All About Hurricanes

Evacuation versus "Riding the Storm Out"

There are three kinds of people who live in hurricane-prone parts of the country. The first is those folks who hit the road as soon as a hurricane warning is issued for their area. Many folks in New Orleans decide that a hurricane warning is a great time for a vacation to Dallas or St. Louis for a couple of days. They batten down the house, pack up, and head out. The second type of resident here is the family that never wants to leave their home under any circumstances. Maybe your momma lives around the corner and she refuses to leave her home, so you figure you need to hang around for her sake. Maybe you've never been through a bad storm and you just don't know what you're getting into. In-between these two extremes are the majority of us. We know that that storm in the Gulf could possibly generate a world of hurt, but we don't want just to up and leave. We try to strike a balance that will keep our families safe with a minimal disruption of the household routine.

When to evacuate

This is a no-brainer for anyone living in a low-lying area. As soon as a hurricane warning is issued, you should be ready to hit the road. If a storm is tracked to hit New Orleans, anyone living south of the city (Lafitte, Plaquemines Parish down to the mouth of the river, Grande Isle) should leave for higher ground. Residents of Grande Isle will most likely be ordered to evacuate by the mayor at this time. There's only one road on and off of the island, and traffic backs up, so they want everyone out as early as possible.

If you live in the metro New Orleans area, the decision to leave isn't so cut-and-dry. Areas to the north and west of the city are not usually threatened by floods, so the main concern is wind and tornadoes. During Hurricane Andrew in '92, for example, LaPlace was beaten down by a couple of bad tornadoes, but there was minimal water damage in the area. Anyone living in a flood-prone area needs to watch the track of the storm carefully. If a storm is approaching from the southeast or from the mouth of the river, residents of St. Bernard and upper Plaquemines Parishes, as well as the Lower Coast section of Algiers should give serious thought to evacuating. While there are usually more than one escape route for these areas, you don't want to be on the road when the wind starts to pick up.

Riding it Out

OK, you've decided for whatever reason that you're going to ride the storm out at home. The key thing to remember is to exercise good common sense when making decisions. Here are a few tips to help that process along:

Tips on riding out a storm.

Don't ride the storm out alone! Not only may you need help in case something serious happens, you also have to monitor what's going on throughout the storm's passing. If you've been preparing for the storm for the last day or two, you're probably tired. You're going to want to get some rest, so you'll need to have someone else keeping an eye on things while you're sleeping.

Follow the track of the storm closely. This is why you bought that little AM radio and several extra batteries. The TV and radio stations will stay on the air throughout the storm, unless they lose power, and it's easier for a radio station to go onto backup generators. If the storm hits hard, AM radio will most likely be the strongest link you'll have to the outside world. By now, the weather folks will be expressing the track of the storm in terms of which neighborhoods the eye will pass over. This will give you an idea of where the worst of the winds will hit.

Monitor rising water in your neighborhood. If a levee breaks or a floodgate is not secured, you could be in a world of hurt very quickly. Be prepared to evacuate to higher ground, or to head to higher points in the house. Flash flooding from large amount of rainfall is not as much of a concern during a hurricane as tidal surge from the gulf, river, and the lake.

Monitor the condition of your house. Be ready to board up windows that get broken, etc.

Listen for tornadoes. You'll most likely hear a tornado before you'll see it. More on this in the Tornadoes section.

Try to get some sleep. This may sound crazy, but if all that's happening is that you're getting wind and rain, now is the time for you to catch a nap. Adults in the house should sleep in shifts, so someone is always monitoring the storm and the local conditions. You'll need some rest, in case you do have to evacuate, and certainly because you'll be busy cleaning up after the storm passes.

Keep a positive attitude for the children. Kids can sense fear like animals do. Don't make them more afraid than they already are. Stay calm, and cheerful so they don't become an additional problem.

The Eye of the Storm

At the center of a well-developed hurricane is an area of relative calm known as the eye. It's calm in the eye because the winds are spinning around so fast that the pressure at the center of the storm drops to a very low level. Clouds and rain are simply thrown back to the main walls of the storm because of the centripetal force.

There are advantages and disadvantages to having the eye pass over your house. The obvious advantage is that you'll experience a period of relative calm. The passing of the eye gives you an opportunity to make emergency repairs to the outside of the house, or to move to another location if necessary. The main disadvantage of having the eye pass over you is that means you're going to get the worst the storm can dish out. If the storm has been rated with maximum winds of 100mph, for example, it's a safe bet you'll get those winds. The bottom line is that seeing the eye of the storm is an experience you can most likely live without.

Traveling through a storm

The basic rule of thumb is simple: if you're in the middle of a hurricane, STAY PUT! There are times when conditions change, however, and you have to leave the house during the storm. Falling trees may be threatening the house, serious flooding may be imminent, or you need to get medical attention for you or a family member. Hurricanes are not a good time to do sightseeing, so keep these things in mind before getting into the car:

Use a large car or truck -- Now is not the time for the subcompact car. Use a nice heavy car, van or truck that won't get blown around on the road. If you've got a truck or 4x4 vehicle that's raised off the ground more than the average car, use it. Your chances of getting flooded out will be less.

Take it slow -- It's going to be wet and windy. Your car is going to get tossed around a bit, and you don't want to lose control. Watch for obstructions -- Tree branches, whole trees, telephone poles, etc., may be tossed about.

Be alert for obstructions you can't see -- The street may have a few inches of water in it, and you might not see a submerged tree branch, garbage can, or some other debris down there.

Don't travel far -- Head to the closest evacuation shelter, police station, or hospital. If you need to get someplace further along, there will be people at those locations to help you.

Move On to "Tornadoes," the next file in this series.

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