Population growth makes evacuation trickierBy Prentiss Findlay (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Many of the thousands of coastal newcomers are "clueless" about hurricane season and the importance of having an evacuation plan, said the director of the Dorchester County Emergency Services Department. "Waiting for the governor to blow the whistle and run for the hills is kind of crazy in my mind," Dennis Clark said Friday. Transplants who have never been through a hurricane may not understand the seriousness of the situation. "They're clueless. They don't know what to think about it," Clark said. He cautioned against a "911 mentality," the belief that emergency officials can always rescue those who find themselves in trouble because they didn't evacuate. A Harvard University survey of more than 2,000 Southern coastal residents found that nearly one in four would ignore hurricane evacuation orders. Seventy-five percent of those who would or might stay were confident they would be rescued later if needed. Avoid that trap and have a "go kit" for hurricane season with essentials such as food, water, medicines and a map that marks primary and secondary evacuation routes. "Go ahead and leave early and avoid the mandatory evacuation order," he said. New Census Bureau estimates show that Summerville grew by 59 percent in the past seven years while Mount Pleasant's population rose by 36 percent. In terms of sheer numbers, Mount Pleasant added more than 17,000 people in seven years while Summerville added about 16,000. Hurricane Floyd in 1999 was the last major hurricane to threaten here and force an evacuation. Local emergency preparedness officials and politicians pleaded with the state to reverse the eastbound lanes of Interstate 26 heading into Charleston to relieve the clogged westbound lanes. The state Department of Transportation gave the green light for motorists to travel west on the eastbound lanes seven hours after the governor's office issued an evacuation order, Clark recalled. Floyd veered from the area at the last minute. Lessons learned from Floyd are part of official preparation for this hurricane season. The DOT practiced I-26 lane reversal in June. "Hurricane lane reversals are rehearsed every year up and down the coast," said Pete Poore, DOT communications director. Mount Pleasant Town Councilman Gary Santos said residential growth has occurred mainly in the northern part of town where the closest evacuation route is S.C. Highway 41. Santos said he and his family took the highway to evacuate during Hurricane Hugo in 1989. "I don't think you'd see a whole lot of evacuation from that area to I-26. Congestion would be a lot less if you went on the back roads," he said. A new bridge over the Wando River is planned for S.C. 41, he noted. Jason Patno, Charleston County Emergency Management Department director, said the county has added four pick-up points for people without transportation, which brings the total to 79 pick-up points. "Getting out earlier is sound advice no matter how many people are down on the coast," said Joel Sawyer, communications director for Gov. Mark Sanford. Joe Farmer, public information director for the state Emergency Preparedness Division, said that public readiness and response is a key factor to a successful, safe coastal evacuation. "Does it cause us concern? Yes," he said of the coastal growth rate. "Leave as early as you can and move inland. Be inconvenienced and be safe," he said. Reach Prentiss Findlay at 937-5711 or pfindlay@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 5 comment(s)
Posted by Neponset on July 12, 2008 at 7:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The decision to evacuate is a big problem, by the time it is clear that there is a good chance of getting hit, its too late, There are just too many people to move. I used the back roads for the last one and it worked out, but next time, I suspect that the word will be out and we will have grid lock there too.
Make no mistake about it, the low country is low and a surge will effect a lot of it.
I am thinking that next time I will seek high ground around here, such as some areas of Summerville
I is easy to say get out early, but we have a lot of false alarms and leaving cost.
Posted by RedSnappa on July 12, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There is no exact science to forecasting where these storms will go. The "crying wolf" mentality is going to cost peoples lives. How many times do we see the forecast track keep shifting to the north.....to the north.....to the north. You end up filling all the hotel rooms with people that should have stayed put! We are going to have a major hurricane kill thousands, as they are trapped on clogged roads because they left to late or the storm sped up. The 38' Hurricane (no names back then) was moving at 70 mph when it made landfall in southern New England. That same storm coming in along the Grand Strand, Wilmington or Charleston coast would be catastrophic!
Oh yea......lets not forget to spend the money on signs and public service messages in Spanish.
Posted by common_sense on July 12, 2008 at 9:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We'll need instructions on how to evacuate in Spanish, Ohioan & Joisey:
"Eh, point da f'in car west & drive it towards f'in Columbia. You hear me? Capiche?"
I'm just sayin...
Posted by drp7773 on July 12, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They knew Hugo and Katrina was going to hit at least 2 or 3 days before it did, if you cant get out in that much time and not wait till the last minute then you better learn how to swim real good, and dont bother with all the crying and whining after the fact. There is no way people will tell me they dont understand what get out means now after all the hoopla about Katrina. Living in Summerville I will if nothing else drive to at least orangeburg and maybe Cola to be a bit safer till reports come in and see how bad it really was. I learned from Hugo, no water, or Electricity and no way to get to food is a pain and even inland the ocean wont be a problem but the Tornados can really ruin your day.
Posted by Cid95 on July 13, 2008 at 12:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
-We or "they" didn't know Hugo was going to hit 2-3 days before, that is incorrect. It was possible and maybe even likely, but so were others that didn't hit here. Floyd in '99, for example. There is always an element of chance.
-Mt family and I didn't evacuate for Hugo. We were prepared with food, water and fuel. A propane grill with a full tank is all you need to cook. A generator for a few hours a day for refrigeration is a nice luxury. Candles and battery powered radios for commo and light.
-We did have about 3' of the Atlantic in the 1st floor of the house at one point to keep things interesting.
-We cleaned up, helped our neighbors, cleared the road with chainsaws and didn't whine or wait to be "saved". No drama.
-No electricity for about 2 and a half weeks. In residential Mt Pleasant. Again, we didn't need to be "rescued".
Take personal responsibility for your life and understand that there is no guarantee of "safety" in your life from the government or anyone else. If Floyd had hit, thousands would have been stuck in their cars on I-26.