Contraflow confusion cost a few lives

[PDittie]

The only damage Rita did to me personally was actually no more than inconvenience; forcing me to idle away six hours and half a tank of gasoline in what -- without much exaggeration -- was probably history's worst traffic jam last Thursday afternoon. A tragic set of events on a bus filled with nursing home evacuees sent the death toll above the last Category 3 hurricane to hit Houston; Alicia in 1983. But there were a few people who died fleeing the storm whose deaths were more the result of http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3369453">spectacularly poor planning on the part of regional officials, and an unspecific amount of incompetence and cronyism at the Texas Department of Transportation:

From Corpus Christi to Norfolk, Va., most vulnerable cities have pre-set plans to run their highways in one direction only, headed out of town, said Brian Wolshon, a civil engineer at Louisiana State University's Hurricane Center.

Wolshon gave a presentation on the subject at Houston's TranStar traffic management center two years ago, but found that officials were reluctant because Houston's freeway grid is much more complicated than other coastal cities.

"I don't think they really took it seriously," he said.

State and local officials changed their minds early last Thursday in the face of a historic traffic jam. But it was too late, and the one-way freeways that eventually opened on Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 didn't relieve drivers' 20-hour nightmares.

All the idling engines created the secondary problem of empty gas tanks and empty gas stations, which state officials admitted they were in no position to remedy.

The TxDOT executive director is a gubernatorial appointment. Michael Behrens assumed the position in September 2001, less than a year after Rick Perry became governor of Texas. Behrens' bio lists education completed prior to his career in state bureaucracy as a bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University, where Governor "Adios MoFo" led cheers for the football team as an undergrad.

"Behrie, you're doing a heckuva job."

[sonias]

1. Spectacularly poor planning

We were lucky this wasn't more of a nightmare. TxDOT executive director is a gubernatorial appointment. Now why doesn't that surprise me. These crony political job appointments have got to be stopped. If the executive directors of these critical agencies don't have the background for their jobs, they need to be replaced immediately. Totally inexcusable. Their incompetency is costing lives. I noticed that they have not included the 24 bus deaths as part of the death count for Rita. I say why not. These poor people died as a result of the storm. Combined with our evacuation and traffic incompetency.

Sonia

[muse]

2. I know of someone who is near death as a result of the evacuation.

He is an elderly man, forced to evacuate his high rise in Houston. He was in ill health. He and his wife got caught in the evacuation nightmare. His health deteriorated quickly. He now has pneumonia and other health problems. His family fears he won't make it. If he dies, it will be because of the evacuation, plain and simple. I'm sure he is not an isolated case.

[Catherine Vincent]

3. Mayor White says the evacuation was a success.

http://www.click2houston.com/news/5020504/detail.html

I am sure the people fleeing didn't think it was a success. Yeah, they may have gotten out but they went thru hell to get out.

[muse]

4. Well, it wasn't a success for me.

I made the difficult decision to turn back and go home after going 40 miles in 13 hours, burning 1/2 tank of gas with no promise of any gas between me and my final destination. I felt like turning back for home was going to work for me and my family because the storm appeared to be moving to the east, but you know, it could have jogged back to the west. We were still a full 36 hours out from landfall when I made that difficult decision.

I'm still not over my anger over the whole evacauation nightmare.

[WestHoustonDem]

5. It was unsuccessful for me. I had to return home after 15 hours n/t

[johncoby2]

6. We only had 20 *&^%ing years to plan for this!!!!!

The last hurricane was Alicia.

I mean what idiot didnt plan for this? You call for the evacuation of 2 million people and only have 3 lanes out of the city on I10????!?!?!?! OPEN THE *&^%IN contraflow lanes you stupid bastards!

Someone should lose their job for this, but look to Rick Perry to be patting someone on the back, like he did the insurance commissioner after he reformed insurance while our rates doubled.

Incompetent bastards.

[Stil]

7. My Boss

Lost two relatives in the evacuation. His mother-in-law had a heart attack and died when they made it to Dallas. I'm not sure of what happened to the other relative. Lots of stress put on a lot of people.

[muse]

8. So, why aren't they counting these deaths in the Rita death toll?

This makes me VERY angry.

Put me down as a ditto for all of Johncoby's curse word symbols.

We need a couple of meetups to burn up some curse words in person.

[rainbow4321]

10. Much like the Katrina evacs who died elsewhere

are not being counted.

We will never know the official Katrina death toll since so many died in other cities around the country.

Lots of patients from both hurricane-hit areas are in Dallas/Ft Worth hospital, including at least one who was stuck in the Houston traffic--no kidney dialysis for several days does BAD things to one's body.

But, of course, officials won't be counting those who got sick because of the crappy evac plans, it would make it too hard for them to label their shitty plans as a "success" if the true stats were revealed.

[rainbow4321]

9. And they won't be counting the deaths..

in the official Rita death toll, per a news report last night. The said it as they were talking about the bus explosion.

Here is a family who lost a disabled girl during the evac (heat stroke)


http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3369440

Wayne Mathis, 46, of Rosharon, was among those who saw a loved one die in the mad scramble to get out of town. Yesenia Mathis, 17, a severely disabled child he and his family care for, stopped breathing and died as the family was trapped in a nightmare traffic jam on the North Freeway near Louetta.

The cause of death had not been determined Sunday by the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office, but family members say symptoms shown by other children in the vehicle lead them to suspect she succumbed to heat exhaustion.

Another disabled child riding in the family's van, Lonnie Mathis, 11, had a body temperature of 108 degrees when doctors first examined him. He survived and is recovering at Memorial Hermann Hospital.

<snip>

Mathis said he forced his way to the shoulder in the 20000 block of the North Freeway, put the van in park and called 911. The girl wasn't breathing, so he performed CPR. Ten minutes later, deputies from the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office arrived and escorted his van to Houston Northwest Medical Center because there were no ambulances available.

[sonias]

11. Such a sad story

I can only imagine the agony of a family having to deal with a critical trauma trapped in gridlock traffic. What a nightmare. Rest in peace Yesena Mathis. :cry:

Sonia

[cosmik debris]

12. WaPo said it went like clockwork

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/22/AR2005092202061.html

"a textbook example of how to do these things right,"

And I ask myself, why does anyone care what WaPo says?

[BikeWriter]

13. I damned near had a heat stroke on 146 in Liberty Thursday.

It had to have been 120 in that car, in bumper to bumper traffic!

[PDittie]

14. dogday's post says death toll is 31 and climbing

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4912232&mesg_id=4912232

At least 31 people died in Harris County connected to Hurricane Rita That's according to the Harris County Medical Examiner's office, and doesn't count the traffic deaths outside the county.

The miles and miles of traffic jams, sweltering heat, and lack of water, services, fuel and help along the routes took its toll.
The greatest number of deaths reported by the Harris County Medical Examiner's office occurred before Rita ever made landfall. On Thursday, September 22, one of the heaviest days of traffic during the mass evacuation of over two million people, 11 people died. Three deaths were recorded on Wednesday and five on Friday.

After landfall, there were an additional 12 deaths -- four on Saturday, five on Sunday, and three on Monday.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=hurricanes&id=3483606