Galveston asks residents to leave (Rita expected to be Cat 3)

[rainbow4321]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/topstory/3360091

With the National Hurricane Center's official forecast naming Galveston as Rita's most likely Gulf Coast target later this week, island officials are calling for a voluntary evacuation and considering a mandatory evacuation.


Activating its emergency management plan this afternoon, Galveston asked residents to voluntarily leave in preparation of Rita, which is a tropical storm now but is expected to strengthen into a hurricane this afternoon. By the time it hits the Gulf Coast on Saturday morning, it is likely to be a Category 3 hurricane.

Galveston City Manager Steve LeBlanc warned that those who stay will be on their own in the event Rita hits, since the police and fire departments will not operate during such a storm. But he also said police don't plan to drag anyone out of Galveston even if the evacuation order becomes mandatory.

Galveston is lining up over 80 buses to take out evacuees starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday and running through 2 p.m. Friday. They will leave from the island's community center at 4700 Broadway, using buses from the city, school district and Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority. Volunteers will drive the buses and will be allowed to bring their families.

[babylonsister]

1. Seems a bit premature, but it's good

to know they have a plan should Rita favor the TX gulf coast. Frankly, I just wish a massive cold front would magically appear and wipe these storms away!

[HereSince1628]

4. You can't trust the computer models but you can't ignore them

entirely if you are a person responsible for the safety of thousands.

Early this afternoon a majority of the computer programs were showing east Texas as a likely landfall.

[babylonsister]

8. Trust me, living in Houston, I'm watching this one closely! nt

[Geoff R. Casavant]

14. Amen!

Stocking up on food/water tonight, and buying an extra propane tank.

Gonna call some friends up north and see if we can stay with them as needed.

[Zynx]

12. Galveston evacuates early - for very good reason.

The entire area north of Galveston Island is flood prone, so it would need to evac as well.

You clear the island first so they can actually get out before clearing the area between Galveston and Houston.

[formerrepuke]

2. And though there is no longer anyone alive who remembers it, Galveston

endured the worst hurricane in US history (in terms fatalities). The civic memory of that event must keep locals on their toes in hurricane season. I wish them well....

[rainbow4321]

5. The short film "The Great Storm"

about the 1900 destruction that they show down there gave me the chills. I asked one of the locals how they handle evacs..two choices: "the one and only bridge or the ferry". Yikes.
I hope they all do OK..I know the condo we stayed at was right on the beach, not behind the Wall. Lots of homes around the condo area, also.

On edit:
The city reminds me NO... very pretty/shiny at the tourist sites but wander too far outside that area and there is alot of impoverished neighborhoods.

[Lisa0825]

3. I work in the building the busses are leaving from.

I'll be interested in seeing how many people take advantage of them. There are a lot of low-income folks here who do not have transportation; not as much as N.O., but a lot for an island with very minimal public transportation, and no public transportation that connects to the mainland.

I live across the causeway on the mainland, so I am also paying close attention to this storm, and will definitely be playing the "better safe than sorry" card.

:scared:

[KharmaTrain]

6. Hospital & Nursing Home Evacuation Plans?

That was the biggest tragedy in NOLA...the number of elderly who were left in very dire straits when the power and water went out. Hopefully there's someone watching to see that those people aren't forced to take the brunt of the storm again.

[rainbow4321]

7. UTMB will announce tomorrow...

From the same article:

Galveston UTMB plans to decide by Tuesday whether to begin some sort of evacuation and will post information on its website at www.utmb.edu.


Big questions: are Houston area hospitals out of harm's way enough to send people there and if so, are they still overcrowded from the LA evacuees.

[Lisa0825]

9. UTMB

Subject: Tropical Weather Threat in the Gulf: Message from UTMB Emergency Preparedness Officers



Message from the Emergency Preparedness Officers: Expecting Rita in the Gulf this week

For several days, our university weather service has been watching a weather system in the Bahamas. Today, the system reached tropical storm status and was named “Rita.” The forecast is for it to continue to move to the west, into the central Gulf of Mexico by Wednesday, and then things get a little more uncertain. One of the possibilities is that by the end of this week, we may be dealing with a strong hurricane on the upper Texas Coast.

We have a few days to watch this storm and start getting ready. We plan to make good use of this time. Earlier today, we participated in a conference call with regional emergency planners and state, county and city officials. We’ll continue to communicate with them and work toward a coordinated response.

In your area, review your departmental or school emergency plans. Talk with your supervisor and co-workers. If you haven’t seen your plan or don’t know your role, speak with your manager TODAY. Also, get familiar with the university’s resources and information. Preparation information is at www.utmb.edu/storm; we post alert information to www.utmb.edu/alert. If our web servers go down, we have a backup alert site in Austin, at http://www.utsystem.edu/utmb/alert.htm. Our Alert phone numbers are (409) 77-ALERT (772-5378) or toll free at [phone].



At home, start thinking about securing your property, start assembling important papers, and stock up on needed supplies (water, non-perishable food, prescription medications, flashlights, etc.). Make sure you have a family plan. Where will you go? How will you get there? What will you do with your pets? Remember, UTMB is not a shelter, and there are no shelters on Galveston Island.

If you are an E-1 (an emergency essential employee), begin thinking about and assembling the things you might need for a possible stay on campus. While it’s important that all employees carry their identification at all times, E-1s should also have their orange “essential personnel” credentials for access to campus and parking, should an emergency be declared.

We’ll stay in close contact with city and county emergency officials and will work with them on a coordinated response, should one be required. We’ll also keep monitoring the storm and you’ll be hearing from us again over the next few days.

On the heels of Katrina, I know we’re all nervous about this. All we can do right now is watch, and get ready. Stay calm, be rational, think clearly. Start putting things in order now. We’ve faced threats and storms before. Each one is new and each one brings its own challenges. We’ll be paying close attention to Rita and working hard to be prepared. We know you’ll do the same.

Sincerely,

Dr. Karen Sexton, standing in for Dr. Joan Richardson

Institutional Emergency Preparedness Officer and Incident Commander

[babylonsister]

10. That is a big question: during Tropical Storm Allison, not

even a hurricane but a storm that swirled for a week, the lower levels of the hospitals in Houston and all the underground parking garages all got flooded. Houston is called the bayou city because it's at or very close to sea level. RE: evacuees, and capacity, I don't know.

[Bridget Burke]

16. Not all Houston hospitals were damaged by Allison

Of the 5 major hospitals in the Medical Center, 1 was entirely closed for more than a month, 2 were crippled for more than a month & 2 had only minor problems. The amount of flood damage was directly proportional to the amount of influence the bean-counting suits had at each hospital. Lots of money has been spent so all the hospitals can deal with high water--a fact of life in Houston.

Too bad about the underground parking garages. Some have proposed building Metro (light rail) extensions underground--bad idea.

[Lisa0825]

11. I don't know about all of the nursing homes, but

last week, one which is right across the road from the seawall gave detailed descriptions of their evacuation plans, so hopefully the others are as prepared.

I know that UTMB does NOT close down, but I hope they move out everyone who can be moved.

[KharmaTrain]

13. Key West Brought In A C-130

Sounds like they've got their plan in action, and hope you folks are ready as well. My honest hope is it's all about nothing and the storm fizzles or strikes somewhere where there's no major population.

Watching the CNN report on Charity Hospital in NOLA last night, one major problem were the emergency generators being flooded out (guess someone didn't figure out the water tables quite right)...and that the hosptials and other facilities that have to keep patients through the storm make sure there's power at the ready should a storm surge hit.

Be safe...

[AspenRose]

15. Better call my cousin in Clear Lake...

eom

[AspenRose]

18. OK so I called my cousin in Clear Lake....he's left for the day but the

person I left the message with said "they were tryin' to get ready" for Rita.

I also called a friend in Kountze (near Beaumont). She said 1) there's a coolfront coming from the NW they are hoping will steer the hurricane further south, and 2) that folks in her area are being told to evacuate to Bryan/College Station (ironically where her daughter lives).

[lastliberalintexas]

19. That's strange- Kountze is as far inland as Bryan

If you were to evacuate Kountze, I'd say go to Lufkin or Nacogdoches (ie, north) rather than simply heading west.

I'm in SE Texas too. I hope your family makes it ok. :)

[AspenRose]

20. Thanks

The Kountze friend said she was about 20 mi north of Beaumont. Go figure :shrug: :shrug:

I need to get my atlas...

[Ksec]

17. Tough call

Risk overcompensating and then people becoming flippant after a few wrong calls , but then there was Katrina.