things, pack things, you name it. The smart people will grab the important papers and hit the road before the gridlock stops everyone from moving.

The LAST thing I would want to do is to be forced into a "Shelter" with lots of other people but that is what would happen to most of the people.

 

[tlbwriter]

The difference between what you experienced this week and an actual evacuation that would be called, is how the authorities respond. They would open up all freeways and roads going out (none coming in) and information about what to do would be disseminated in many ways to the residents.

This. Many roads would basically go in the other direction (divided highways) so allow more people out.

As for where they'll all go, I have no idea. A friend of mine has family who decided at the last minute to evacuate from Virginia, and they ended up having to go to Indiana because they couldn't find a hotel (I don't know if the closest hotel was Indiana, or if they gave up trying to find a hotel and decided to stay with someone in Indiana).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I am watching the news and they are evacuating areas right now.

 

[NY Disney fan]

I'm reading and listening about all these possible worst scenario plans include evacuating boroughs in NYC.

I've sat through meetings about the same in the DC area regarding military families. I had to wait over 2 hours on the interstate to go 10 miles when the earthquake hit this week. I couldn't imagine trying to leave in a mass evacuation. Seriously traffic is horrible on a normal rush hour day.

Where the world would people go? Ohio? How the heck would they get MILLIONS of people the hell out of town?

Call me goofy but I'm like the only one who thinks the strom will severly weaken by the time it gets to NYC. It will be heavy rain but it won't be a category 3 or 2. We've had hurricanes in NYC before. I'm not worried about it.

 

[cornflake]

I'm reading and listening about all these possible worst scenario plans include evacuating boroughs in NYC.

I've sat through meetings about the same in the DC area regarding military families. I had to wait over 2 hours on the interstate to go 10 miles when the earthquake hit this week. I couldn't imagine trying to leave in a mass evacuation. Seriously traffic is horrible on a normal rush hour day.

Where the world would people go? Ohio? How the heck would they get MILLIONS of people the hell out of town?

They wouldn't. It's logistically impossible. Give them a week, it's still logistically impossible.

Even if everyone wanted to leave and was doing it in an orderly fashion. You're not moving 8 million people, nevermind out of that small an area, in that time.

How would you move them? We don't have highways like in Houston. We don't have cars like in Houston.

Further, where would they go? Eight million people. Put them where?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Call me goofy but I'm like the only one who thinks the strom will severly weaken by the time it gets to NYC. It will be heavy rain but it won't be a category 3 or 2. We've had hurricanes in NYC before. I'm not worried about it.

They don't know.

However if it goes inland you will have severe flooding. Being from Missouri where we have flooding all the time yr round, people get killed anyway.

 

[FireDancer]

I wouldn't wait for the official evacuation, I'd leave earlier and fly instead of drive. When I was living in Tampa and Charlie was supposed to hit I left about 3 days before it was supposed to hit and just flew back to Cleveland. I stayed with some friends and worked out of the Cleveland office. When it missed us I waited a day and flew back. Work even paid for the flights.

Maybe this wouldn't work for everyone but it worked for me.

 

[Robinrs]

Knowing NYers the way I do, especially the diehard borough people, most of them will stay put.

 

[katrina1122]

They are evacuting all of Cape May County in NJ right...all shore county.

All roads are open going out, not in. They've stopped collecting tolls on the NJ Garden State Parkway, Turnpike and AC expressway for people to get off the shore. They started this yesterday, so things are running farily smoothly.

NOw, I'm in Mercer county, NJ which is 45 mins north of Philly right on the Delaware River and we were hit bad by Floyd in '99. No evacuations for us at this point, don't expect there would be, but if so we basically have to head west into PA. I'm guessing the river crossing tolls would be stopped and possibly the pa turnpike as well to keep things moving.

NJ has been given tons of Homeland Security money since 9/11 and they have evacuation plans for everything. Further south where they are more used to hurricanes I'm sure their plans are just as sound.

does this mean there won't be traffic backups? No, but we are being kept really imformed on this one to help reduce the problems.

 

[TDC Nala]

After 9/11 I understood that if there is ever an emergency that requires the evacuation of the District of Columbia during the time I am at work, I am doing it on foot. There won't be any way to get out quickly by vehicle and depending on what is going on the Metro may not be an option. Same thing with the earthquake. The Metro ran, but at reduced speeds, and everyone was trying to get onboard at once. That was a little different as I could wait it out and it wasn't an "official" evacuation of the District, they just wanted us out of the buildings so they could be inspected. Had the Metro not been running I would have had to walk into Virginia.

So I no longer wear clothing to work that I can't walk out of the city in. I don't wear heels. I also keep sneakers under the desk, permanently, but if I'm not in the office and something happens I still would need to be able to walk. So no heels.

 

[fraggle551]

Call me goofy but I'm like the only one who thinks the strom will severly weaken by the time it gets to NYC. It will be heavy rain but it won't be a category 3 or 2. We've had hurricanes in NYC before. I'm not worried about it.

I'll be goofy right along with you. I'm not worried either. Not to mention that a large percentage of people living in NYC and on Long Island are healthcare workers, firemen, cops, people who work for LIPA, highway depts...all the people that are mandated to be at work in case of something like this! It's logistically impossible to evacuate all of NYC, LI, and Jersey in this short of time. It would take a good 2 weeks, if not more to move that many people. Then, where on earth are they all supposed to go?

 

[okeydokey]

The thing about evacuating is that people don't evacuate according to the plan. The plan calls for staged evacuation, certain sections at a time to minimize gridlock. People don't listen though and all try to stream out at once. Not everyone is called on to evacuate. Those that evacuate that don't need to clog the road for those that actually should be evacuating.

 

[deegack]

Call me goofy but I'm like the only one who thinks the strom will severly weaken by the time it gets to NYC. It will be heavy rain but it won't be a category 3 or 2. We've had hurricanes in NYC before. I'm not worried about it.

NYC has not been directly hit by a hurricane since the 1830s. Gloria which was the last to hit long island was in 1985 and that was a relatively weak cat 2. This one is in path to hit NYC at high tide and then move east. Gloria left people without electricity for up to three weeks. It's a big deal and if you are in the path you should be worried.

 

[NY Disney fan]

NYC has not been directly hit by a hurricane since the 1830s. Gloria which was the last to hit long island was in 1985 and that was a relatively weak cat 2. This one is in path to hit NYC at high tide and then move east. Gloria left people without electricity for up to three weeks. It's a big deal and if you are in the path you should be worried.

I remember Gloria like it was yesterday and that was a category 2. And if I recall Gloria was in our path.

 

[tlbwriter]

Knowing NYers the way I do, especially the diehard borough people, most of them will stay put.

I bet a lot of NYCers will stay put for the same reason many NOLAers stayed put - because they don't own a car and had no way to get out of town.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I bet a lot of NYCers will stay put for the same reason many NOLAers stayed put - because they don't own a car and had no way to get out of town.

That is one of the reasons I was asking how people think that somewhere like NYC or DC can be evacuated because so many people don't have cars.

I guess people will be walking to PA or WV from here.

 

[NY Disney fan]

I bet a lot of NYCers will stay put for the same reason many NOLAers stayed put - because they don't own a car and had no way to get out of town.

The best bet would be to move inland into the boroughs. Brooklyn, NY is about the size of Israel (the country). We have a lot of room to move inland and still be safe. And I have learned from 9/11 and the blackout that being in a car during in an emergency works against you. Being on foot trumps all.