Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T07:15:23.180Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Reflection on Lessons Learned: An Analysis of the Adverse Outcomes Observed During the Hurricane Rita Evacuation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2017

Karen Baker
Karen Baker*
Affiliation:
Graduate, Department of Health Policy & Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Karen Baker, JD, MPH, 1901 Connecticut Ave NW 707, Washington, DC 20009 (e-mail: karen.baker@mail.harvard.edu)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

In September 2005, nearly 3.7 million people evacuated the Texas coastline in advance of Hurricane Rita’s landfall, making the event the largest emergency evacuation in US history. The Rita evacuation underscored the importance of planning for domestic mass-evacuation events, as the evacuation itself led to over 100 of the at least 119 deaths attributed to the storm. In the days preceding Rita’s landfall, several cascading, interrelated circumstances precipitated such adverse outcomes. This article explores the series of events leading up to the evacuation’s poor outcomes, the response following Rita to amend evacuation plans, and how Texas successfully implemented these changes during later storms to achieve better outcomes. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:115–120)

Keywords

evacuationemergency planning and managementhurricanenatural disaster
Type
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 12 , Issue 1 , February 2018 , pp. 115 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Soika K for House Research Organization, Texas House of Representatives. Evacuation planning in Texas: before and after Hurricane Rita. Interim News, February 14, 2006:79-82.Google Scholar
2. Texas Ramps Up for Hurricane Season. Texas Emergency Management Digest. Austin, TX: Governor’s Division of Emergency Management; 2005.Google Scholar
3. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Using Highways During Evacuation Operations for Events with Advance Notice: Routes to Effective Evacuation Planning Primer Series. https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/evac_primer/primer.pdf. Google Scholar
4. Committee on the Role of Public Transportation in Emergency Evacuation, Transportation Research Board. Emergency and evacuation planning and response. The Role of Transit in Emergency Evacuation: Special Report No. 294, Washington, DC; 2008.Google Scholar
5. Ripley, A, Kluger, J. Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes…Why we don’t prepare. Time. 2006;168(9):54-58.Google Scholar
6. National Hurricane Center. Hurricanes in History: Hurricane Rita 2005. National Weather Service. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/outreach/history/#rita. Accessed February 25, 2015.Google Scholar
7. Carpender, SK, Campbell, PH, Quiram, BJ, Frances, J, Artzberger, JJ. Urban evacuations and rural America: Lessons learned from Hurricane Rita. Public Health Rep. 2006;121(6):775-779.Google Scholar
8. Blumenthal, R. Miles of traffic as Texans heed order to leave. New York Times. September 23, 2005. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/23/national/nationalspecial/23storm.html?pagewanted=all. Accessed February 18, 2015.Google Scholar
9. Wu, HC, Lindell, MK, Prater, CS. Logistics of hurricane evacuation in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Transp Res Part F. 2012;15(4):445-461.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10. CNN. Hurricane Katrina statistics fast facts. CNN. August 22, 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/23/us/hurricane-katrina-statistics-fast-facts/. Accessed February 25, 2015.Google Scholar
11. Godoy, M. Tracking the Katrina Diaspora: a tricky task. NPR. August 2006. http://www.npr.org/news/specials/katrina/oneyearlater/diaspora/. Accessed February 25, 2015.Google Scholar
12. Gibbs, N, Thomas, CB, Fowler, D, et al. Act two: Hurricane Rita brings a second cruel assault on the Gulf Coast. Time. 2005;166(14):30-39.Google Scholar
13. Zachria, A, Patel, B. Abstract: deaths related to Hurricane Rita and mass evacuation. Chest J. 2006;130(4):124S. (Meeting Abstracts).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Jones, JA, Walton, F, Smith, JD, Wolshon, B. Assessment of emergency response planning and implementation for large scale evacuations. Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Washington, DC; 2008.Google Scholar
15. Guiney, JL. Preliminary report: Hurricane Georges. National Hurricane Center. January 5, 1999. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL071998_Georges.pdf. Accessed February 17, 2015.Google Scholar
16. Pasch, RJ, Kimberlain, TB, Stewart, SR. Preliminary report: Hurricane Floyd. National Hurricane Center. November 18, 1999. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL081999_Floyd.pdf. Accessed February 17, 2015.Google Scholar
17. Little, JE, Bethune, G, Bowman, T, et al. Task force on evacuation, transportation, and logistics: final report to the Governor. February 14, 2006.Google Scholar
18. Drye, W. Why Hurricane Ike’s “certain death” warning failed. National Geographic News. September 26, 2008. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/09/080926-hurricane-ike-evacuation.html. Accessed October 16, 2016.Google Scholar
19. King, B. King: region not prepared enough for hurricanes. Op-Ed. Houston Chronicle. September 13, 2014. http://www.chron.com/opinion/king/article/King-Region-not-prepared-enough-for-hurricanes-5753493.php. Accessed February 25, 2015.Google Scholar
20. Stinebaker, J. No definitive answers on storm preparedness of Houston area. Houston Chronicle. February 20, 2005. http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/No-definitive-answers-on-storm-preparedness-of-1592231.php. Accessed February 25, 2015.Google Scholar
21. Litman, T. Lessons from Katrina and Rita: what major disasters can teach transportation planners. J Transp Eng. 2006;132(1):11-18.Google Scholar
22. Glass, D. The future of evacuations in the climate change era. The Atlantic Citylab. May 27, 2014. http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2014/05/the-future-of-evacuations-in-the-climate-change-era/371584/. Accessed March 10, 2015.Google Scholar
23. Hurricane planning in Texas before and after Hurricane Rita. Disaster Resource Guide. http://www.disaster-resource.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=arti cle&id=334%3Aevacuation-planning-in-texas-before-and-after-hurricane-rita&Itemid=15. Accessed February 15, 2015.Google Scholar
24. Hurricane Rita 2005. Harris County Medical Examiner. September 30, 2005. http://www.harriscountytx.gov/katrina_info/Hurricane%20Rita%20HCME.pdf. Accessed March 11, 2015.Google Scholar
25. State of Texas Emergency Management Plan. Appendix 1: emergency fuel support. Hurricane Annex. Revised August 2011. Updated March 14, 2013. Accessed February 25, 2015. Copy on file with author.Google Scholar
26. State of Texas Emergency Management Plan. Evacuation and population protection annex. May 2014. Copy on file with author.Google Scholar
27. Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services. DADS Hurricane information. http://www.dads.state.tx.us/hurricane/. Accessed October 16, 2016.Google Scholar
28. Rohr, M. Texas prepares for Hurricane Dean. Washington Post. August 18, 2007. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/19/AR2007081900203.html. Accessed February 18, 2015.Google Scholar
29. Kendra, J, Rozdilsky, J, McEntire, DA. Evacuating large urban areas: challenges for emergency management policies and concepts. J Homel Secur Emerg Manag. 2008;5(1):1-22.Google Scholar
30. Langford, T. Hurricane Dean provides key test for Texas. Houston Chronicle. August 26, 2007. http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Hurricane-Dean-provides-key-test-for-Texas-1825367.php. Accessed February 18, 2015.Google Scholar
31. Fox News. As Hurricane Dean heads toward Mexico, Texas mobilizes massive response. Fox News. August 20, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/2007/08/20/as-hurricane-dean-heads-toward-mexico-texas-mobilizes-massive-response/. Accessed February 25, 2015.Google Scholar
32. Hurricane Ike. Houston-Galveston Area Council Transportation Department. The Vision. Houston, TX; October 2008.Google Scholar
33. Stein, RM, Dueñas-Osorio, L, Subramanian, D, et al. PowerPoint: a comparison of the experiences of Harris County Residents during Hurricanes Rita and Ike. Rice University. March 12, 2009. http://dig.abclocal.go.com/ktrk/0312_CCE_HurricaneI ke_report.pdf. Accessed February 27, 2015.Google Scholar
34. Zane, DF, Bayleyegn, TM, Hellsten, J, et al. Tracking deaths related to Hurricane Ike, Texas, 2008. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2011;5(1):23-28.Google Scholar