The always insightful Tyler Cowen over at Marginal Revolution is already thinking about how to improve Houston’s evacuation plan:
“Pay people who stay behind. By the day, of course. And only if they own cars.”
Tyler’s plan makes a lot of sense, particularly for folks who live in sturdy structures in non-flood prone areas. The evacuation of Houston ended up being arduous because an unanticipated large number of people evacuated who did not live in the mandatory evacuation areas. Most of those folks would have been better off battening down the hatches and staying put, but it’s hard to criticize folks — particularly those who do not have a safe haven to ride out such a storm or who are worried about infants — for wanting to get the hell out. The number of non-mandatory evacuees clearly surprised governmental officials and that resulted in a the delay in getting all main freeway lanes going in the same direction to accomodate the evacuees.
Blawg Review #25
War on porn is “a running joke” at the FBI.
Here I am in California with my cat. My brother paid over $1,200 to get me and my cat evacuated – I am expected to return this Friday and my boss wants me there NOW? As far as I can tell, I am in DAY 2 zone (Tuesday) and this is DAY 1 (Monday.) Also, this is for motorists. What about people who are out of town????? I do not even know how the road conditions are from the airport into town nor do I know if there are taxis or buses running from the airport.
I work for the County, live near the banks of Buffalo Bayou and do not have a car. It took me 24 hours to get to my brother’s in California starting at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, with a 2:40 p.m. flight to get this – Seattle and from Seattle to San Jose on Alaska Air!
Here is the itinerary:
4:30-8:30 = on the Hardy Toll road with my neighbor who was taking her daughter to her ex-husband’s house in the Woodlands. I could not get or reserve a taxi and most people I knew had already left, let alone that they would want to take me AND A CAT to the airport. Be that as it may, I gave my neighbor $100 to take us up there to IAH and apologized for having to put her through the traffic jam (little did we know then!)
8:30-11:00 = in line with luggage and cat to get boarding pass (do not ask about this phase – did you see the photo of the pit of hell in the paper?)
11:00-12:30 = in security line – finally the air folks held up signs so that we all could try to figure out where the end of the lines and which lines were which!
12:30-1:30 = trying to find a cup of ice water which some WONDERFUL traveler got for me with his order at Starbucks (all the food places that were open had long lines, too) after I hunkered down and whispered to him in desperation.
1:30-2:40pm= sitting in 2 different areas to figure out which gate was the correct one. Out of town people just arriving wondering what the heck was going on and what was that line of 20 people (stand by!!!!!)
2:40 – 4:30? (cannot remember) = taxiing, waiting, returning to fix something, taxiing, turning around to another runway because of wind shift. Get this – below number of air hostesses and hardly any food, etc., because ground crew and terminal employees were themselves getting ready for the hurricane.
4:30 – ? An hour late at Seattle, but with 12 minutes to get to connecting flight to San Jose.
Ran the 10 or 12 minute mile WITH MY HAND LUGGAGE AND CAT IN HER CARRIER from gate B1(?) to C16, which of course was not the correct gate, but 3 gates over. The plane was there and the gangplank still connected, but would not let me on – got another flight 40 minutes later at another gate where I had to go on Seattle’s airport train to gate N something or other. Finally got on that plane – long story short – got to my brother’s with my cat in 24 hours.
Now, please pay me BIG BUCKS to stay in town next time + rubber dingy and a life vest for me and one for my cat. That way I can report to work the very next day no matter what condition the city is in.
The problem with this idea is that people who should NOT stay will because there is money involved. That is likely to be a problem next time anyway even without an incentive plan.