Evacuation: Would I do it?

There were tornadoes in our area last week. Though we live in the valley, surrounded by two lakes, and the ultimate risk is low, I tend to worry more, now that my support network is ultimately just me. My daughter yesterday said, “it’s hard”. We are barely making it. We made it this far, we barely have any money. If we had to evacuate, I don’t know if we feasibly could.

I read an article by Baker (1991) who discussed evacuation barriers. People evacuate out of fear of penalties, to appease others, possibility of damage to home, car, or business, feeling unsafe and belief the storm could strike again, with the conclusion that public authorities should use aggressive media messages to report the risk level of the storm. Face-to-face communication expresses urgency, but may not reach the entire community. Many families now a days don’t have access to reliable news or may choose not to access it. [Heck, I don’t have live TV]. But, confidence in the forecast leads to higher evacuation rates. Despite knowing about hurricanes, some people choose to stay due to unfamiliarity with the area, the need to protect property, fear of looters, employer obligations, inconvenience, pressure of gathering items, finding a place to stay, protecting pets, fighting traffic, shelter discomfort and lack of transportation. People feel more comfortable leaving during the day. If someone evacuates in one emergency, they likely will evacuate in others.

Just something to think about…

Tropical Depression: Low pressure area is accompanied by thunderstorms that produce a circular wind flow with maximum sustained winds below 39 mph

Tropical Storms: a localized, very intense low-pressure wind system, forming over tropical oceans producing winds of hurricane force.

Hurricane: A tropical cyclone originating from the sea such as Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico or Eastern Pacific Ocean, having sustained wind speeds of at least 64 knots or 74 miles per hour that is accompanied by heavy rain, thunder, lightening and sometimes moves in temperate latitudes.

Typhoon: a tropical storm that originates in the region of the Indian or Western Pacific Oceans.

Evacuation Shadow: The phenomenon in which high risk and moderate risk areas influence low risk areas to evacuate even when it is not necessary (Baker, 1991).

Resources:

Baker, E. J. (1991). Hurricane Evacuation Behavior. International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters. 9:2., pp. 287-310.