Why people don't evacuate when there is potentially dangerous hurricane?

Question

I don't understand these people. They did polls on the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season and most don't have a plan or would defy evacuation. Another example is when Hurricane Katrina. The day before landfall city officals along the Gulf Coast issued mandatory evacuation orders and I got to you I believe they did everything they could to prepare the city and the freaking people won't evacuate. PEOPLE WHEN A CATEGORY 5 IS HEADED FOR YOUR AREA LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I MEAN HOW PEOPLE DOES IT HAVE TO GET TO GET YOU TO LISTEN. When Katrina was coming on shore people kept calling emergency officals crying that the storm surge is rushing into their homes. You wouldn't be crying if you evacuated. Now 2 years later people still don't have a plan. For all the people answering let me tell you this NOW and listen carefully: GOD IS GOING TO TEACH YOU A LESSON. He is a going send a hurricane more destructive than Katrina. It could be this year or next year but be prepared.

Answer 1

I agree 100%. I followed Katrina ever since she took a turn into the Gulf, and knew it was going to be trouble, with the extreme warm waters to fuel it's fury. I knew if and when she took a turn towards New Orleans it would be especially tragic, considering it's low sea level. Living in NO is like living in a large soup bowl. For this reason, it was probably the worst major city along the coast it could have hit. I remember even saying to myself, "anyone who stays and thinks they can ride this one out is very, very ignorant."

I was right. People were warned this was the storm of the century, and yet they still stayed - thinking they could defy the power of nature.

Being poor with no car is no excuse. Even if I had to walk by foot on the interstate out of there, with nothing but the shirt on my back and the child on my hip, you better believe that's what I'm doing to save myself and my family. They chose not to save themselves before the storm.

Having pets is no excuse. I have two dogs that I love like they are family. But, if it came down to me making the choice to get on that bus with my kids and live or die with my dogs, I'm choosing my children and life. Still, they chose not to save themselves.

Being uninformed is no excuse. Days before it hit, every available communication device from radio to internet was nothing but warnings and information. The national guardsmen were even going door to door to warn, beg people to go, and sign disclaimers stating that they were at their own risk. Emergency services were announcing that it would be days before they would be able to get to anyone, and not to rely on 911 or outside help because of dangerous conditions. Still, they chose to ride it out.

But yet, in the end, fingers were pointed, the race card was pulled, and they blamed everyone for the tragedy but themselves. Even worse, a good number decided it was the perfect time to defraud the very people who were trying to help them.

The moral of the Katrina story should have been, to always be prepared and have an evacuation plan if you live near the coast. I have a waterproof box that I keep a second set of ID, passports, important documents, an extra set of keys to both my cars, extra changes of clothes, food, water, and cash in. So if anything were to happen suddenly, I can grab my family and that box and I'm gone. No one should ever expect anyone to save you, assume some personal responsibility and save yourself.

Answer 2

Some people don't have the resources to leave. The local governments need to make plans. Texas had a great response. New Oleans needed to do more. The flooded school buses were a sad sight. They could have been used to evacuate those people left behind. I left when Rita came in, because the predicted strength at the time was not something I wanted to go through. I live in one of the highest areas in my neighborhood and do not need to worry about surge unless the storm is a 5, but will leave for anything larger that a 3 or potential to strengthen to plus 3 before landfall. If I was closer to the coast. I would leave for a lower strength.

Answer 3

As you can see by the responses, it's a complicated matter.

Having lived in Charleston, SC for 9 years, I can assure you that there is a sort of socio-economic segregation that exists in virtually all of Hurricane Alley, i.e. The South.

Many poor and working class people, usually Black or Hispanic, do not have the means to evacuate. They either do not own a car, or they own a car but cannot afford to evacuate. (When I evacuated for Hurricane Floyd, I spent about $250 on hotels, gas, food, and supplies.)

Other people have the "I survived Hurricane X. So I will ride this one out." mindset. And yes, I feel this is a foolish approach. Hopefully, the horror stories that have come from Katrina will make people think twice about riding out a hurricane. Think it's fun? Watch this video that was filmed by people who probably thought they were going to die.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZi1Mk2Njtg&NR

Finally, hurricane landfall forecasting is still not an exact science. And there have been plenty of false alarms that can cause people to develop evacuation fatigue. In 1996, Hurricane Fran made a beeline for Charleston and then at the last minute, turned away. Same for Floyd in 1999, which was supposed to come ashore due south of Charleston, but veered east.

Regardless, it is wise to have an emergency plan since many forecasters are calling for a busy season.

Answer 4

I've written a book, now in its third edition, about hurricane preparations for sailors, so I know a little about this subject.

I'll agree with a lot of the other posters, including karma

but I would like to add that people don't evacuate because, until they go through a storm they really don't in their guts know how bad it can be.......they don't know that wind force goes up as the square of the speed...they think 100 is 2 x 50; its not, its 4 times; 120 is NINE times that of 40; few people KNOW that a one foot wave of water will knock you down and a two foot wall will rip your house off its foundation.......

I will guarantee you that anyone who lived through Katrina.or Opal or Hugo or whatever will be on the road this year..

now, down here in the Caribbean, we all live on islands so evacuation just isn't an option, but that's another story.......

Answer 5

If they don't evacuate, then there is no reason to rush to rescue them and putting the lives of rescuers in danger. I mean if you don't have a car, are you telling me that you don't know a single soul who has one? That you can't even afford a bus ride or a taxi to the shelter? It is a bunch of BS.

Then there are those people who say "Oh I've been here for 80 years and I don't plan on leaving now". Well good for you. See ya. Don't be crying and screaming for help when the hurricane uproots your mobile home.

And I'm with the other commenter, God doesn't send hurricanes. And using God's name for things like this is simply ignorant.

Answer 6

a lot of people were not able to leave because of lack of transportation and money. they went to the superdome (like they were told) and look what happened there. and a lot of people don't leave because they've lived there their whole lives and never had to leave before. yes, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for katrnia, but it was the day before landfall. not much you can do in a day. try sitting in a car for 20 hours in standstill traffic to get to texas when it usually only takes a few hours. and there's also the problem of having nowhere to go. if you don't have family somewhere else you're screwed because all hotels will be booked. so it's very hard to have a well thought out plan. and the city did not do everything they could to prepare, because if they did they would have had transportation for people to get out before hand.

Answer 7

A lot of people do not think that it will be as bad as it is or have no mode of transprtation out of the area or they are attached to their life and cannot imagine it gone, just washed away, so they think that if they stay then the hurricane will not affect them. It is the fact that if they evacuate they will come back to nothing so why not just go with your life, if you are not going to have a life when you come back what is the point of leaving when you can just stay.

Answer 8

Do you live on the coast? I don't leave because I don't want my house broken into, and I have alot of animals, shelters don't allow animals. God has nothing to do with hurricanes, We board up all the windows our house was built in the 1930's and is a strong house, it has survived many storms, unlike new houses today that are cheap.

Answer 9

Its all about beach erosion. I highly suggest you google this. Strong winds and waves erode the beaches heavily and this can be horrible for the environment, wildlife, and people living there. It destroys precious beaches making them unsightly, and can even destroy the turtle nests that have dug underground, which actually happened with fay (a lot of sea turtle nests were lost due to the beaches eroding from the strong winds and waves). Also, for people living near the coast, it can destroy the foundations around the home causing the home to crumble. A lot of homes are built near coast lines and have fallen into the oceans when their soft land underneath erodes away. Google or wiki beach erosion and youll get more.

Answer 10

A lot of them don't have the funds to do anything but walk out of the area with their own two feet. Do not assume that everyone is as well off as you are and have access to a car.