What possess people to ignore evacuation orders?

[Stinky The Clown]

You hear about it every hurricane.

Today, the Susquehanna River's biggest dam is to be opened. This is the most flooding since Hurricane Agnes in 1972 and possibly the first time since then all 50 of the dam's flood gates will be opened at the same time. It will flood parts of two towns within eyesight of it. The local officials have said they will not send in rescue workers to help out the yahoos who refuse to leave. They're doing the usual taking of names of next of kin, a tactic essentially crafted to try to scare these people into evacuating.

I just don't understand what motivates people to do that.

[FarLeftFist]

1. Not being in control of a situation. Abandoning all of their sentimental stuff.

Looking to fight against the problem instead of flee.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Oh I can, having issued them

In no particular order

The government is doing this to steal our land

If I leave looters...

If I leave officials will take everything

If I leave, what about my family, animals, pets even pet rocks (yes somebody did indeed tell me that one)

They are lying

I can take care of myself.

Oh and far from comprehensive but those are the major wickets.

[Warpy]

23. Then there was my octogenarian dad

"Aw hell, I'm gonna die of something, might as well be this."

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. Forgot that one

Yup

The pet rock though was the oddest ever

[muffin1]

3. Various things, I suppose.

We have three cats, and we would never leave them alone during a storm. Granted, we've never been ordered to evacuate, but if we were, and had no place to take them...

Money is another reason. Many people cannot afford to rent hotel rooms. We couldn't afford ONE night in a hotel, much less several nights.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Evacuations usually include shelters

Some are even pet friendly these days...alas, this must be universal, people really hate shelters.

[muffin1]

7. I had no idea there are shelters that would take multiple pets.

I will certainly look into that if the need arises.

Thanks.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Katrina is the reason why

[ixion]

4. For me, it's something along the lines of

Going down with the ship.

[demmiblue]

6. Lack of resources could be one explanation. n/t

[Nye Bevan]

8. Why do many people drive without seatbelts?

That's even stupider. Some people are just plain dumb.

[TBF]

9. Denial is powerful.

They don't believe it will really be that bad, or that their stuff will be destroyed. It's almost a defense mechanism to keep yourself from being scared, and happens in our lives in so many ways.

[Journeyman]

10. There are some here in California who won't evacuate during large fires . . .

they stay, and occasionally you hear of one or more of them who manage to save their homes by keeping the roof wet, usually by using water from their pool.

It could be, for some in a floodplain or faced with a hurricane, the prospect of losing their home and having to rebuild is too much to contemplate, so they remain, hoping they can either do something to save the home or that they will go with the home.

So I understand, in my limited way, what might motivate people to stay and challenge the elements. Can't say I agree (sitting here before my computer, unthreatened by any pending disaster -- other than an earthquake), but then, I can't say what I might do in every instance, either.

[Wait Wut]

12. I wonder the same thing, but....

...they'd have to drag me out kicking and screaming. I think all reasoning leaves when you're faced with a situation like that. Lots of emotion can make people illogical. I tend to panic and protect. I'd fight it.

[Avalux]

13. Distrust of the government, authority?

I think that may be the case for some. They just don't believe it because they don't trust the source.

[TorchTheWitch]

14. do you know which towns these are that are going to be

purposely flooded? I know a family that lives in a town that from the map looks like it's right smack on the river, and I've very worried about them.

I'm not really understanding the point to opening flood gates to purposely flood towns. Then again, I never understood the point of flood gates unless they were meant to flood unpopulated areas in order to save the populated ones.

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. It is better to let the water go in a controlled maner

Than to have a system failure. They are releasing pressure.

A failure would make the flooding that much more catastrophic.

[JI7]

15. the feeling they are abandoning their life if they leave

[taterguy]

17. Because it is home

This blog post by a Hatteras Island newspaper editor does a great job of explaining it:

http://islandfreepress.org/PivotBlog/pivot/entry.php?id=156

[malaise]

18. There are people who have serious issues with communal living

and would actually prefer to die than have to live with complete strangers.

[saras]

19. Lots of reasons, some of them even legitimate

Going to a shelter is, in many cases, pretty much identical to your packing up and moving, with no notice, to the Salvation Army, except that the Salvation Army has better food, music, and security. Anything valuable you brought with you - expect to lose it. Any special medical conditions? Tough shit. Behavior standards for your kids - they're on hold.


For some older people, it makes perfect sense for them to say "I'd rather die here now than six months from now in an institution." It's just like choosing hospice over spending your last dollar on emergency care that won't work anyways.


And then - there's the general issue of why the government should be trusted on this issue any more than they are on other issues. It's not the general public's job to keep track of all the fine details of which government agencies are actually still functioning. Many gave up on THAT during the Bush era if not the Reagan era. For the relatively uninformed, for example, it's pretty obvious that the department of fatherland security has probably not issued a single true statement in their entire existence, so how are they supposed to know how good the NOAA is?

In addition, it's profoundly American to be a contrarian. If someone says "it's going to flood", it's completely normal in America to respond with "That's what you think. I don't think it will." And suddenly all the science behind the first person's statement becomes another opinion, of no more or less value than your own.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

20. We don't have a lot.

But what we do have is a house on a hill that is heavily insured. If we lived near a coast and we were told to evacuate, we'd pack the dogs in the Jeep along with luggage and a couple of sentimental items and we'd be on our way. We'd walk if we had to, even. We have wagon for the dogs. With the Hurricanes, you'd have plenty of time to walk away from the coast.
We aren't going ANYWHERE without our dogs. They are my kids. I'd rather drown than abandon them.
Duckie

[cwydro]

21. Here, let me tell you why...

And all the people who do this are not "yahoos" whatever that means in your world.

I ignored every evacuation order ever given in the Keys. So did most of Key West.

First, I watched friends who followed the order to evacuate for Andrew head to Miami and INTO THE TEETH OF THE STORM. We were untouched in the Keys. They lost cars and spent hours of terror.

I lost a car in Georges, but had I not been there, I would have lost more. Yeah we had a scary day and night, but we survived. We were without power for three weeks. THOSE WHO DID EVACUATE were not allowed back in the Keys for days...they were furious and most of those will never leave again. There was almost a riot at the roadblock.

Wilma...we had a five foot storm surge...I was able to save a great many things I could not have saved without being there. We were without power for two weeks. I was able to help my neighbors who were unable to leave. We had a rough time, stressful...but to evacuate up a two lane highway possibly further into the path of the storm would have been more stressful.

Don't judge till you have to make the decision. NEVER will I leave where I live when I know the "authorities" then have the right to keep my from my home as long as they deem "necessary".

Furthermore, those of us "yahoos" who do not evacuate make an informed decision. Yes I have been asked for my next of kin. My next of kin are aware of my decision. NO, I DO NOT expect to be rescued if the waters rise or injury occurs. I am well stocked and provisioned. It is all on me and mine.

This "yahoo" is perfectly at peace with her decisions not to evacuate. Those are only two of the storms.

You ignorant people who want to judge those who live in the path of storms have no idea what you are talking about. Or want to ignore what the truth is. Even in Key West, there are those who leave and those who don't. NO ONE JUDGES the other. We all live on the ocean's edge there and respect each others' decisions.

SO shut up until you have to deal with it.

[pitohui]

24. this is also a good post by cwydro

for the most part the decision to evacuation or to shelter in place is not made lightly and i have gone both ways at different times

all we can do is try to do our best to protect ourselves, our families, and our pets

[pitohui]

22. most reasons are good and based in poverty or severe health/age

you really don't understand why people ignore evacuation orders? even after katrina, you still don't understand? i can't speak to pennsylvania but i can speak to why people don't always evacuate based on louisiana and maybe we can extrapolate a bit?

here the people who ignored the orders and died mostly fell into two classes -- the terribly poor for whom driving away in a car, any car, was an impossible dream, and the aged who despite being middle class/owning a car feared that being in traffic, heat index of 108 degrees whilst their car was in slow-moving traffic, would result in a quick death (i personally know a couple who died in their 90s because of this fear)

over 100 people died on the road trying to evacuate from hurricane rita, for the terribly old and the infirm, there are NO good solutions -- staying may kill but evacuation/moving WILL kill and so they elect to take their chances -- what else can they do?

then there are those who can't afford to evacuate -- it costs money (and sometimes it costs jobs, in the 70s i was once threatened w. being fired for leaving a job during a hurricane), and people who have a little house figure that if the house is destroyed by storm or looters they will have nothing and they're too old to start over...what's the point of evacuating if you figure your life is over if your home is destroyed?

people don't refuse to evacuate just to annoy the authorities, they refuse to evacuate because, over the decades, they have observed that our society hates the poor and if you have no property, you are not considered of any value to anyone...rather than risk becoming an aged beggar, they had rather die

there is a dickens novel, our mutual friend, that one of the storylines follows the story of such a woman in her 80s who refuses the workhouse (and yes she dies)

even tho dickens probably never saw a hurricane or understand what a hurricane is, he understood the fear of being old and without property, utterly defenseless...most people need to hold onto something, because we are hated and despised if we have nothing, this is the society we have..until we change that, there will be those who refuse to evacuate, figuring it's better to lose their lives than to lose their little property that can't be replaced and then to live as a helpless dependent

as for the person who scorns these people saying that "they have problems w/ communal living," i can again only cite dickens, "are there no prisons? are there no workhouses?" believe it or not, no one came to america planning to live in "communal living," we are mostly an independent bunch brought up in the belief of "give me liberty or give me death" -- communal living is hell before you've even bothered to die, and if you don't like dickens, ask ed abbey!!!

[cwydro]

29. I did not live in poverty in the Keys.

I am college educated and made my decision based on every bit of information coming in to me...The Weather Channel, the local stations, the hurricane models, EXPERIENCE, judgement and even gut feeling.

I survived.

But all that being said pitohui - you are so right...there are many people who stay for those very reasons you just stated.

Most people I knew weighed all the info and made their decision based on the outcome of that.

And the people WITH MONEY who evacuated during Georges and not allowed back for a week or more were FURIOUS...I have seen the same in many storms where the "authorities" will not allow homeowners back to their homes even when there is NO DANGER.

Excuse my caps lol, this issue really irritates me...especially this OP.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

25. I don't really know. One of the people who died in in the fire here went back in

after having been evacuated. Now he's dead. Why did he go in you ask? He wanted to get his tools. Tools he'll never get to use again were worth his life to him.

He just couldn't have been thinking straight. He was a city of Austin employee., people would have helped him replaces his tools. No one can give him back his life. :(

[Shagbark Hickory]

26. Some people don't like to be told what to do. Don't speak out of turn, color inside the lines,

leave now or you'll die....

Some people just can't seem to follow basic instructions.

[cwydro]

30. oh yeah...

sheesh.

[godai]

28. Previous false alarms.

Many people ignored the tsunami warning in Japan, since there were many previous false alarms, with disastrous results.

[Feron]

31. Evacuating sucks.

My family stayed for Katrina because my grandmother refused to leave. I'm glad we stayed because those who left had their houses looted. It was chaotic to say the least.

We left for Gustav and that was even more miserable than the hurricane itself. You spend hours in the car inching along and you're basically stuck where ever you end up until the parish is reopened. And parish presidents take their sweet time in allowing people to return. Or if the parish is like Orleans, there is a stupid placard system that places businesses first to re-enter and residents last.

The aftermath of a hurricane isn't fun, but at least you're home. You can deal with anything if you know that everything is okay. And can work on repairs or temporary fixes if need be if it isn't. If water gets into my house, for example, that needs to addressed immediately to prevent mold.

Now I'm fortunate that my particular area does not flood and is not at risk for wildfires. If it were, then I would leave when the situation required it. I've been through enough hurricanes to know what to expect and how much to prepare outside.

Also keep in mind that water is what generally causes the most deaths in a hurricane.

[cwydro]

32. Oh and Stinky dear

the word you are looking for is "possesses" as in what possesses people ....

See us non-evacuating "yahoos" are picky that way.

You take care now..and as we say in NC, god bless.;-)


Edit to add unrec (and I see I am not the only one)