What a difference a location makes!!!

[Planogirl]

Galveston declares state of emergency, orders mandatory evacuation

06:15 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 20, 2005
By T.J. Aulds / The Galveston Daily News & Janice Williamson / 11 News

Many Galveston island residents have boarded up their homes with plans to evacuate.

Galveston officials have now called for mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Rita beginning Wednesday. The order is for every one living in Galveston County.

People in medical centers and nursing homes will start evacuating at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Residential evacuations start at 6 p.m. The county’s evacuation plan calls for the evacuation of residents in phases.

Galveston also declared a state of emergency late Tuesday. That means the city council will step aside and the mayor and city manager will call the shots. Basic city services will continue for the time being with the exception of public transportation. That will stop after the last bus runs Tuesday because the buses are being used to evacuate people.

The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning.

But a sense of urgency was already beginning to build on Tuesday.

Homeowners were stocking up on supplies and boarding up their homes. After seeing the devastation caused by Katrina, most are heeding the warnings to leave.

"I've got a lot of options, but one of them is not staying here if we're gonna get a Category 3," said Dennis Miller. "That's not an option."

Residents who wait until the mandatory evacuation takes effect on Thursday will only have one way out. They'll have to stay on I-45 until they reach Huntsville.

Betty Prough is going to Baltimore on Wednesday.

"It'll be OK," she said. "I mean, you know, we have great neighbors, we have great friends, people take care of each other. We'll be OK.

Citizens who don't have transportation will be bused from the community center in the 4700 block of Broadway and head to shelters in Huntsville.

Evacuees will be allowed to carry one suitcase and their pets on the buses, but the pets must be in carriers or crates. Pet owners should call 409-763-8477 if they need a cage or crate.

The number to call for more information on the evacuation is 409-797-3710. Anyone who needs to ride a bus, should call that number to alert the city. By late Tuesday morning, about 800 people had signed up. The Huntsville shelter is set up to hold about a thousand people.

Zone A of the evacuation plan, which includes the southern portions of the county including Galveston Island, Tiki Island and Bayou Vista, begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Zone B of the plan, which includes the central portions of the county’s mainland as well as the bay front communities of Kemah, San Leon and Bacliff, are to start evacuation at 2 a.m. Thursday.

Zone C, which is the northern reaches of the county including League City and Friendswood, will start evacuation at 12 p.m. Thursday.

Tropical force winds from Hurricane Rita are expected to hit the county by early Friday.

Galveston may not even be hit but obviously they're taking no chances! Galveston is difficult to evacuate so it's a good idea.

Note that they're evacuating nursing homes first. Also, that they're using buses to take people with no transportation well to the north. AND, they're allowing pets on the buses and providing crates and carriers.

I wish that this storm would just go away.

 

[bsnyder]

Galveston may not even be hit but obviously they're taking no chances! Galveston is difficult to evacuate so it's a good idea.

Note that they're evacuating nursing homes first. Also, that they're using buses to take people with no transportation well to the north. AND, they're allowing pets on the buses and providing crates and carriers.

I wish that this storm would just go away.

Galveston already had their "Katrina" and even though it was a long, long time ago, it appears they've never forgotten the lessons learned.

Praying for some shear to whip up and kick Rita's butt!

 

[SplshMtn99]

Just another example of how planning ahead can cure alot of problems caused later.

Good for them!

 

[lbgraves]

Having a workable plan makes a world of difference.

 

[luvthatduke]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I am seriously thrilled to see someone was paying attention!

 

[AllyandJack]

I heard this on the news this morning and was so happy. I think the pet thing makes a huge difference. Show up with a bag and your caged pet and we'll get you to safety - someplace where there is enough food and water for you to ride out the storm.

This is great. I hope all states learn from this model.

 

[brerrabbit]

I really don't want to stir up a debate espcially since I may be evacuating pretty soon, but I just had to note something here. Galveston and Galveston County are doing a wonderful job of preparing for the storm as well as the entire Houston area. It should be noted that Galveston has a very large Black population and many of those residents are poor. They are being offered busses for evacuation and the local police are going through all the neighborhoods to check for anyone left behind. This shows that Galveston and the Local authorities are totally oblivious to race or economic status, they are doing the right thing and they are doing it for everyone regardless of who they are.

 

[Serena]

And hopefully we all learn from the mistakes others have made.

 

[Disney-Kim]

it's sad to see that NO was just not prepared for their storm.