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Don't wait – evacuate
Residents should plan to leave early
By SUZETTE PORTER
Article published on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/051706_fpg-03.jpg) |
| Map courtesy of Florida Division of Emergency Management |
| The best route to follow when evacuating Pinellas County is to leave as early as possible to avoid traffic jams on the highways. |
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PINELLAS COUNTY – One of the biggest hurricane dangers to residents living in a coastal community is storm surge. The key to survival is evacuation.
People living on the barrier islands, in low-lying areas and in mobile homes or substandard dwellings should plan to evacuate as soon as a hurricane watch is issued.
“If your hurricane plan calls for you to leave, don’t wait until the fifth or sixth hour and expect to drive unimpeded to points north,” said Gary Vickers, Pinellas County Emergency Management director.
Vickers said many of the deaths in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina were due to storm surge.
“People were given information and warned, they chose not to listen,” he said. “Every storm is different and thinking that an area survived the last storm is a mistaken idea. People lost their lives because of that. It was a tough object lesson.
“There were no surprises with Katrina. The hurricane center did a great job of warning. People didn’t leave, it wasn’t that they didn’t have a choice to leave.”
Vickers said emergency officials could not force people to evacuate, so it was up to individuals to be responsible for their own safety.
“If emergency officials tell people to evacuate it’s because of a concern for safety,” he said. “If you don’t believe you should go, you’re gambling with your life.”
In recent history, Pinellas County has not experienced the wrath of a hurricane. The storms that passed through in 2004 were below hurricane strength. Vickers said people could not count on the past to foretell the future.
People who plan to evacuate should do so as early as possible – even before an evacuation order is issued.
“We try to give as much advance notice as possible, but people should leave as early as they can,” Vickers said. “People should watch the weather and listen to their local newscaster. When the area becomes under a hurricane watch, people should implement their plans to leave, especially if they plan to drive up the peninsula.
Vickers said Pinellas County coordinates with Hillsborough County when evacuation orders are required.
“The staggered times are to allow Pinellas County to get through,” Vickers said. “It’s another reason to plan to go as soon as the order is issued – if not before. There’s no extra time to burn.”
Vickers said people should remember the congestion of the county’s road network and the fact that during rush hour, traffic is bumper to bumper.
“You go about 5 feet and then you stop,” he said. “If you wait to evacuate at the peak time, it could be worse than rush hour.”
Pete Yauch, county transportation director, said his department does everything it can to help traffic move through the county when an evacuation order is issued. He said traffic signals were switched to the long-timing pattern that is used during morning peak periods for roadways toward Tampa.
He said the county’s new Intelligent Traffic System now implemented on parts of U.S. 19 and Gulf-to-Bay should be useful if an evacuation was ordered this year. The “smart signals” will adjust to the traffic flow.
The changeable message signs can be used to give out information about evacuation routes and shelter locations, and the cameras at local intersections will give operators a real-time view of traffic conditions, he said.
Yauch said traffic problems weren’t bad when the county evacuated in 2004 because of Hurricane Charley. He said the biggest problems occurred after people got to the major corridors.
“The problems started when people got over to Tampa,” he said. “People need to plan to leave early. People need to realize that if we get storm surge, basically Pinellas County will become just a couple of islands.”
Kris Carson, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation, said in an e-mail that all interstate closures would be suspended if a hurricane were approaching the area.
“All available lanes will remain open on the interstate system in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties,” she said.
Yauch said the county also would open roadways under construction, if possible, to allow maximum traffic flow.
Yauch reminded residents that area bridges would be closed when winds were measured at 35 mph and that the bridges would be locked in the down position.
Vickers said the county had an agreement with the FDOT to open as many lanes as possible on the Treasure Island and John’s Pass bridges currently under construction.
He said the construction would be factored into any decision made by the Disaster Advisory Committee’s recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.
“We may decide to add a couple of hours to the time to evacuate,” he said. “All the construction during hurricane season is unfortunate, but it was planned in advance and needed to be done.”
Another consideration in any plan to evacuate is maintenance of vehicles, Vickers said.
“Make sure vehicles are in good running condition,” Vickers said. “It’s not fun to break down on the road at any time, but during an emergency situation it’s especially bad.”
Vickers said everybody, whether they planned to evacuate or not, should have a full tank of gas.
“Many complained after Wilma that they couldn’t get gas, but they should have had gas before the storm arrived. You can’t count on gas being available after,” he said. “It’s another personal responsibility. Government can’t make people fill up their gas tank.”
People who plan to evacuate must know where they’re going to go. Motel reservations should be made in advance, unless people are traveling to stay with family or friends. People with pets need to make sure wherever they’re going their pets will be welcome.
“If you plan to evacuate to avoid planning, you’re deluding yourself,” Vickers said. “You need to know where you’re going. Motels will be scarce and prices will be high. You can’t just decide to go at the last minute.”
Shelters should be used only as a last resort, Vickers said.
“In a worse case scenario, you can run to a public shelter,” he said. “But don’t expect to be comfortable or to get more than peanut butter and crackers.”
The county will be releasing a list of shelters on May 25.
Vickers said the county recognizes that some people may have no choice but to evacuate to a public shelter. He said an arrangement had been made with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority to pick people up at bus stops and take them to shelters.
“We’re trying to remove as many barriers as we can for people who want or need to evacuate,” he said.
People with special medical or transportation needs that are planning to evacuate can register for assistance. Vickers said people should register now. Call 464-3800.
People who don’t know their evacuation level can call 453-3150 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/emergency.
Planning is the key to survivability.
Vickers said it frustrates him when he sees people lining up just before a storm to get sandbags. Any protection of homes, including the use of sandbags, should be done days in advance, he said.
“It’s frustrating to see people trying to get sandbags when they should be putting their hurricane kits in the trunk of their car and leaving town,” he said.
Click here to view the Florida Division of Emergency Management's evacuation map for Pinellas County. To view an evacuation map for the state, click here.
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Article published on Wednesday, May 17, 2006
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