Houston...we have a problem.
I'm sorry but today when I was watching CNN's coverage of the traffic heading out of Houston before Rita hit, I had to laugh. No, the hurricane's destructive potential is not a laughing mater, I realize this. It's simply that living in an area highly prone to congestion on the roadways I enjoy seeing others suffer.
No that's not it.
It was the pictures of 100 miles of stopped or creeping cars. 100 miles! Can you believe it?! haha
Okay, here's the thing.
Houston is not New Orleans. New Orleans is a town that is below sea level and is smack dab right up on the coast, what's worse is it's got a huge lake on the other side that is higher than the city as well. Now whose great idea was this? Anybody ever try to build a sandcastle? Yup the waves always win. New Orleans is also much smaller.
I don't know for certain whether a mandatory evacuation order was issued for Houston. I sure hope not. That would be a ludicrous order! Now a suggestion, yeah...good. Now also, these folks have seen all the devastation in New Orleans and Mississippi so they are scared.
The point is...you cannot reasonably expect a city of the size of Houston (over 4 million people) to evacuate. Not easily. Not gradually. Not orderly. Not at all. Now it's reasonable to hope that those living in areas prone to flooding or on the coast would have the sense to leave the town and leave it early...but even if a tenth of the population decided to pack up their cars and leave in such a short span of time as the approach of Rita offered the logisitics of the situation will fail. Everyone's buying gas at the same time, buying ice, buying diapers, batteries, food, tape and plastic tarps...and then heading for the freeway.
People are going to be running out of fuel waiting to get out. Their cars will be stuck causing further gridlock. Towing crews may not be able to easily remove these vehicles. The storm will hit with thousands of folks in their cars on the roadways. This is my guess.
Houston will undoubtedly suffer from this storm, as will New Orleans again I'm afraid. I just hope that the storm will dissipate rapidly and that the amount of lost property and lives will be very minimal.
If you wish to see some info on Rita, including some graphics on its movement you can go here.
No that's not it.
It was the pictures of 100 miles of stopped or creeping cars. 100 miles! Can you believe it?! haha
Okay, here's the thing.
Houston is not New Orleans. New Orleans is a town that is below sea level and is smack dab right up on the coast, what's worse is it's got a huge lake on the other side that is higher than the city as well. Now whose great idea was this? Anybody ever try to build a sandcastle? Yup the waves always win. New Orleans is also much smaller.
I don't know for certain whether a mandatory evacuation order was issued for Houston. I sure hope not. That would be a ludicrous order! Now a suggestion, yeah...good. Now also, these folks have seen all the devastation in New Orleans and Mississippi so they are scared.
The point is...you cannot reasonably expect a city of the size of Houston (over 4 million people) to evacuate. Not easily. Not gradually. Not orderly. Not at all. Now it's reasonable to hope that those living in areas prone to flooding or on the coast would have the sense to leave the town and leave it early...but even if a tenth of the population decided to pack up their cars and leave in such a short span of time as the approach of Rita offered the logisitics of the situation will fail. Everyone's buying gas at the same time, buying ice, buying diapers, batteries, food, tape and plastic tarps...and then heading for the freeway.
People are going to be running out of fuel waiting to get out. Their cars will be stuck causing further gridlock. Towing crews may not be able to easily remove these vehicles. The storm will hit with thousands of folks in their cars on the roadways. This is my guess.
Houston will undoubtedly suffer from this storm, as will New Orleans again I'm afraid. I just hope that the storm will dissipate rapidly and that the amount of lost property and lives will be very minimal.
If you wish to see some info on Rita, including some graphics on its movement you can go here.
posted by Scott | 10:05 PM
1 Comments:
You'd be wrong ... there was a mandatory evacuation order issued for Houston. Of all the stupidity. As usual ... a day late, and a dollar short. That's right, Houston was mandatorily (if that's a word) evacuated, as far inland as they are. Silly, huh ... But now Scrub is is trying to be seen as leaderly. So ... go figure. Read the Whiskey Bar blog link on my blog for some fun ...
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