With the recent floodings in Texas, there have been a lot of posts on reddit about the people who stayed behind.
I was just thinking, where are people who are told to evacuate supposed to go? Are they expected to fend for themselves and book hotels/try and stay with friends? But what about the poor and with no one to rely on? Or does the government set up facilities for them?
For those with mobility issues, do the police or something go around and collect them?
With how many people being displaced (I know that 1000's of people have been rescued, and I imagine more who have left on their own will) that's a lot of people to suddenly find shelter for, how is this accomidated?
Any info would be appreciated.
The general idea is that it is better to spend the night sleeping in your car in a Wal*Mart parking lot 100 miles north of your home than to drown.
Sometimes the government sets up facilities; typically, cots in a high school gym. Sometimes the Red Cross does too.
Those who can afford it will often go to hotels; other options are staying with friends or relatives, or, worst case, sleeping in your car in that parking lot.
The evacuation order is to tell people there is a significantly elevated risk of injury or death. Where they flee to us up to them, but ideally it should be somewhere that isn't in imminent danger. The police do not have a registry of disabled people. There is no disabled person bus that goes and picks them up. If they cannot evacuate, they can call emergency services and ask for a rescue, but first responders understandably get really busy during natural disasters and extreme weather events.
From the ready.gov page on People with Disabilities
Many city and county emergency management agencies maintain voluntary registries for people with disabilities to self-identify in order to receive targeted assistance during emergencies and disasters. Contact your local emergency management office to find out more.
So police don't, but local emergency management may. It's woth checking. Where I am has a registry for people with medical conditions that are at high likelihood of irreversible consequences if the power is out for less than a day.
Depending on the disaster, the emergency management may well include resources beyond the standard first responders.
So, first responders do not respond during some disasters and emergencies, they deploy once it is considered safe to do so after the event. I'm also going to state that I live in Florida, so this may be a little more hurricane relevant than other disasters.
But some bus services do have smaller buses that are able to be booked point to point for medical appointments and such. Pretty sure there is a host of red tape, qualifications, and organizations wrapped up in being able to use the service, but it at least exists on a small scale somewhere. And when evacuation orders happen, people already using the service should be able to use it to get to a designated shelter. There is usually a local government line on the news for information, and there is some ability to help pair up people that need help with people able to offer assistance. Other thing that has been more common in recent years is discount/free uber/lyft rides to shelters. Evacuation ahead of the incident is preferable to trying to sort out a rescue after. So, pickup, at least with regards to hurricanes, is an option should the request come in soon after the evacuation order.
The local fire department would be likelier than the police to know where they keep getting called out to for medical assistance. And firefighters aren't going to be out directing traffic if they reroute the roads in the opposite direction to facilitate evacuations.
It depends on the emergency. For instance, if it's a wild fire, out of the fire's path. If it's a hurricane/flood, out of the storms path and higher ground. The elderly and handicapped are usually moved to sturdy buildings like high schools, stadiums, etc.
Many don’t because they can’t. If you’re lucky enough to have family elsewhere or the financial means to take a small vacation, you go.
Stadiums or sheds are most likely the first option.
The county will have designated emergency shelters such as schools, government buildings, churches, etc. The elderly or disabled either need to rely on family, friends, or neighbors but can contact emergency services for assistance.
See Hurricane Katrina 2005. That will break your heart
If what to do is unclear, you contact your local depart of emergency management. Isolated people and people with disabilities exist and there tend to be plans for them. Better yet to find out what the plans are for various situations before they come up. I know where I am that if emergency management has 4 shelters available, one will be designed to first provide for those with significant disabilities and those with high medical needs. 2 if they open 6, and theoretically 3 of 10 if it ever got that high. So far as I understand, my state mandates a minimum ratio and there's a table. In severe enough circumstances, these places are advertised to the maximum possible amount and people are encouraged to make sure people don't die for lack of knowing where to go or how to get there.
Everyone is encouraged to keep 1-3 days of resilience to maintain themselves. And to have plans for evacuation. But when it comes down to it, people tend to be decent at taking care of each other and any minimally affective emergency management system will account for their being various kinds of people for whom those plans haven't been made or are not, for whatever reason, working.
My county keeps a registry of people who medically must have power every 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours. Means if power is down an hour and a half, they start making calls to make sure the backups for those at highest non-constant need don't die for a problem with fuel or failure of a switch that should've been automatic. Outside of times that are wider disasters, in a management area that covers maybe 75k people, this practice has saved an average of a person every other year. Mostly on the shorter end so they don't die from failure of an automated system while they sleep.
Many don't or can't. People who are disabled, elderly, have pets, don't have transportation, etc. Are there shelters and how many people do they hold? How do you get there? If you do evacuate the next question is how and how far? What direction? Where do you get gas when everyone else is trying to get it too? There are usually limited routes that quickly become congested. Hotel? How long? Can you afford it? If not where do you go to the bathroom? If/when you are allowed to return, what will you be returning to? Is your home standing/damaged/unsafe to be in? Do you have electricity or water? It's certainly not as easy as people make it out to be.
There is a really "deep bench" of support organizations like Red Cross that partner with local governments and law enforcement. A house burns down, Red Cross gives them food and clothing vouchers so it's a really frequent partnership with law enforcement.
They set up shelters. Metal road signs are installed in high risk areas to denote evacuation routes. Law enforcement does sweeps to transport people who cannot transport themselves.
A lot of that didn't happen. Typically something like a Christian summer camp has some level of safety planning and procedures for sheltering children or evacuation.
Churches usually end up helping and taking people in ..that's who I've heard of when disaster happens around my state...of course there's talk of fema and the red cross and many volunteers and charities.
I live in a flood prone area. The government sets up evacuation centres in places like schools.
If you have somewhere near by you can go (my parents are 40 min away and far from flood zones for example), you do that. If you don't, you go to the places run by the government.
some do not and resign themselves to their fate
some cannot even ask for help and must rely on relatives or someone else to seek help for them, which can end is a similar fashion.
We tried to evacuate before a hurricane once. Every inland motel for 300 miles was full. Long lines at gas stations or a 'No Gas' sign out front. Traffic was horrendous. Finally found a place with one room left. Took it immediately. Kept thinking , 'can we do this when we're 75 or 80?' Evacuating is not easy, even if you leave what you consider to be early.
We get evacuees from hurricanes here in North GA. Some do of course opt for the luxuries of hotels and motels and air b&bs, but we actually set up "campgrounds" where you can car or tent camp, in race tracks, fair grounds, and interior accommodations in schools, businesses. I've even seen fancy wedding venues.
Some nursing facilities, or even doctors offices, will reach out to ambulance and wheelchair van companies for transport to these evacuation locations.
They don't quite often.
My father was supposed to evacuate during Hurricane Rita. He was in hospice at the time and they had no way to move him, his hospital bed, and all of his equipment and no where to go if they did. So they hunkered down, we boarded up the windows for them, and they stayed.
During every crisis, no matter what it is, a bunch of people stay. Some because they can't leave but most because "it's never gotten that bad (or fill in the blank)."
There's not much anyone can do for these people because in a crisis, time is of the essence and people need to get their own families and themselves to safety too.
I live in fire country. Here they set up evacuation centers such as fairgrounds, schools, or other large facilities. Generally it falls to friends of the disabled to be sure they get out, though calling 911 is a great option.
Also, our county has an app where you can fill out any special needs you may have in an emergency. I'm sure disabilities are covered there.
Mine does too for our nuclear power plant, or rather sends out a folded postcard to fill out with #people, cars, pets, special needs, etc.
There should be a better option to make sure the elderly and disabled can safely evacuate too. Nobody should be left behind in dangerous conditions just because they need more assistance
Some areas (I assume all states, but not actually sure) have a registry for people who would need help self-evacuating — the elderly, disabled, families with medically complex children etc. Where they will call or send someone to check in and make sure they've been able to evacuate and can coordinate. Obviously it is more difficult when the emergency strikes in the middle of the night, in a matter of hours v a hurricane where you may have days to coordinate and evacuate.