Why aren't those in Galveston, TX, evacuating?

[Robin in Tx]

Thank God it wasn't like Katrina as it hit the coastline east of New Orleans either. Things were leveled a mile inland.

 

There has been no coverage of that area yet (coastline directly east of landfall). The word is that it is complete destruction. News media have been denied access to the air space for now.

[LanaTron]

My understanding is those facing "certain death" would be the people on Galvaston Island.

 

That is why mandatory evacuation orders were only issued for certain zip codes, including Galveston and the zip codes right along Galveston Bay.

 

Hopefully, the death toll will not rise by even one more person.

[Robin in Tx]

The population of Galveston is only about 56,000. I'm not sure how many evacuated... I've heard 45,000 and I've heard 15,000. Not sure why the numbers aren't more certain.

 

The weather service doesn't issue alarms like "certain death" because the news media got it started. They issued that alarm because it was anticipated that Galveston would be completely under water, the storm surge would be so huge. As it turns out, it wasn't quite that bad because the storm tracked a little east and Galveston got a direct hit by the eye instead of the dirty side of the eyewall. But the initial "certain death" alarm was for anyone in the path of the storm surge, including areas on the mainland which lie on Galveston Bay.

 

There is a hotel at the seawall, the San Luis Resort, which is a fortified bunker where the mayor and all the emergency response personnel and news media stayed during the storm. There was a man who, when the eye passed and his house was chest high in water and rising, threw his family in his *boat* and drove his boat to the San Luis Resort... driving up *streets*... trying to dodge the submerged cars, etc.

 

The sad problem with the people who rode the storm out in Crystal Beach/Bolivar is that a large number of them had intended to leave Friday morning. Leaving 18 hours in advance of th estorm is usually plenty of time, and they were told that conditions would BEGIN to deteriorate sometime Friday morning or early afternoon. Friday morning was low tide, so everyone thought they had that working for them, too. The only reason they couldn't leave Friday morning was they woke up and the roads were already flooded. I think everyone thought they were safe waiting till Friday, and it was not anticipated by ANYONE that Friday mroning wold be too late, therefore no one (media, weather service) advised them to be out by Thursday night. Caught everyone off guard, to be honest. Tragic.

 

If you were going to ride the storm out, your safest place was definitely behind the seawall... but the western half of the island isn't protected by the seawall and Bolivar Peninsula (where Crystal Beach is) has no seawall. The peninsula is just that...a peninsula jutting out from the mainland that is very, very narrow, and there is a ferry that connects it to Galveston Island. It is the route to Galveston Island if you are coming from the Louisiana (east) side of the island. Lots and LOTS of beach homes (but not anymore - total devestation!). That is exactly what the west end of Galveston would look like (the west end of the island which is not protected by seawall) if th estorm had landed just west of the island instead of the island taking a direct hit.

[ummix3]

My thought on those who have not chosen to leave is because they can't afford to. Maybe they don't even have enough money to get up and go and rather sit it out. Another reason would be that they believed it would not be that bad.

 

nycmom

[Joanne]

My thought on those who have not chosen to leave is because they can't afford to. Maybe they don't even have enough money to get up and go and rather sit it out. Another reason would be that they believed it would not be that bad.

 

Evacuation options were made available to everyone and publicized.

[Reya]

I guess my biggest gripe is the danger that rescuers are now facing (and the money being spent) trying to help those who were stubborn and stayed behind. I think you should have the right to stay or go but if the government says GO and the NWS says GO and the government even provides bussing for those who have no transportation and you STILL don't go...you are on your own.

 

I wasn't making an argument one way or another. I was just giving the history! :-)

[Robin in Tx]

Again, hardly anyone on Galveston island is being rescued after the storm. Very few. The search and rescue is primarily for people on the peninsula who attempted to evacuate on Friday but Galveston and already shut the ferry down and the only other way out was flooded. They airlifted as many out as they could on Friday, but they couldn't get to everyone. There was one guy who is a wrecker who waited till Friday so he could be there to help anyone who had car trouble evacuating Friday morning. A LOT of people thought it was safe to wait until Friday morning to evacuate. A whole lot.

 

The buses were for the city of Galveston, not the peninsula. By the time word got out that there would be buses for evacuees, the peninsula folks probably couldn't have gotten across the ferry in time to catch them anyway. They could have driven the other direction and evacuated themselves instead of traveling all that way to catch a bus. Which is what many of them tried to do Friday morning . No telling how many.