Would you comply with a mandatory evacuation order?

[ellisonz]

You live in an area that is subject to a mandatory evacuation area (hurricane/wildfire/tsunami etc.). You are given 6 hours notice to pack-up essentials and exit the area to an evacuation center/or area not subject to a mandatory evacuation order. You are informed that no emergency assistance will be available. Do you comply with the order or do you stick it out and hope for the best?

26 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	Yes, I would comply with the order and evacuate.
	21 (81%)
	No, I would not comply and stick it out.
	4 (15%)
	Other (Explain)
	1 (4%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[Tumbulu]

1. I'd get out, but it is not easy to move a whole bunch of animals

I live in areas where fires can rage through. No way would I stay. But I'd have to move a huge number of animals or let them out to run away.

I did live through a flood from a hurricane. No one told me to evacuate. I was surrounded by water for a week. They rescued all the people around me with helicopters and just left me. As though I did not exist. Although if I had been rescued a lot of animals would have died as there would have been no one to feed them. But why didn't they even offer or ask? It has always really bothered me. I was well prepared, and it was a very peaceful week, all by myself out in a desert surrounded by water......just me ad a bunch of horses and dogs and cattle.

[ellisonz]

4. Let's say for the purpose of discussion...

...you can bring dogs, cats, and birds etc but no livestock, unless you can transport them.

My family fortunately lives outside of the tsunami evacuation zone in Honolulu and away from brush fire areas in SoCal.

I remember during the tsunami alert from the Japan Earthquake watching a guy on TV try to go surfing on Waikiki beach as the tsunami approached.

[jsmirman]

5. When was this?

Katrina was such a disaster in human terms, but also in animal terms, and the human terms were exacerbated by people like me who no way no how are leaving our animals.

But I feel like in the aftermath, the sensitivity to that aspect of disaster planning has greatly improved.

Was this pre or post Katrina?

[Tumbulu]

11. It was in Arizona in the early 90's pre Katrina

and it was simply bizarre. A week I was all by myself and could not get out. I did have a working phone. I called and no one offered to help in anyway. Although they sent helicopters for people not even 3 miles from me.

But as I said, if they did take me away, the animals would have died as they were only taking people. I was not at risk, the house was on high ground- a little island it was. Just no way in or out and no power. But no one had said to evacuate either. It was a surprise. But I always had huge amount of foodstuffs as it was 60 miles to town anyway.

[jsmirman]

19. I wonder if in a situation like yours it would be different now

I suspect it would be - disaster plans now involve animals - but I confess that I don't know how it goes in a place that is remote like yours and with larger animals.

[Tumbulu]

23. You know all this discussion

is making me think more about fire season. A friend lost almost 1000 sheep to a huge wildfire. Horrible, but there was nothing anyone could do. These fires kill both livestock and wildlife without discretion. The volunteer fire people say open all gates and leave with pets and horses in trailers and let the cattle and sheep run away from the fire. But my friends sheep could not outrun the fire, they were killed.

One can load up dogs and horses into trailers. But hundred or thousands of sheep require lots of trailers and time.

[jsmirman]

47. Yes, it's awful stuff to contemplate

you certainly don't want to leave any living creatures penned in.

Fire season upsets me every year, thinking about all the human and animal dislocation it causes.

[aquart]

17. It isn't easy which is why you have to plan in advance and hold drills

So both you and the animals will know what to do and not panic.

As to where you go, you need to be in touch with other rescuers and agree to reciprocal sheltering in an emergency.

AND WRITE A LEGAL WILL.

Taking responsibility for abandoned desperate animals is good, but do they deserve to have it happen twice?

PREPARE.

[Tumbulu]

53. One can have plans for pets (and horses and milk cows/goats- ie tame enough to trailer) and person

but livestock really take time and people to move and a lot of trailer space.

Which is why everyone says open all gates and leave.

That is the advice on the ground around here and I would take it and get out. In fact one year we were waiting for the evacuation order in the car. I had all my dogs in the camper area with household goods and my baby in the carseat and we were ready to go. But the wind changed and we were spared that time.

I prepare for fires yearlong. I do rotational grazing in a way that would hopefully create a fire break. I water particular areas and disc others. Fire is always a threat out here and we all take it seriously. And I take evacuation orders seriously. And I am glad that I moved from Arizona. It was disgusting.

[jsmirman]

2. As long as I could take my animals, yes

Particularly because they depend on me for their safety. It's my responsibility to keep them safe and complying with a mandatory evacuation is part of that responsibility.

There are lots of possessions I really care about. But in comparison, I don't give a flying fuck about any of them.

There are things it is devastating to lose (memories, things that are attached to memories), but what I can't take with me, I'll have to deal with replacing.

[ellisonz]

6. For this hypothetical

You can take dogs, cats, birds (etc - but not your 90 cats animal hoarding nightmare) and livestock if you can transport them in your own trailer.

[jsmirman]

12. Right now it's just me and a highly transportable cat

very soon it's going to be us and a 50 pound golden lab/retriever rescue I'm fostering and if the heavens part and everyone gets along, adopting...

[StarryNite]

18. Wayne Pacelle of The Humane Society of the US

&feature=plcp

Wayne Pacelle, chief executive officer and president of The Humane Society of the United States, book signing for his book,"The Bond". At this point Wayne was speaking about how Hurricane Katrina was a wake-up call to the American people that legislation needed to be passed that would include provisions for animal rescue in cases of disasters.

Wayne Pacelle is amazing!

[hollysmom]

3. I have responded to several evacuate orders already, not to mention

Hiding out in a cinder block shower room during a tornado warning, instead of my trailer WITH the dog - everyone thought I was nuts, did not get hit by a tornado, but have had 2 close calls on the road, I do not take chances.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. It's not even a debate

The parrots won't like it, oh well.

[Behind the Aegis]

8. I did comply.

We were ordered out of New Orleans for Gustav...what a fucking joke, but, I guess, better safe than sorry. However, it was hard to maintain that attitude after driving 26 hours straight in a Corolla with a cat, a dog, and 24 birds, and not finding shelter until we crossed into Georgia!

[jsmirman]

13. Holy crap, that must have been hell

but you did the right thing.

I take it everyone made it through the ordeal?

[Behind the Aegis]

21. It was not at all pleasant.

I figured if my partner and I made it through that, then it is likely little will stand between us (11 years come Feburary). LOL! Where we landed in GA should have been about a 9 hour drive, it really did take 26 hours! There was not a single hotel open UNTIL we crossed the GA border. We lost one finch on the ride there, and lost another on the way home. The dog, cat, parrot, lovebirds, and canaries, were not at all happy. It was made a bit worse when my dad's sister showed up and said "you guys should really clean up before we go to dinner (Chic-fil-a)." I almost punched her in the face because it was the second time she pulled some insensitive crap like that in a matter of hours!

In all honesty, had it not been for our pets, I would have likely stayed. I have been though 9 hurricanes, a handful of tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, and a few other weird things (someone took a hit out on me), so I tend not to give a big shit. If I feel I can survive, then I will ride it out, but I won't risk my partner or my animals.

[jsmirman]

43. Poor finches : (

You're a champ for making the effort, though!

[LadyHawkAZ]

9. Show me the door and I'm out it!

No questions asked!

Everything valuable that I would want to save can be packed in an hour or so, including crating the cat and putting the bikes on the truck. Natural disaster heading my way? Fuck it, I'm gone.

BUT, we have no large livestock, a vehicle and money for gas, and plenty of places to go. There are some situations where I can understand wanting or needing to stay. I wouldn't agree with it, but I can understand it.

[jsmirman]

14. Yes, agree we just don't know what situation someone is in

Still, if you can comply, comply.

[Cha]

10. I was packed and ready to go Sat night because of the tsunami warning

for Hawai'i 'cause of the 7.5 Earthquake aftershocks off the Pacific Coast of Canada. We were watching the Big Island to see first if it hit there. My friends car was pointed in the direction of the hill and we were ready to leave at a moments notice.

Thankfully, it did Not hit!

ellisonz

P.S. It's my third Tsunami Warning..last year we evacuted Hanapepe Valley because of the Earthquake in Japan. In the 90s I was living on a hill.

[ellisonz]

20. Aloha

And it seemed like you had just woken up from a nap or something:

[Cha]

24. No, I was watching a movie and keep checking

back to DU when I saw applegrove's thread! I didn't hear the sirens 'cause I had all my fans running to help with the heat!

But, it all worked out ..I found out at 9pm and it was suppose to hit at 10:30pm. Some scary moments imagining everything Washing away! Poor East Coasters

[JVS]

15. Depends on what kind of disaster.

I live on high ground hundreds of miles from the ocean with a river about 1 mile away but easily 100 feet lower than my elevation. So, I'd definitely ignore a Tsunami and would probably ignore a hurricane. I'd go to my mom's house with some supplies.

Fire has never been a problem in this area, but if there were indeed a fire raging through the area, I'd grab some stuff, get in the car, grab mom, and drive off to a motel out of the area. There is no fucking way I'm going to some refuge camp if at all avoidable.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

16. Yes....

Better safe than sorry.

[Art_from_Ark]

22. In March of last year, I was about to get "manditorily" evacuated,

at least, that is what I was hearing on DU Heck, all of Tokyo was going to be evacuated, to hear some people tell it-- or at least, all Americans in this part of Japan

At any rate, if the Japanese government had told me to evacuate in 6 hours, it would have been very hard to comply with it. That would have meant that millions of other people would also have been trying to escape from that disaster. It's bad enough trying to travel on highways or public transport during the major travel seasons here-- it would have been near impossible if a wide-area evacuation order had been issued.

[KT2000]

25. yes if I can get the cat corraled

could not leave her though. Would take my neighbors cats too.

[politicat]

26. Given six hours, yes.

We keep go bags and bug-out kits. One of those hours would be packing the laptops, cables and back up drives, taking photos of the book shelves and valuables, and getting both the hard copy and digital versions of the critical papers. One hour to pack essential clothing and gear and five minutes to wrestle cats into their carriers. We can bug out in 10 minutes if necessary, as long as digital copies of our marriage license, deed and title to the car is enough for replacements.

I've been in wild fires, floods, tornadoes and earthquakes. Stuff can be replaced. People can't.

[Hekate]

27. All of SoCal is a seasonal fire zone, as is the Central Coast where I live

And the season just gets longer and longer.

We have had massive regional fires, increasing in frequency -- the Zaca Fire stayed mostly in the back country so the authorities let it burn itself out and I think it got to around a quarter million acres. Took a lot of manpower and money to keep it away from settled areas, though. The Painted Cave Fire came roaring out of the mountains, jumped all roads including the 6-lane freeway and two parallel roads and was heading toward the ocean when the wind died just enough just in time ... Hundreds of houses were lost in that one, and many people evacuated with no time whatsoever to save any possessions. The Gap Fire felt like it was practically on top of us, but we weren't in the actual evac zone. I left anyway because the air was so foul.

One thing we've learned locally is that people want to save their animals. As far as I can tell, we knew this before Katrina -- I was struck by the stories of people in New Orleans who stayed and sometimes died with beloved pets rather than abandon them. Locally I think those stories helped disaster preparedness people to become even more aware of the need to prepare for pets as well. The high school gyms and other evac shelters now have crates for cats and dogs as well as cots for people. The big showground stands ready to take horses, and always has.

That's a long way of saying: when we smell smoke, we look at the mountains and turn on the tv. And hell yes, if I were told to evacuate I would throw the dogs and some clothes in the car and leave pronto.

Hekate

[XemaSab]

28. Definitely

I've had to worry about quakes, mudslides, fires, floods, and tsunamis. When the powers that be say go, you go.

(One of the factors behind getting a Honda Element is that it can fit all three dogs. Evacuating is totally a thing.)

[ellisonz]

42. "Evacuating is totally a thing"

"Ralph Lauren's Evacuation Line - Coming Soon - Spring of 2013"

[FreeJoe]

29. I picked Other

I would very likely comply, but I could imagine odd scenarios where I wouldn't. If I didn't, I would not ask for, expect, or accept help under any circumstances.

[michreject]

30. With over 50 guns in the house, I'd be forced to stay

If I left, they wouldn't be here when I got back.

[Stinky The Clown]

31. No

I have a very large cache of gold bouillon, silver coins, rare paintings, firearms in the hundreds, 17 dogs, and an unfinished sopressata salami. I can't leave.

[ellisonz]

37. "Leave the rare paintings, take the sopressata salami."

[HappyMe]

32. Hell yes, we would get out.

It wouldn't take us long to pack up essentials.

[PATXgirl]

33. Most of my family lives on the Gulf Coast and does evacuate.

One sister, who rode Rita out starts packing as soon as it looks like its headed her way. She said she would never take that chance again.

Another sister's husband however now refuses to evacuate. As soon as the hurricane passes, he starts fixing what's broken. He's very self-sufficient and can make do without public services, etc for awhile.

[BadgerKid]

34. Oh, yes.

I once had (gave myself) five minutes to get myself (no family) out of a building fire situation. I could have taken more time (about 15 min.) before police and fire crews arrived, yet I would recommend getting out ASAP.

[Barack_America]

35. Absolutely. Out the door in less than an hour.

[OldDem2012]

36. Definitely. Not worth the lives of my family to ride out the storm. nt.

[Horse with no Name]

38. I did once and almost got killed in the evacuation

I would have been safer at home.

However, I would have to weigh all of the options and what the seriousness of the event was...but it wouldn't be easy for me to do.

[Xyzse]

39. You kidding?

If I'm told about evacuation plans and I think I can.
I'd be gone the day before...

[ellisonz]

41. No, I most certainly not kidding.

Expect "historic and catastrophic damage"

[panader0]

40. I was ordered out during the Monument fire here in So Az

I loaded the pickup with amps, speakers, drums, guitars and more and beat it to Tombstone.
As it turned out I could have stayed. But Jeannie would hear of it.

[oberliner]

44. We had one here for Sandy and I did not

In fact, no one in my apartment complex did either.

And we were wise not to.

If anyone wants more details, they can PM me.

[me b zola]

45. I may or I may not

it would depend upon my circumstances at the time.

[Orangepeel]

46. Hell, I'd comply with a suggested evacuation order

But I realize no everyone has the means to do so.

[LanternWaste]

48. All things being equal, yes.

All things being equal, yes. However, I imagine during a crises which prompts a mandatory evacuations order, all things are not often quite equal anymore.

[sarisataka]

49. It depends

I am confident that some disasters I am well prepared to ride out; others I would be long gone before the order came.

In many cases I would be volunteering to be an aid work and just make sure my family is secure.

[Rowdyboy]

50. The dog is always with us. We would try to round up the cats but, yes, we'd be gone after 6 hours

Our property matters but it could be replaced. Our lives can't.

[Melinda]

51. Would that it would be so simple to make an 'either or' choice.

Unfortunately approximately 46% plus Americans live below the poverty line, which means that the majority of those are senior, disabled, single parents, working poor, and/or homeless (this includes veterans). The largest number of these that do have an income live from paycheck to paycheck; for example, SSI recipients receive their benefits on the first of every month. Think about that.... Sandy hit on the 29th of the month. When one lives from month to month, or paycheck to paycheckon a very limited amount of money, what's left over to facilitate your evacuation?

I am an immense of empathy and compassion for those who did not evacuate OR leave, for whatever reason.

My 2 cents.

Oh, and I chose 'other'

[cthulu2016]

52. Knowing myself, probably not. But I would keep quiet about it and encourage others to comply.

My pattern in life is to expose myself to a higher level of risk than I would ever advise for someone else.

I don't always rationalize my peculiarities as being the best thing.

[Liberal_in_LA]

54. yes, but I would not pass judgement on those who choose to say

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

55. Maybe, and that's a promise.

Hypothetical questions should always be dealt with hypothetically. Hypothetically speaking, of course.

[Whiskeytide]

56. I would bug out any time there...

... was a legitimate risk of death. If for no other reason than many life insurance policies don't have to pay if your death occurred when you refused to obey a mandatory evac order.

[Initech]

57. I did and didn't even have an hour to evacuate.

[dipsydoodle]

58. One of the reasons why Cuba has the world's best hurricane response record

is that mandatory evacuations are exactly that. Nothing is more important than protection of life.