Matagorda County, TX: CPS will take kids if parents don't evac with them

[rainbow4321]

Just heard of local Houston news <via TX cable news channel>,
Matagorda County sheriff has announced if parents stay behind with their kids, and they are seen by authorities, CPS will take the children, have the parents arrested and charged with endangerment to a child.
The newscast guy had the reporter repeat what he said about CPS, just to make it perfectly understood.

Matagorda is expected (by some reports) where Rita will make landfall.


edited for link:

http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050921_mh_matagorda.7cc5dd9b.html

Officials have ordered for mandatory evacuation of Matagorda County beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday.


Many residents of the area have already started heading inland because of a voluntary evacuation.


Officials say parents who stay in the area with their children after the mandatory evacuation goes into effect will have their children taken by CPS and will be prosecuted.

[Verve]

1. I always like to side with the welfare of the child, so in theory this

could urge reluctant parents to get out of harm's way. However, if CPS has to actually enforce this, they are in BIG Trouble. CPS is usually underfunded and understaffed. It would be like sending children to the Superdome.

How is CPS going to ensure the safety of perhaps thousands of children on limited resources in lightening speed time?

[walkon]

2. I agree with you.

How many CPS workers will be patrolling to find children? I'm sure they are busy with their caseloads as is. Where would they take children that are picked up? What if parents with no resources show up at CPS offices offering their children for safekeeping?

People in this area should evacuate whether they have children or not. If authorities have options to offer then they should offer them. Simply saying, "Get out or we'll get your kids", is woeful.

[txindy]

3. And if those parents are armed? They're already scared and desperate.

This has tragedy written all over it, although I do agree that the children need to be evacuated. How can they enforce this with so little time? CPS workers, alone, don't have a chance of getting this done.

[rainbow4321]

4. Given that TX's CPS is shitty to begin with...

All this will lead to is more "missing children"...missing and traumatized from being torn from their parents. And we will see how quickly this stops once they have a few media copters filming the kids/toddlers being dragged away from their parents.

I agree that if parents are stupid enough and insist on staying right where Rita will land, something needs to be done to protect the kids, but this may not be the best solution.

[txindy]

5. I can't argue with that. n/t