| If you find yourself having to evacuate ahead of | | | | time. Those who wait too long may also find the |
| a hurricane this summer there are four key things | | | | roads flooded or blocked by downed trees and |
| that you need to keep in mind: | | | | power lines. |
| | | | Most states will close Interstate and major |
| 1. Planning; | | | | highways to traffic driving toward the coastal |
| 2. Patience; | | | | areas and open all lanes in both directions to |
| 3. Patience; | | | | outbound traffic only. Even with all lanes going in |
| 4. More Patience | | | | one direction, traffic will be very slow and |
| June 1st was the beginning of the 2009 hurricane | | | | tempers will be high. This is where your patience |
| season and anyone who has tried to evacuate | | | | will be required. |
| ahead of a hurricane can tell you that traffic | | | | Before you evacuate you should ensure that your |
| conditions will be nightmarish. During hurricane Rita | | | | car is serviced and has a full tank. Gas stations in |
| which hit the coast of Texas less than a month | | | | the storm zone may close early and gas stations |
| after Katrina struck New Orleans, state authorities | | | | inland may quickly run out of gas. During your |
| ordered a mandatory evacuation for 1.2 million | | | | evacuation, you should never let your tank go |
| people who lived along the coastline but they | | | | below half full if you can avoid it. You never know |
| didn't count on an additional 1.5 million evacuating | | | | when a collision or a tie up will keep you tied up |
| as well. As a result, 2.7 million people clogged the | | | | on the road between exits for hours. |
| interstates leading inland from the | | | | With the electricity out, traffic signals may not |
| Houston-Galveston area. The resulting clogged | | | | work. If you are on a secondary road and there |
| roads took days to clear up and hampered the | | | | is no power to the traffic signals, you should |
| ability of rescue workers to provide needed | | | | remember to treat an inoperative traffic light at |
| services. | | | | an intersection as a four-way stop sign. |
| The storms can affect not only those who live | | | | Police, National Guard and emergency personnel |
| along the coastlines. Some storms, long after | | | | may be directing traffic. If that is the case, follow |
| being downgraded to tropical storm status, | | | | their directions over the directions of any traffic |
| caused more death and destruction from flooding | | | | signals and do not argue with them. They have |
| in the Appalachian mountains than they did on the | | | | the full authority of law and they may know of |
| coast. | | | | traffic and road conditions ahead that you aren't |
| Coastal Zones - For those of you who live in the | | | | aware of. You should also keep your radio tuned |
| path of these storms, the decision on whether or | | | | to those stations that are members of the |
| not to evacuate is something that needs to be | | | | Emergency Broadcast Network for updates on |
| planned in advance of the actual event. Many | | | | storm and traffic conditions. |
| states provide hurricane preparedness plans on | | | | Restaurants and gas stations in the evacuation |
| their state Emergency Management websites. | | | | path will be overwhelmed and may quickly run out |
| Among the coastal states, the Florida Division of | | | | of supplies. Also, you may not be able to easily |
| Emergency Management probably has the best | | | | exit an interstate highway once you are on it so |
| hurricane preparedness plan. The Florida website | | | | you should take enough snack food and water to |
| allows users to plug in data about their families | | | | last for 12 hours or more. |
| and specific needs and then provides them with a | | | | Inland Areas - after the storm passes over the |
| detailed plan showing evacuation routes out of | | | | coastline it is still capable of producing torrential |
| their particular county and links to local emergency | | | | rains, tornadoes, and flooding. If you encounter |
| contacts, pet shelters etc. The plan also includes | | | | flooded roads, do not try to proceed. Turn around |
| information on how to handle pets, water and | | | | and try to find an alternate route. When |
| food needs, and emergency preparedness kits. If | | | | encountering flooded roadways remember: |
| your state doesn't have such a plan, visit the | | | | It is difficult to tell just how deep the water is on |
| Florida website and use Dade county as your | | | | a flooded road and the flood waters may hide the |
| residence county to pull up a lot of valuable | | | | fact that the roadway is washed out underneath. |
| information. | | | | Even if it appears intact, the roadway could |
| Before evacuating, you should decide what you | | | | collapse under the weight of your vehicle. |
| want to take with you and keep those items in a | | | | Less than an inch of water can cause a driver to |
| central, easily accessible spot. The Emergency | | | | lose control. |
| Management websites contain lists of what should | | | | As little as six inches of rushing water has enough |
| be included in your emergency evacuation kit. | | | | force to push your car off the road. |
| You should carry enough cash to last for several | | | | Your car can float in as little as two feet of |
| days; ATMs may be overwhelmed or inoperative. | | | | water and you could be washed away into a |
| If you live in a mandatory evacuation zone, you | | | | flooded stream or river. |
| should not hesitate to leave as quickly as possible. | | | | In hilly or mountainous areas, flash floods can |
| If you hesitate, bridges and causeways over | | | | occur long after the rain has stopped and far |
| intercoastal waterways and rivers may close | | | | away from the site of a rain storm. |
| early due to high winds and you could be stuck. | | | | Let's hope you don't have to evacuate but, if you |
| Heavy traffic leading out of the evacuation area | | | | do, a little planning goes a long way. |
| may back up preventing you from escaping in | | | | |