View from a Canary Perch :: EVACUATE! A Call to Readiness

photo by Diane Dees Four cats in cat carriers in the back seat of a car for a 7.5 hour evacuation drive is no vacation. Dees said all four cats adapted very well.

A Reflection on Evacuation Routes

Martha and I were planning to cross over to the West Bank side of the Mississippi and drive west out of the city through Houma to bypass Baton Rouge. I had a fear of being caught in stand still traffic. You see families with mattresses lashed to the tops of worn out cars, you see lots of people marooned beside the road and it doesn’t take long to realize you are in a very lawless situation. If you are stalled for long enough to need to refuel it is not fun to get off the highway, find a station that is open with gas and then wait in that line and get back on. As you pass roadside parks and fast food places the lots are filled to capacity with people that are camping in their cars. My experience is that many motels along the evacuation routes don’t take reservations because they prefer to operate on a first-come, first-serve basis.

We are oriented to go west so that we can visit family in Texas. Either go all the way to Austin or Corpus Christi or drive to Layfayette or Lake Charles and look at the weather report the next day. Despite these usual destinations, Martha made a reservation in Alabama. She didn't want to go to Texas, but other than that, I don't know why she chose Alabama. I was fine with going someplace different. She booked a room at a motel right on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama. Martha's brother Robin and his family left later in the day and met us there. The next morning I answered a phone call from Robin a little before 5am. He was frantic for us all to leave and drive inland. Martha and I insisted on staying until we could make a reservation somewhere else. – Will Crocker

An evacuation rule of thumb: know in advance where you’ll go.
Plan a careful evacuation route,off the beaten path – but also plan an alternative route in case of flooding, heavy traffic or other unexpected problems. Keep maps of these routes with your evacuation to-do list along with the numbers of hotels and motels along your route. No matter how well you plan ahead, though, crisis can provoke sudden changes. Case in point: hundreds of evacuees from New Orleans who planned on driving to nearby Mississippi state were forced to re-route when Mississippi closed off access to their interstate highways from adjacent states in order to restrict incoming evacuees from seeking refuge there.

About Contraflow

During an evacuation, highway lanes (freeway and non-freeway) may be converted into "contraflow lanes." Contraflow is a condition in which vehicles travel opposite the direction of a lane's normal traffic flow.

A state highway department, in the event of an evacuation, may redirect traffic lanes to move toward safety and away from the area of danger.

An extra wide road shoulder may also be converted into an evacuation lane in order to increase capacity during an emergency.

Check with your individual state department of transportation's website for specific information about evacuation routes. Here are links to some helpful sites for the state of Texas:

• Hurricane Contraflow Videos

• Hurricane Contraflow Guides

• Keep Texas Moving: Roads & Evacuation