Should Mayor Turner have declared a mandatory evacuation?

[gnadfly]

I've never been a fan of Sylvester Turner since the days of the life insurance scandal but think he was right in *NOT* declaring a mandatory evacuation. The last one was a nightmare with traffic going a few miles an hour and baby diapers piled up on the side of the road. Just leave it up to people's discretion.

Your opinion?

Hope everyone out there is doing well.

[Guest123018-4]

I know this is an opinion poll but really? Can anybody in their right mind actually believe that it would have been even remotely possible to evacuate 6 million people?
If you live in a flood prone area and did not head the warnings that there was going to be 4 feet of rain in a very short time and did not leave on your own accord, what would have made a forced evacuation any better?

[bbkid]

Originally Posted by The2Dogs

If you live in a flood prone area and did not head the warnings that there was going to be 4 feet of rain in a very short time and did not leave on your own accord, then you have absolutely NO reason to complain. It's all on you.

.

[veedub63]

Originally Posted by gnadfly

I've never been a fan of Sylvester Turner since the days of the life insurance scandal but think he was right in *NOT* declaring a mandatory evacuation. The last one was a nightmare with traffic going a few miles an hour and baby diapers piled up on the side of the road. Just leave it up to people's discretion.

Your opinion?

Hope everyone out there is doing well.

I agree Mayor Turner was correct in not ordering a mandatory evacuation; however, discussing what Mayor Turner didn't do is fruitless. What Mayor Turner DID do was to tell everyone to STAY PUT, and in my opinion that particular mandate was negligent. He would have been better off telling the citizens of Houston that if they feel threatened by the weather warnings, then they should make their own decision relating to evacuation. For him to tell everyone to STAY PUT is unforgivable.

[Totempole]

Harvey deaths < 107 = No

(107 deaths occurred during Rita evacuation)

[Sistine Chapel]

This sounds like one of those radio hosts Michael Berry inspired threads. Who BTW hates the Mayor.

FACTS: Mike Berry has no room as he was caught in a gay bar a couple of years ago. He tried to run once he got caught and then DRUNK hit someone's car on the way out and kept driving. he then tried to intimidate any radio show host that would dare talk about him hanging out in a gay bar given all his prolific gay bashing. So if this thread is inspired by Mike Berry just remember he has no credibility.

[StopShort]

Regardless of what the Mayor says people have to make the decision that fits what's best for themselves and their families. I don't give a rats ass if the Mayor said to stay put. If I feel like I'm threatened I'm going to pack up my family and giving the middle finger to the Mayor as I'm driving away. People stayed because they wanted to, not because anyone told them to.

[Fancyinheels]

No. There might have been more casualties and confusion from an impractical mass evacuation. Nobody could have foretold that we would get more than 50 inches of rain! This storm did things that astounded the experts. Roads and neighborhoods are going under that were never considered part of the flood plain. Maps will likely be redrawn. I have to agree with what others have said previously about making the best decision possible based on the data available at the time.

Fate and Mother Nature decreed it was Houston's turn for disaster. Nothing would have prevented this crap short of science fiction weather control and Star Trek transporters.

[Trey]

Remember the last time we tried to evacuate? Cluster fuck on the roads. Many would be dead in thier cars. Then you would hear folks crying the mayor killed them by saying evacuate. At some point you need to be responsible for yourself. Most feel at 18 yrs old thats the time. If you as a grown person need to wait for another grown person to tell you not to drown. Maybe you should drown, ijs. Unless you are incapacitated you had plenty options.

[Sistine Chapel]

Originally Posted by Trey

Remember the last time we tried to evacuate? Cluster fuck on the roads. Many would be dead in thier cars. Then you would hear folks crying the mayor killed them by saying evacuate.

BINGO!!!! Couldn't have said it better myself. Now someone send this in to Michael Berry and his clown right wing radio posse.

[smax]

I did not vote for Turner and prior to this disaster I wouldn't call myself a fan of his but I am proud he is our mayor. He's done an outstanding job through what will turn out to be the worst natural disaster in US history, all you monday morning quaterbacks need stfu

[Stromprophet]

If we had declared to evacuate 1000s of people would have died on the roads.

[BigLouie]

No no way you can get 4 million people out In 24 hours. It would have taken days

[pyramider]

Probably more than a week. My family tried leaving Houston three days before Ike and spent 10 hours in the car and gave up prior to hitting Conroe.

Unfortunately, most companies would probably frown on its workers leaving a week before a storm.

[Zhivago52]

Just a few days before it hit, Harvey was not a very big storm out in the Gulf, so it was hard to predict severity.

Agree with mayor's decision, but can't help but think that if there had been more deaths, the Dems had a planned script similar to Katrina, that would have blamed the president.