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I have to disagree with this. Everyone has months to plan for each hurricane season, and the better part of a week to know the intensity and landfall potential. Failing to get out of the way of an enormous hurricane when living on a barrier island is not a good reason to expect air drops of food and water at your convenience.

I have to disagree with this. Everyone has months to plan for each hurricane season, and the better part of a week to know the intensity and landfall potential. Failing to get out of the way of an enormous hurricane when living on a barrier island is not a good reason to expect air drops of food and water at your convenience.

I actually agree with you, and it's a very unpopular view to have - they took their lives into their own hands. I even go so far as to agree with the state of Texas that many of these people shouldn't be allowed to rebuild in the same spots (they are called barrier islands for a reason).

But, and it's a big but, I expected FEMA to learn from Katrina. I also expected better from Texas at the state level - we aren't the liberals of Louisiana floundering around and screaming for George Bush. We've had a couple of dry runs in the last few years, and over the past 30, we've had Alicia and Allison and a handful of others to learn from.

I'm watching these press conferences and interviews, and I'm seeing FEMA complaining about the Governor's office backing off on what they said they could do, and I'm seeing the state complaining that FEMA can't feed the very personnel who they have doing the rescues, and I'm seeing the Governor not knowing who is in control of an area, and I'm seeing vacuums here and there that nobody wants to fill or is hesitant to fill and so on and so forth. Basically, I'm seeing the left hand not talking to the right hand, and at times neither is talking to the brain and it all contributes to a lot of wasted time.

You are right. It wasn’t like we found out Thursday that a storm was coming Friday. We’d all been following it for 5 or more days and it was pretty much a sure bet where it was going to hit. Rita jogged slightly east leaving Houston in good shape so many thought it would be another Rita (I hoped it would but you don’t get that lucky every time one is pointed right at ya so I figured Galveston or a little west). But even if they said it’s going to be another Rita, Bolivar to High Island would still be in grave danger. I think the problem with Ike was the surge was earlier and stronger than anyone thought.

When you are in an area that is basically cut off except for one road in and out, you leave early. You do not wait until the last minute. You leave WAY early. I would have gotten out of the area BEFORE the ferry closed whether I went east or west. The announcement of the ferry closing would be my sign that it’s time.