Hurricane Dean is Coming! Yeeaarrgghh!!

Hurricane Dean is powering its way westward, and part of me is getting a little twitchy. Before I got back in the Army full time, I had a long stint in the emergency management business. Hurricane season basically meant don't make any plans because your ass is going to be in the emergency operations center, the EOC. Now, I get to sit back and watch like the rest of you. Emergency managers: have fun.

During Hurricane Rita in 2005, I spent a lot of time working evacuation and sheltering issues including running my own little shelter as all of my wife's family fled from Houston. 1200 square foot house + one bathroom + six adults + two kids = good times. At my long neglected blog, I spent the entire month of September 2005 blogging about Katrina and Rita. I thought it was pretty good work that is worth a re-look now that we have a potential Category 5 hurricane breathing down our necks.

The interesting thing is that the Katrina and Rita effect are still with us. From the Houston Chronicle:

In Galveston, residents remember the disastrous evacuation before
Hurricane Rita in 2005. Lee and Courtwright said many who tried to evacuate then plan to stay in Galveston this time, no matter how vicious Dean becomes.

State officials say they've worked out the kinks in the system, but many Galveston residents aren't ready to believe them.

"I've talked to a lot of people about this," Lee said. "They'd rather die in their homes than die in their cars on some highway."

***

On Saturday, lighted signs along the highways usually reserved for
Amber Alerts flashed an ominous message: "HURRICANE FORMING NEAR GULF.
KEEP YOUR GAS TANKS FULL.

***

President Bush signed a pre-landfall emergency disaster declaration for Texas, allowing federal equipment and supplies to be moved in now,
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said. Gov. Rick Perry asked for the declaration late Saturday morning and Bush approved it at his ranch in Crawford.

State and local officials were holding conference calls twice a day to assess the storm's progress and further coordinate preparations.

Perry activated 4,750 military personnel and said up to 10,000 could be mobilized if the hurricane strikes Texas. Nearly 50 utility and cargo military helicopters were also activated as well as 250 special boat crews.

Perry said more than 1,000 buses and drivers were ready in San Antonio to transport special needs evacuees.

Road construction was suspended along interstates in southeast Texas on Saturday afternoon and Perry said fuel was being delivered to coastal area retailers.

"The state of Texas will be ready if Hurricane Dean makes landfall on our shores," Perry said.

From my perspective the only reason the Rita evacuation went so rough is because everybody panicked from Rita. Thanks Anderson Cooper. Now we're looking at the opposite effect. Nobody wants to endure hell on the highway so they'll stay home which, given that it might be, um, a
Cat 5 hurricane, might not be the best idea.

The State of Texas has refined its evacuation plans, told
FEMA to pound sand, and has leaned forward in the foxhole to be ready for Dean. Lives and political careers are at stake. It'll be interesting to see what happens.