SOUTH FLORIDA WOEFULLY UNPREPARED FOR BIG HURRICANE

[donsu]

http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=729


SOUTH FLORIDA WOEFULLY UNPREPARED FOR BIG HURRICANE — Inadequate Shelters and Transportation Could Create Katrina-Scale Tragedy


People fleeing a major storm from the South Florida coast will likely encounter problems evacuating or finding shelter, according to figures released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Population growth, particularly on the coast, has outstripped the ability of the local infrastructure to handle fleeing residents, let alone tourists.

Many of the “critical facilities” in Southwest Florida, such as schools used for shelters in the event of a big storm, are located where they will be vulnerable to flooding. As a result, available shelters will only be able to serve a tiny percentage of estimated evacuees – 5% or less in a Category 3 hurricane or above. Furthermore, a large percentage of the region’s population is aged or infirmed compounding the evacuation of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

According to the documents released today, it is predicted that the shortage of viable critical facilities will, in turn, force many to leave the region in the event of a big storm. Thus, if a storm the size of Katrina made landfall in southern Sarasota County today, 750,000 units housing about 1,367,210 people would be affected in the four southwestern most coastal counties and two inland counties around Lake Okeechobee. Assuming vulnerable residents evacuated, they would use about 663,000 vehicles for evacuation which would take about 65 hours to clear the region. Multiple regions evacuating South Florida for a major storm would take over 120 hours which is a time equal to the 5 day forecast. Traffic tie-ups will snarl this mass migration, leaving thousands of occupied vehicles stranded in harm’s way.

“If people think that human tragedy on the scale of Katrina could not happen here, they had better think again,” stated Florida PEER Director Jerry Phillips. “The state is now so over-developed in the zones at highest hurricane risk that the worst case scenarios for major storms look downright scary.”
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and then there was this:

“Real estate remains king in Florida, inducing government agencies at all levels to facilitate development in the areas of greatest risk, thus making a bad situation even worse,” added Phillips. “We appear to have learned nothing from the last two years’ horrendous hurricane seasons.”

[Boomer]

1. Pretty damning summation

No amount of planning after the fact can compensate for overdevelopment.

The only way out of this is going to be the hard way -- a hurricane that basically sweeps it all away.

[bullimiami]

2. its stupid. new orleans was under sea level and it flooded.

south florida is always ready for hurricanes. if we get a really bad one it will be a mess, we will clean up and move on.

otoh, the florida government has failed us miserably in regulating the insurance industry. jeb bush has allowed florida to be raped and when the hurricane comes there will be severe problems getting claims paid even with the criminal rate increases they have been allowed.

[donsu]

3. you wish

nt

[William769]

4. Lee County (which happens to be the heart of S.W. Florida)

Has proven this to be wrong already.

[FlaGranny]

5. It is true that development is

outstripping almost everything, but they fail to account for the fact that most of this development is housing built to strict standards suitable to be used as - - "hurricane shelters." This is not housing that is in danger from 99% of hurricanes and is as safe as the safest shelters. I wish I could afford to live in one. New construction is not much of a problem regarding hurricanes, although I agree completely that environmentally, all this new construction is bad. I hate it every time I see a new development begin. I think they are "reaching" a bit, though, with this story.

[Retrograde]

6. It's a good thing they don't have hurricanes very often

just 1/3 of every year or so /sarcasm