Looks Like Texas' Number Is Up

[Lindz928]

Traffic in Houston seems to have lessened dramatically. Looks like anyone trying to leave today should be alright as long as they have a full tank of gas and some water with them.

[DeltAlum]

While the airline thing sounds like a good idea (and maybe is), there are other factors that might have prevented that. Things like landing and takeoff slots -- but more important, in reading stories this morning, lack of airline and government (FAA & TSA) employees to handle the extra crowds and passengers.

I appears to me, from a long way away, that an awful lot of people simply waited until the last minute to make their move and got caught in the rush.

As I said somewhere earlier, the size of tanks at gas stations is finite -- they can't hold any more than they hold, and when they're gone, they're gone. In the traffic, it probably would be next to impossible to get tanker in to refill them. I guess I probably fill my tank every ten days to two weeks. When everyone does that on different days, the tanks are generally adequate. When everyone tries to fill up on the same day -- well, it just can't work.

A former boss used to say, "You can't build a church for Easter Sunday." Likewise, it seems to me, that you can't build an infrastructure to adequately handle this kind of situation. You just have to do the very best you can with what you have.

I guess that's why they call it an emergency.

[Honeykiss1974]

Dag, this thing is BIG!

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
While the airline thing sounds like a good idea (and maybe is), there are other factors that might have prevented that. Things like landing and takeoff slots -- but more important, in reading stories this morning, lack of airline and government (FAA & TSA) employees to handle the extra crowds and passengers.

Ran into the following on AOL:

"Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, said the fuel shortage was just one area being overlooked in federal preparations. She said a dearth of federal security screeners at Houston International Airport created long lines of airline passengers trying get out of the city, and she blamed Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for not planning ahead to prevent delays.

"I know we can't leave other airports exposed," Lee said. "But it's all about preparedness. We're pointing to gaping holes and getting no response from the secretary."

On the other hand, reports say that large numbers of people are showing up at the airports without reservations trying to get on flights that are completely full. What the hell are they thinking?

Bottom line is that the Federal Government needs to plan and learn, but the general population can't expect Uncle Sam to have the remedy for their lack of planning.

[Lindz928]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
Ran into the following on AOL:

"Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, said the fuel shortage was just one area being overlooked in federal preparations. She said a dearth of federal security screeners at Houston International Airport created long lines of airline passengers trying get out of the city, and she blamed Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for not planning ahead to prevent delays.

"I know we can't leave other airports exposed," Lee said. "But it's all about preparedness. We're pointing to gaping holes and getting no response from the secretary."

Way to start the finger-pointing before the storm even hits. Good job, Sheila.

News this morning mentioned that a lot of baggage inspectors at Bush Int. Airport didn't show up for work because they are busy trying to make sure their own families are safe. That is DEFINATELY going to cause more delays in people trying to get through the airport.

[Lindz928]

Information that I recieved via e-mail:

From the governor's office:

Gov. Perry has recalled Texas National Guard, Texas Task Force 1, and all other emergency personnel and equipment from Louisiana to prepare for potential landfall of Hurricane Rita in Texas.

Gov. Perry ordered the activation of 5,000 Texas Army National Guard personnel to support preparation efforts, including 3 Ch-47 Chinook Helicopters, 6 UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopters and 2 OH-58 Kiowa support Helicopters.

Law enforcement teams including Texas State Troopers will begin pre-staging along evacuation corridors to be sent into the area as soon as the storm has past.

Texas is pre-positioning water, ice and other essentials in San Antonio and the Dallas-Fort Worth area so they can rapidly be sent to the affected area as soon as it is safe to do so.

The State Operations Center is holding regular conference calls several times a day with local, state and federal officials.

The Governor's Emergency Management Council has been placed on Level One alert status, the highest level since the shuttle disaster.

Arrangements are being made to move Louisiana evacuees away from all Texas coastal areas. They are being moved via bus and air. Some are moving to other inland Texas locations; 4,000 are being moved to Fort Chafee, Arkansas and 3,000 to Tennessee and 250 to Nebraska.

500 Texas State Guard members are being activated to assist the American Red Cross with shelter management.

The SOC is currently preparing to activate Special Needs Shelters in Waco, Temple and Tyler. Plans are also in progress for opening pre-identified public shelters in San Antonio, Austin, Bryan-College Station, Lufkin, Nacogdoches and other areas if needed.

Texas is preparing immediate care strike teams consisting of the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the Texas Army National Guard, that can move rapidly into the area where the storm strikes.

The SOC is also preparing for potential inland flooding by pre-positioning water rescue teams, and for the potential for tornadoes, which can strike inland areas hundreds of miles away.

[lifesaver]

Originally posted by DeltAlum
While the airline thing sounds like a good idea (and maybe is), there are other factors that might have prevented that. Things like landing and takeoff slots -- but more important, in reading stories this morning, lack of airline and government (FAA & TSA) employees to handle the extra crowds and passengers.

I agree on the other airline things. I know you have probably flown into Intercontinental, so you know its a big place. I am sure they would have had places for them. The TSA thing is a concern, but do you think TSA was performing 100% screens when they started the airlift in NOLA three weeks ago. They probably just wanded everyone. I dont think that they would have had to worry much about terrorism, because terrorism is only effective with advanced planning (the 9/11 attacks took 4 years to plan & execute) so I think a situation like this could allow for some 'easement' in TSA rules. (When there's a Cat 4 coming, is it really necessary to be searcing for lighters?)

I appears to me, from a long way away, that an awful lot of people simply waited until the last minute to make their move and got caught in the rush.

Unfortunately, thats not the case at all. Most of the people who were caught in the mass exodus left exactly when they were told to (the people in the three mandatory evacuation zones). The others who chose to voluntairly evacuate did at the same time. The evacuations began at 60 hours out (from landfall) and the majority of people left at about 48 hours (including my family here). So saying they didnt do so in time is not the case. In fact, most people had started the evacuation process before the NHC had even issued Hurricane Watches along the Texas Coast. All those people left before the Watches were even issued. If that's not proactive, I dont know what is.

Rick Perry (our governor - our very own Breck Girl) announced that approx 2.7 million people evacuated. I know that 2.7 million people leaving a city with only 4 highways is a guranteed chuster phuck. But there's plenty of things they could have or should have done to make the situation better/easier. But to their credit, I cant imagine what this would have looked like had Katrina not taught us all a lesson last month.

The bus explosion in Dallas is tragic. But I am actually suprised that 24 is all that died in the mass exodus.

[JenMarie]

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974


Dag, this thing is BIG!

Our weather guy here put a diagram of the hurricane over the coast of California. If something that big hit Cali... Cali wouldn't exist because it covered it pretty much north to south along the coast. (If the eye was over the bay area of course.)

[Lindz928]

Originally posted by lifesaver
Unfortunately, thats not the case at all. Most of the people who were caught in the mass exodus left exactly when they were told to (the people in the three mandatory evacuation zones). The others who chose to voluntairly evacuate did at the same time. The evacuations began at 60 hours out (from landfall) and the majority of people left at about 48 hours (including my family here). So saying they didnt do so in time is not the case. In fact, most people had started the evacuation process before the NHC had even issued Hurricane Watches along the Texas Coast. All those people left before the Watches were even issued. If that's not proactive, I dont know what is.

I completely agree with you here. I think we should actually be glad that this happened DAYS before the hurricane was set to make landfall... rather than hours before or something like that.

I mean seriously.... It is supposed to hit big time late tonight I think.... And look at those cameras of the Houston highways.... Pretty empty.

I am VERY glad that so many people have made it out. Yes, it was definately a cluster fcuk, but at least it was a relatively EARLY one.

[JenMarie]

Fire on Bus Carrying Evacuees Kills 24

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/..._explosion_hk1

WILMER, Texas - A bus carrying elderly evacuees from Hurricane Rita caught fire and was rocked by explosions early Friday on a gridlocked highway near Dallas, killing as many as 24 people, authorities said.

Sadness...

Lindz... are the highways really that clear? News reports here keep showing pictures of super crowded freeways. Or are those pics just from a different area?

[DeltAlum]

Originally posted by lifesaver
I know you have probably flown into Intercontinental, so you know its a big place. I am sure they would have had places for them.

Yes, I've flown into both Intercontinental and Hobby. My comment about "slots" means time slots for the aircraft to land and take off, not a phisical space issue at the airport(s). I really don't know how many additional flight operations the airports could accomodate safely. There would have to be a lot of additional flights for 150-200 souls to make much of a dent in evacuating two plus million people. Just conjecture on my part, though.

The other stuff is interesting. I suppose you can't leave too early, but it does seem there were several days notice before the majority of folks pulled up stakes. I don't suppose there's any way around that, though. People do have jobs, family and property to deal with. I do know my pal with CBS has been planning logistics for several days.

We'll see you in the huddle next week when we all have the chance to "Monday Morning Quarterback" the whole "exercise" as the VP would call it.

[peanutttu]

I woke up this morning to hear the sadness of the bus accident. They kept showing it on the news....it is sooo sad. At last I heard was that they were cleared to go ahead and move the bus with the bodies still in it, in order to re-open I-45.

Lindz...I'm not sure which highways your speaking about being clear. I do know that where the bus accident occurred, they started re-routing traffic (once again) in order to keep the traffic moving. They were showing cars driving through an open plowed field to detour around the bus accident.

[Lindz928]

Originally posted by JenMarie



Lindz... are the highways really that clear? News reports here keep showing pictures of super crowded freeways. Or are those pics just from a different area?

I just got this pic:


These are all on the page that Lifesaver posted the link to yesterday..... http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/cameras/camtext.aspx

I-45 was the busiest that I saw yesterday, and it looks like all the pics from it right now are very clear.

Here is I-10... The highway that goes thgough Houston to San Antonio...

[BaylorBean]

Within Houston the freeways are clear. They are backed up closer to the evacuation destinations now.

Well we are riding the storm out here in Houston. The windows are boarded up with what plywood we have and the rest are taped. I think we are going to be ok as long as the storm stays on course. If it swings to the left then well we are screwed. We will get hurricane to tropical storm force winds. The wind is already really picking up, our tree in the front yard is moving quite a bit more than normal.

Wish us luck!

[Lindz928]

Originally posted by peanutttu

Lindz...I'm not sure which highways your speaking about being clear. I do know that where the bus accident occurred, they started re-routing traffic (once again) in order to keep the traffic moving. They were showing cars driving through an open plowed field to detour around the bus accident.

I'm sorry for being confusing.... I mean the highways right around Houston.... I think they are probably still crazy near Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin.... But the Houston area is looking relatively deserted....