Hurricane Evacuation & What Travelers Can Expect

Motorists Face Heavy Traffic, No Hotel Rooms, and No Facilities

May 13, 2009

Hurricane Evacuation Route Sign, grafixar

Residents who choose to evacuate when threatened by a hurricane should plan wisely. Travelers face extremely congested driving conditions leaving town and returning home.

As hurricane season approaches, many residents prepare for the worst storm season scenario. Those who live in the path of the storms know all too well that it does not pay to wait until the last minute to begin stocking necessities and supplies. The same smart hurricane planning goes for anyone intending to evacuate. It's best to get out of town early to avoid the traffic and the nightmare of confusion.

The following expectations apply to lower category storms, such as Hurricane Category 1, 2, or even Category 3. Major storms that are Category 4 or 5 call for more extreme measures, including mandatory or assisted hurricane evacuations of entire towns or cities near coastal areas.

What Hurricane Evacuees Can Expect Leaving Town

Bumper to bumper traffic. Traffic conditions worsen as the hurricane nears the strike zone.
No hotel vacancies. Hotel rooms in outlying areas fill up quickly. The nearest room may be two or three hundred miles away.
Limited facilities. Motorists stopping to get snacks and use the restrooms congest highway convenience stores and fast-food establishments. These places quickly run out of food and toilet paper, not to mention gas.
Limited fuel at gas stations. Long lines mean fuel shortages for many stations along the evacuation routes.
Vehicle breakdowns. Keeping the family vehicle in top shape is a must for storm area residents. However, be prepared for state police officers cruising up and down highway medians and road shoulders, attempting to assist stranded motorists.
Ugly tempers. Fear and fatigue bring out the worst in people.
Price gouging. It's against the law to jack up prices for needed products during a hurricane or any other natural disaster. Some businesses try to get away with it anyway.

What Hurricane Evacuees Can Expect Going Home

Heavy traffic. People are anxious to get home to check on property and guard belongings from looters. The closer one gets to the damaged area, the heavier the traffic.
No facilities. Areas hit hard will have no power and many will have suffered damages. Stores, most highway rest areas, and restaurants will be closed. This includes outlying areas up to sixty or seventy miles in either direction from where the hurricane made landfall, depending on the size of the hurricane and storm category.
Road debris. Fallen tree limbs litter the roads until crews can clear the areas.
Long vehicle convoys. Convoys of military trucks, utility volunteers from other states, and private companies, all rally to the damaged area to help restore power and help with disaster relief.
No fuel. Outlying areas run out quickly, so the shortage area grows wider and wider.
Uglier tempers and more price gouging. Scared, weary travelers just want to get home to see if the house they left is still standing and how much damage is done. Scammers make money off the misery of victims, charging high prices for scarce items like food, gas, cold drinks, ice, and more.
No power, phone service, cable/satellite service. Some area residents will have to boil water for several weeks where treatment facilities are inoperable.
Curfews and driver's license checkpoints. Only residents with proof in hand will be allowed into hurricane damaged areas and only when it is safe. Motorists trying to enter town creep along for miles waiting to reach the checkpoints. Curfews are strictly enforced.
No open public places. No banks, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, etc. will be open in the stricken home town area and surrounding areas. Hospitals will be busy if any are open.

Meteorologists and storm trackers can closely predict a hurricane's path, days in advance; however, those persons planning to evacuate in the event of a hurricane should prepare for adverse driving conditions in addition to rain and wind. The best move is to leave ahead of the crowd, departing two or three days in advance of the storm and not returning until officials say it is safe. Those persons who wait until the last moment to evacuate may as well prepare for long drives and no vacancies in hotels close to the predicted strike area. The same goes for those who insist on returning home within a few days after a storm has hit.

Nasty tempers, shortages of food, no clean water, no facilities, and no hotel rooms are but a few of the reasons why emergency management teams warn residents not to return to a damaged area too soon. Expect curfews to last for weeks or even months, and the same for repair services to get power and other utilities running again.

Living in a hurricane area means taking special precautions to deal with the weather and knowing what to expect when the disastrous storms strike. Residents and visitors who evacuate for a hurricane are asked to follow directions and heed all warnings for health and safety's sake. Returning residents who cooperate with officials know it takes time and effort to rebuild a hurricane-damaged area, but with a little patience the city or town will be restored. Knowing what to expect when evacuating and returning home makes dealing with hurricanes a little easier.

The copyright of the article Hurricane Evacuation & What Travelers Can Expect in Tornadoes & Hurricanes is owned by Mary King. Permission to republish Hurricane Evacuation & What Travelers Can Expect in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.