The Holdouts

Are you serious?! Can you imagine trying to figure out the amount of damage and first responders trying to do their job with hordes of people trying to get back to their homes? With traffic accident just waiting to happen( We know what good drivers humans are) and the congestion on the streets you would have a bigger problem than the hurricane, and in chaos you REGULAR people would almost certainly get in the way because when the *#@* hits the fan you fall back to your lowest level of training. Trust me, you don't want a million opinions.

Americans are stupid at times. Life and lim b "could" be at risk and we worry about "things". We worry about a cop telling us "you cant go back home yet", as if he's saying that to bluff us, or so that the city can penalize us with some type of "abandon fee". Nobody's playing games. You fool, its just not safe! And youre better off WITHOUT the risk! For some of us an absolutely life destroying tidal wave would have to occur and kill us before we'd stop whining about crap.

Americans are stupid. Life and limb "could" be at risk and we worry about "things". We worry a cop telling us "you cant go back home yet", as if he's saying that to bluff u or to s the city can tack on some type of "abandon fee" to you. We are out of our minds.

For some of us an absolute life destroying tidal wave would have to occur and kill us so we wouldnt be "whining" about crap.

I agree with the comment about not being able to return home after the storm-- what are we living in a police state now? They thought people coming back would get in the way of "first responders"-- if anything the people would go to their homes and take care of things in their immediate area. We "regular people" can be just as handy as some "first responders".

I think that anyone who stays should have to fill out a next of kin form and wear it along with a toe tag so that the resuce people can get the bodies to the next of kin, if this was done people will get out, also anyone staying is on their own NO help at all, as for getting back people need to stay away until the power and other basic services are back and up and running.

Hurricane season is a real "season" like our winter and fall and such in the north, we know when it comes every year, it doesn't sneak up on us out of the blue expect for the rare occasion when we get snow in June or something, But the fact is we have ALL YEAR to prepare for this; we cut wood, stock our pantry or freezer, put a little money away, and make sure our gas tanks never fall below half a tank. Priorities People, the big screen TVcan wait!!!

The article lacks one important factor--returning home after the storm.

issues that citizen's dealt with in Katrina and Gustav when they tried to return home from evacuating were restrictions of movement and overzealous police at roadblocks. Who wants to deal with authorities telling you that you can't go home when you could have stayed in the first place?

People were furious when they weren't allowed to return their own homes after these storms. I certainly don't want some government official or policeman telling me when I can return home--all supposedly for my own protection.

I live in the Northeast coast, within the evacuation area of a Nuclear power plant. We get blizzards, hurricanes and even flooding. We have evacuation routes, different roads and different sites to go to depending on where you live. Most of the people I know in this area are READY in case of a disaster. I fill up my gas tank when I hear there is a potential storm coming, I have a can in my cabinet which I set aside a few dollars a week, so I won't be short on cash if I have to go. In the trunk of my car is a blanket, change of clothes, bottled water and small snacks (especially in the winter). When you live in an area that has adverse weather, you are aware of the potential danger, so you need to be prepared. Try keeping a container filled with gas at your home, so you'll always have gas for your car. Hook up with your neighbors to see about carpooling, and even sharing a motel room to keep the cost down. Throw a few dollars in a can each week, so cash is not a problem. Have an emergency kit with water and packaged snacks that arent perishable. Be ready to evacuate. Who cares if someone rips off your home while your gone? Your insurance will cover it. Isn't your families safety and well being more important than your possessions? I know mine is. Of course evacuating and staying with a bunch of strangers, not knowing when you'll get home is inconvenient (I do know this firsthand because I had to stay in a church during the blizzard of 78 for 3 days) and not exactly the best of circumstances, but it certainly beat the alternative. What was suppose to be Flurries, ended up a blizzard. Coming home from work in Boston, my bus got stuck in the snow drifts. I could have walked 10 miles to my home in the blizzard, but even at 17, I was smarter than that. Instead I chose to stay in a church hall with a bunch of strangers for 3 days, before the time of cell phones. We had no phone service, no electricity for a week, and no heat. My parents worried for 3 days as to where I was and if I was safe. But at least I WAS SAFE!!!! That experience to me to be prepared for anything, especially when you live in an area that has storms etc.

The claims that those remaining face imminent death are just scare tactics that will backfire. People stay for many reasons, including ones this Dr. Redlener didn't mention. People stay because of fear of what might happen if they leave (e.g. looting), and because of past experience with storms. If they stayed last time, they think they can stay again. If they left last time, and ended up in huge traffic jams that took forever to get moving, or if they feel like they left for no good reason, then they don't want to repeat that mistake. Meanwhile, they flip on the news and see reporters staying and putting themselves in harm's way -- and what do you think they conclude? Is it going to take a steel beam into the skull of a reporter, live, to get people to change their behavior?

"Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part"

Call me crazy, but there's a reason I decided not to buy a house in the "tornado belt". It's probably the same reason I decided NOT to live in an area that's prone to hurricanes every couple of years. There used to be a time when people would look at things like...."is this area in a flood plain"? or "is this river prone to flooding"? etc etc. Nowadays people just park themselves and build where ever they choose. That's their absolute right! It's also MY absolute right NOT to have the government use MY tax dollars to PAY these people for GAS (are you kidding me) so they can evacuate. It's not rocket science folks. There's a sign that hangs over a certain academy classroom I used to walk through every day. It simply said: "Common Sense and Good Judgment". If people exercised that a little more and took more responsibility for choices THEY make, there would be a lot less outcry for the government to do more to "help" (ie waste my tax money on people who want to have it all and expect for my money to make that possible for them)

This is just the start, mass migrations of people will be next because of water and droughts.. We could be global climate refugees in the years to come so we might want to prepare for that by having a plan on how you are going to migrate out of your region on foot because the gas now will be over $6 a gallon after this storm.... Watch the run up on a barrel of crude now..

jsta_rebel, have you ever inquired and researched as to how much aid the USA has given to poor countries all over the WORLD, including Haiti? Ever total up the cost of our U.S. Navy ships bringing tons of relief supplies to countries in need all over the Globe, including the Communist country of Myanmar recently (that by the way refused our help)? You talk about the selfishness of the USA and how we could use a dose of humility. What you could use is some fresh perspective by living in this country and seeing just how much aid we dole out year after year, decade after decade. So continue to judge while sitting on some beach in the Turk&Caicos Islands while the men and women of the USA continue to donate money, time and continue to go out and bring aid to where it's needed.

jsta_rebel, have you ever inquired and researched as to how much aid the USA has given to poor countries all over the WORLD, including Haiti? Ever total up the cost of our U.S. Navy ships bringing tons of relief supplies to countries in need all over the Globe, including the Communist country of Myanmar recently (that by the way refused our help)? You talk about the selfishness of the USA and how we could use a dose of humility. What you could use is some fresh perspective by living in this country and seeing just how much aid we dole out year after year, decade after decade. So continue to judge while sitting on some beach in the Turk&Caicos Islands while the men and women of the USA continue to donate money, time and continue to go out and bring aid to where it's needed.