tvc184

Okay, the meeting is over. No mandatory evacuations.

I don't think they have finished this one yet.

I don't watch the weather channel. If it isn't on KFDM, then it doesn't need to be known locally.

What? A major city that is 75 miles closer than we are and they aren't running for the hills?

Who or what is a Jim Cantore?

Pitiful! LOL...don't hold back Coop!

The Rita evacuation was called on the same timeline as this. There is still time to start the evacuation and get everyone out of here before landfall. As I said last Sunday, Thursday morning at 6:00AM is what to look for. The eye will come ashore on early Saturday morning. There is no way they would have called for the evacuation on Wednesday and have everyone out up to two days before landfall.

They are waiting to keep people from spending money and having their lives displaced for a few days without cause. As far as criticism, they are going to get that no matter what happens. No matter what a public official decides, it will be criticized by someone. That is part of the job. The emergency management officials are given information from the national weather service. They will base their decision on what is told to them at the briefing. It will not be based on opinions from bulletin boards or junior metorologists who are workers during the day and become weather experts when they read webpages. As far as the current briefing, it is still in progress after two hours. Apparently they are deciding something.

I take it by the tone of this forum, a lot of people are.

Yes, the plans have been in place just for this evacuation since last weekend. They are just waiting for them to be implemented, if they think it is needed.

This is my post from last Sunday. I said then what I knew and I will say it again. If they call for an evacuation, it will be at 6:00AM on Thursday morning. They will make the decision this afternoon. I was not making it up then and I am not making it up now. Even my Sunday post was based on us getting hit, much less it going south of here. There is no way they would call for one before then. Hopefully they will finish their meeting soon (if not already) and we will find out. Likely Thursday morning at 6:00AM .... ....IF it stays on its current track and IF it maintains speed.

if those effects are 70 mph winds and several inches of rain, and that without the very possible eastward shift, i think it's time to go. Then leave. I'm not being flip about it. If you think it is not worth staying and getting into the crowd, go now.

Its always better to be safe than sorry... This storm is right on our butts and could do anything! If it stays the course we could be greatly effected! If they continue to wait how would the elderly and special needs have time to do anything???? C'mon tvc,youre a cop,you know their job as elected officials is to protect the citizens of their counties and I think as of now theyre failing miserably! Yes and they did exactly that a few days ago for Gustav and everyone was up in arms because we didn't get hit. Gustav was very close. We got some heavy rains and some fairly strong winds out of it in parts of this area. That didn't matter. Many people seemed to be angry that their homes were still standing and they left "for no reason". AGAIN, if anyone wants to leave, then do so. There is no permission needed to evacuate. This isn't China where you need papers to authorize someone to leave the county. If they call an evacuation this afternoon for tomorrow morning and it hits near Corpus Christi, the exact same people that are complaining now, will complain again that we didn't get hit again.

There will be major traffic problems no matter when it is called. There is not much of a way to avoid it. They do try to stagger the people leaving but that is a joke. Sabine Pass and Port Arthur at 6:00AM, Mid-County at 8:00AM, Beaumont at 10:00AM, etc. That is yelling "FIRE!" in a crowded movie house and asking the first row to sit down for 2 minutes and wait their turn. It all makes sense but no one goes by it and everyone rushes for the exit. That always will happen with evacuations whether they call it for this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

If you want to leave, then do so. No one needs permission to get out of the area. They aren't going to call for an evacuation unless there is a good chance of major damage to the area. That may be the decision shortly but as of yet, that is not the predictions.

... also, they aren't going to evacuate just because we may get some effects from the storm.

Gustav was a lot closer to us according to the predicted path than Ike. If Gustav would have turned about 5 degrees to the west, we would have been hit. This storm has to turn about 45 degree to hit us.

Friday is too late. It will have to start on Thursday if the entire area is going to evacuate.

At 5:40PM, the briefing is still in progress.

The meeting usually is at 4:30PM.

If they had a good idea that it would be near here, they would. Right now the storm looks to land 200 miles away in Corpus Christi.

Coop, quit putting the exclamation marks (!!) by your statements. You're getting everyone excited!! ;D

I've sat in on a few of the weather briefings and decisions (and would be there today if I was working) and it goes a lot by what the National Weather Service/National Hurricane Center forecasts are. I have never seen it be a definitive answer such as, "if it crosses this line, we evacuate". It just depends on the circumstances, the predicted landfall, the certainty of the predictions, etc. Basically the decision is made by men and women with the available data, not by computers.

The 4:30PM meeting should be taking place right now. An answer may come from that but I am not at work today. I might call in a bit as see what is up with it. For THE MOMENT, no evacuations for the general public have been called either voluntary or mandatory. That of course, is subject to change at a moment's notice.

That said, what can we expect here in the triange if the storm hits in freeport??? Up to Category 1 hurricane conditions.