Rita and Katrina Evacuations: A Comparison

As a New Orleans resident and Katrina evacuee who is right now sitting in front of a computer at a Houston hotel just by NW Freeway (Highway 290), a major highway to Austin having been turned into a big parking lot under 90s degree high temperature, I am in a unique position to compare two evacuations. Our conclusion so far is that the Katrina evacuation is far more successful than the Rita one. The relatively smooth Katrina evacuation should be credited to the city, parish governments in the greater New Orleans area, as well as Louisiana state government. Unfortunately, the Republican’s blaming local government spin, as well as MSM’s ignorance, made many people think the local government official in New Orleans are totally unprepared.

Through my hotel window, I can clearly see the traffic on Highway 290. It has been turned into a park lot since yesterday afternoon. During the Katrina evacuation, the local authority implemented the conterflow plan almost from the beginning, which greatly reduced the traffic jam. It has been already 24 hours since the coastal area near Houston started evacuation, and the Texas/Houston authority still could not put conterflow into work. According to the local TV stations, all highways out Houston have virtually become huge parking lots. Many people have been stuck in the traffic for eight hours, ten hours or longer. Many of them are running out of gas. Gas stations are also out of gas. The temperature is rising and now is at 90’s. People are not turning their A/C for fear of running out of gas. I heard a caller to a TV station saying “Tell the mayor and FEMA, the evacuation plan stinks!” A reporter was using the word crisis to describe the situation on the evacuation route.

I just hope that the Republican spinning machine or MSM can not spin this into a great success.

•  It can't

  If enough people like you speak up and tell the truth.

  I hope there are bloggers in Texas with cameras at the ready.

  by kismet on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:22:48 AM PDT

•  Fascinating

  At first I thought it was a typo that you wrote Katrina was better.  Very interesting.  I was wondering if an oil town like Houston would have the wherewithall to get gas to the stations in the area.  Guess not.

  BTW, why are you still in Houston?  

  by inclusiveheart on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:24:38 AM PDT

•  What about Houston's poor, disabled and elderly

  How is Houston handling people without the means to leave? How agressively is Houston knocking on doors in poor neighborhoods and getting people who are elderly or diabled and still live at home out of the city?

  I know they are evacuating the nusrsing homes, but what about the others?

  Just driving down the street with a bullhorn telling people to go isn't enough.

  by Oddball on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:26:22 AM PDT

  •  Well

    On another thread, someone posted a link to an article about an elderly woman who's been sitting in a Houston bus station (where she was sent by Red Cross) waiting for a bus that's not coming.

    by kismet on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:28:29 AM PDT

    •  Oh my God. n/t

      by inclusiveheart on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:30:55 AM PDT

•  CNN is catching on to the traffic problem.

  If you have a good view of the traffic now, maybe you should call them and tell them what you think.  They'd probably love to have a perspective like yours.

  They keep asking why no one has gone to the contraflow.

  by inclusiveheart on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:30:14 AM PDT

•  Taking Hours to go Nowhere

  My parents are in their 70's and have not been able to get out because of traffic congestion.  They told me several stories, including one where a family left at 3am to go to Austin and only made it 15 miles in 6 hours. My parents are not leaving because of what is happening.  They live on the Northwest side of Houston and have many tall pine trees in their yard.  I am worried for their safety.  
  It angers me that after Katrina some folks had blamed the victims and would ask, why didn't they get out?  Now what are these folks going to say about these victims?  It all boils down to the government does not have a plan worth anything for any disaster.  All Bush and Chertoff have are press conferences and nothing else.  Damn them.  
  This time I am not giving to the Red Cross, I am sending money to moveon.org to finance their newest commercial.  I have had it with Bush.  

  by Sandy on Signal on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:43:06 AM PDT

•  The hyposcrisy of BushCo

  Who told us why they couldn't do anything before Katrina hit, and why they couldn't do any for days after katrina hit, and told us over and over again why they couldn't act ....

  And now are preparing properly for Rita.

  This may be the first time that the Bush Administration has demonstrated that they can learn from a mistake.  Although, I suspect for them it's the political mistake they learned from, not the death and suffering of the hurricane.

  by bjedward on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:44:20 AM PDT

•  sigh

  Sitting here in my office in Dallas, I just listened in on a conversation next to me. One young woman was commenting on how much better things are going here in Texas versus Louisiana, and how much better we're prepared (because we're TEXAS!) than anyone else. Our Texas government is way good. And how much better it is that the storm is veering east towards Louisiana, because it would be better for them to get hit, since there's no one in New Orleans anymore...

  Just sad. By the way, she voted for Bush, because "she doesn't know why, she just likes him."

  by think2004 on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:45:36 AM PDT

  •  Doesn't know why

    Doesn't know why she has no black friends either, I suppose. Just doesn't like 'em.

    by mrblifil on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:49:39 AM PDT

•  Rush is already on the case

  This is on the Limpballs site as of now, but I don't know when it was posted, or if the Galveston photo represents either A) Galveston, or B) Galveston any time recently.

  

  The headline to go with the photo? "What a Difference Competent Leaders Make." Say no more. The spin has begun.

  by mrblifil on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:48:03 AM PDT

  •  A monkey could have predicted it

    I knew right away we'd be overloading on how efficiently the Republican Texas governor is handling this. And we'll continue to hear it, with no comparisons as to the relative vulnerabilities of the cities nor to the fact that the feds are terrified this time and are actually awake on the job.

    As for the Houston traffic, how much time until landfall? I think there will be time for everyone to leave who needs to...if they don't run out of gas or get heatstroke. But what is the reason for not using the other side of the highway?

    by Hrubec on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:52:11 AM PDT

    •  Not to mention

      the situation at night with thousands of motorists stranded with no place to go, and presumably armed to the teeth.

      by mrblifil on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:54:15 AM PDT

      •  and

        The airport is a mess. They are saying on CNN about half the workers are not showing up for work. It was described as chaotic I believe.
        Not to mention the fact that TS winds are expected sometime tomorrow, right?
        When did NO open their contraflow? It seemed like it took Texas longer to do it, considering they have many more people to move.

        by melthewriter on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 11:20:57 AM PDT

        •  New Orleans open the contraflow

          almost immediately after the voluntary evacuation started. Yes, Houston is much slower on this.

          by nolajazz on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 11:59:31 AM PDT

  •  Did he mention

    What the population of New Orleans is and what the population of Galveston is?

    Did he mentioned that if a cat 4 hurricane hits Galveston, it will be completely under water, while in New Orleans there is still the Superdome that at least functioned as a safe harbor for several days after Katrina?

    Did he mention that the mayor of Houston was telling the city citizons on a press conference not to expect that the government will send bus to evacuate you out?

    by nolajazz on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 12:08:48 PM PDT

•  But see

  in 'their' minds they see having a car and 'driving' out of the area free will and self determination.  None of that 'entitlement crap' for these folks,  oh nooooo. They aren't the poor leeches of society that the folks of New Orleans were... these folks are taking matters into their own hands!

  Can't you just hear something similar coming from their mouths?  It's scary.

  Still doesn't change the fact that without gas everyone is poor and stranded.

  by kidfury on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 10:56:04 AM PDT

•  Holding off...

  We're holding off on evacuation.  My office is closed but I'm still here.  We had enough forsight (luck?) to fill up early, but all the stations here north of Houston are out of gas.  If we leave the area, we trade our house (under very tall pine trees) for a car on the open road.  I'll take the pine trees.  As soon as they open another lane on the freeway, someone else runs out of gas and blocks it.  We need the National Guard hiking down the freeeway with gas cans.  It's the only way it will move.  The scary part are the ones who think they can go through The Woodlands west and out; there is only one road that goes through on the west side; most of those folks will drive around for hours and then run out of gas (and be parked under the pne trees).  There has to be a better way...

  by SaltWaterCroc on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 11:04:44 AM PDT

•  More thoughts ...

  I know Houston has a much larger metropolitan area than New Orleans, so there are more people to evacuate. But it also has several advantages over New Orleans in terms of emergency evacuation:

  1.    New Orleans is surrounded by waters, while Houston has a much favorable highway system for evacuation.
  2.    As the 4th largest city in the country, Houston has much more resources to command.
  3.    The time window for Rita evacuation is larger than the one for Katrina.

  I am not blaming Houston’s local officials. We are grateful to Texan for their generous support to us. I just want to speak of facts.
  

  by nolajazz on Thu Sep 22, 2005 at 11:09:04 AM PDT