[Boston:] Hub evac plan useless: Traffic jams mean 'you're dead'

BostonHerald.com ^ | September 23, 2005 | By Dave Wedge

[cloud8]

As evacuation nightmares unfold in Texas and Louisiana, Boston's plan to move more than 1 million people out of the city in an emergency remains vague and leaves much to chance – highlighting the Hub's potentially deadly vulnerabilities.

"Lives are on the line here," said retired Navy Cmdr. Hank Chase, a disaster relief expert who called the city plan "superficial."

Among the glaring shortcomings of the Hub's "Operation Exodus," provided by the city: #Shaky plans for those who cannot "self-evacuate" in their own cars;

# No concrete plan to ensure hospitals and nursing homes are rapidly evacuated;

# No plans for prison evacuations;

# Lack of a clear mass notification mechanism after a disaster, terror attack or other "critical incident";

# No designated mass shelter – like New Orleans' Superdome – that would be stocked with food, water and medical supplies in the event of a catastrophe;

# Confusing traffic plans that could result in dangerous gridlock.

[cloud8]

Boston "evacuates" every summer weekend, as people head for the Cape, NH or Maine. The roads are a mess by early Friday afternoon.

[bmwcyle]

You could get caught in the big dig.

[playball0]

God's liberal reduction plan.

[Gay State Conservative]

"Lives are on the line here," said retired Navy Cmdr. Hank Chase, a disaster relief expert who called the city plan "superficial."

What the Commander is too polite to say is that pretty much everything,and everyone,connected to Boston is,at best,superficial.

[Mo1]

That's ok .. I'm sure Fat Teddy Kennedy has a plan

Oh wait

[bmwcyle]

Federal Foot Bridges?

[Fierce Allegiance]

If you live in a huge population ecenter, you have to realizze you are a potential target. Simply resign yourself to that fact and you will be OK

If a snowstorm can turn a 45 minute commute into a 5 hour 35 mile ride, imageine an attempt at wholesale evacuation? Ain't gonna happen. Buh bye.

[Brilliant]

Not good to advertise this in the newspaper.

[Brilliant]

I can see it now.... The Teddy Kennedy plan includes an image of Teddy Kennedy driving a bus full of babes over a bridge.

[Brilliant]

"No plans for prison evacuations..."

Only in MA would that be an issue.

[mware]

Col Hunt was on Fox & Friends this morning and really blasted the state and local government of Louisiana. He said the difference between now and then is that there is a competent state and local government in Texas.

[Jim Noble]

Mass evacuation of cities is not feasible, which is one reason cities are obsolete.

Of course, when clowns like Nagin or Menino are put in charge, the problem worsens by orders of magnitude, but the Houston experience is showing that even when smart and responsible people are running the show, that the cars run out of gas, block the roads, and there's no practiocal way to refuel them all.

Move to the country.

[Old North State]

When Ted Kennedy was asked about the plan he said, "never mind, we will drive off that bridge when we come to it."

[cynicom]

You love the city, please stay there. Don't come out in the country. There are only dumb country bumpkins here and certainly city slicks would not want to associate with such.

[Publius6961]

BUMP!

[Shqipo]

Mass Evacuation Plans for Cities is a LIB code word for GIVE US $$$$$.
The next thing the Dems will decry is that people get wet when it rains, and demand Homeland Security solve this, especially for the umbrella-challenged poor.

[reformedliberal]

Move to the country.

Bite your tongue!

Remember, most of us in the country are an hour or more from a mall, we never get first run movies, there are no big name concerts, the beauty shops only do hair, and the restaurants are terrible. You are expected to clear snow from your own long, hilly driveway. Oh, and trucks loaded w/pig manure regularly traverse the side roads. Sometimes they leak.

It has been the regional plan here for over 30 years to make my area an evacuaee destination for the major large cities w/in 250 miles (Chicago/Minneapolis/Milwaukee). I think this was developed in response to planning for a foreign nuclear attack. At the time, the then-Sheriff was quietly letting folks know that our county would barricade its entry points. We now have many liberals and if even more move here, all our disaster planning will become moot.

OTOH, it appears that the worst elements would not make it this far.

[George Smiley]

It's all those roundabouts wot cause all the trouble.

[cloud8]

> ...those roundabouts wot cause all the trouble.

We call 'em rotaries. There's a pair not 200 yards from each other called the Twin Turbos of Terror that have exactly that effect on out of staters who aren't sure of their way.