Actually - I came up with a SOLUTION to the freeway problem in Los Angeles during a major evacuation.

SHERIFF BLAST.

Yep - he's my answer :-)
I figure we can fly Blast over to So California on a Cessna. He can open the door and skydive into the city. Then we'll take him to a big crate loaded with Tasers and RPG's. Then just tell Blast to KEEP THOSE FREEWAYS MOVING - no matter what.

This idea works for me.
I'm seeing this as a positive :-)

Pete2

These are things to expect, not unexpected.


Volcano? Earthquake? Tsunami? Large chemical spill from a train derailment into a stream that feeds into the lake serving as the municipal water supply?

Volcano isn't laughable. St. Helens was rumbling for many weeks but public evacuation orders only preceded the main event by two weeks. It *should* be an orderly evac, but...

Evacuations are hazardous and unpredictable. With a hurricane there's a risk you're still on the road in a car when the fun starts. With an Earthquake I'd try to put off evacuating for days at least, to give authorities a chance to organize the evacuation routes.

After hurricane Ike there were refugees at least 200 miles inland. Any large-scale evac (hundreds of thousands and up) is probably going to saturate every hotel until you get to New Mexico at least.

Don't forget that Cash is King and credit/debit/ATM cards often useless.

The 1980 Mt. Saint Helens eruption is an intersting case study in the problems officials have in calling for an evacuation. The problem wasn't so much that the warning was too late. Rather the problem was that people didn't believe it.

In 1980, there were strong indications that a major eruption of St Helens was imminent, and the situation was very dangerous. The USGS convinced the state, counties, and USFS to close the area around the mountain. The problem was that a lot of people had cabins in the area, and there was a lodge and other businesses in the area. When after some time there was no eruption, the public pressure to re-open the area became intense. People were calling the USGS all sorts of nasty things, and demanding that the closure of the area end. Lots of people were ignoring the closure and sneaking into the area.

The authorities finally gave in to that pressure, and opened the area for one weekend, to allow people to go to their cabins and retrieve their belongings. That was the weekend the mountain erupted, and 57 people died. The eruption was in fact much worse than even the USGS expected. The blast flattened forests for miles, mud flows destroyed bridges and partially blocked the shipping channel in the Columbia River, and ash clouds covered a huge area downwind.

A very good read about St. Helens is the book "Volcano Cowboys: The Rocky Evolution of a Dangerous Science" by Dick Thompson. He describes in great detail the science behind the warnings, and also the problems the USGS had in getting the public to take the whole thing seriously.

I grew up in the PNW, and climbed Mt. Saint Helens several times in the years before the eruption. By the time of the eruption I was living in Denver. We actually got a tiny but visible bit of dust even there from the eruption. If you are ever in the area, it is well worth it to drive up there and visit the Johnston Ridge Visitors Center (named after a USGS geologist who died in the eruption). It still boggles my mind to look up there and realize that most of the peak I climbed is....gone.

So some takeaways so far ...

1. It's essential to have an emergency stash of cash and an emergency stock of gasoline (that is transportable - but not inside the vehicle). A vehicle roof rack is a very good idea. Likewise, it's essential to keep your gas tank filled, your spare tire checked and in good working order, and jack/tools packed and ready to go.

2. There is no guarantee of a credible early warning. So you either need to leave earlier than everyone else, or wait it out.

3. There is no point in "fighting it out" on the freeways with hundreds of thousands of other desperate drivers. Go early or leave late.

4. Figure on motels and campgrounds being occupied for at least 300-400 miles out of the city.

5. Have several OPTIONS on where your emergency destination will be, some close and some much further away.

Pete2

Pete,

By way of practice, I highly recommend car camping with whoever you would be evacuating with (wife, children, pets?). Or without them if they aren't eager.

You'll learn what you need to have in the car to survive comfortably for some number of days. You can practice different routes out of town.

Leaving home on a Friday of a holiday weekend and imagining that times a factor of 10 would be some approximation of what you'd have to look forward to in a mass evacuation.

Practice makes perfect. I've been car camping in this region for twenty years so have the gear (have camped in overnight temps in the teens), know what fits in my vehicle, know the campgrounds and routes to get to them.

By the way, do you keep your vehicle in a garage? Occurs to me that in earthquake country it could be wise to keep the evac vehicle outside of the garage.

Also, if I were evacuating among the things that would be going with me are mountain bikes on my hitch rack and a bike trailer and Burley Travoy on the roof (Yakima Loadwarrior).

Burley Travoy - I got this for grocery shopping (works as a bike trailer or hand truck) and it is so light and compact that it is now part of my road trip gear.

http://www.burley.com/home/bur/page_416/travoy.html


.

Point I was going to make,you need to stay off the main roads and take the smaller less traveled less known routes.

Down in Disneyland,Anaheim Ca,the main roads can get clogged pretty easily.The locals know how to cut through neighborhoods and even with slower speeds and stop signs you get where you are going during rush periods much faster.

So knowledge of less traveled routes to where you need/imagine you might go should be in your knowledge base.

The thread back awhile about riots,we did some dry runs to get out of town where we work,in an emergency if I can get past a couple potential bottlenecks we would be far ahead of the herd.

Having ability to drive over curbs and up dirt embankments is also a very nice thing.

Once I went 4x4,cant believe I spent 45 years not ever having been exposed to it,would never go back,no way,no how.Should have started when I was 18 I now feel in hindsight.

Just doesnt make sense to me anymore not too,IMO,YMMV.

One of our better preps for sure,and its always with us.The 4x4 broken record continues,but I truly believe it so its a mantra from me.

I went to a 2wd truck for many reasons other do, never needed 4x4, got along fine with a locking rear end and chains. But then ran across one occasion where I did need it, my 2wdmade it just as well as my parents small 4x4 (geo tracker) but it wasn't a fun experience. 4x4 is just like any other prep gear, you buy it just in case but hope to never need it.

Practice as others said.

It is 250 miles from where we live to where we have out farm land and if we evac'ed that's where we could go. You need to drive to and from often, budget for a trip ever month or two. Make a stop at the local stores, people will start to recognize you. You need to start taking detours every now and then. We'll look for places off the main highway and take an exit somewhere before and after to detour and make a stop. This helps you get familiar with alternate routes.

The average car gets 300-400 miles on a tank, stop and go traffic will cut that down as will pulling trailers or strapping items to the roof, taking detours, backtracking, etc. You need to take that into account. If your evac is also 300-400 miles then you have to keep a full tank or enough extra to top it off before you leave and enough safely carried to extend that range.

CB radio or scanner helps to gather intel along the route, traffic jams, accidents, etc.

good suggestion spuds. should work for me - I have a Jeep.
I'll start looking at possibilities.

Pete2

Spuds,

Not sure what "broken record" you are refering to? I have not heard anyone suggest that it isn't useful having a 4X4. What has been suggested is that even without 4X4, experience and skill can get you through a lot. And that without experience and skill, 4X4 can sucker you deeper into a bad situation.

I am not exactly a newbie when it comes to using 4X4. You will be no doubt be amazed to learn that in Alaska it actually does snow now and then. In our family we drive one AWD car and one 4X4 SUV. Over many years I've driven a lot of different rigs, in a lot of different conditions. Deep snow, ice, mud, sand, rocks, you name it. I've seen people use them 4X4 well. And I've seen people without 4X4 get some amazing places. And I've sure seen a lot of people who got into serious trouble because they thought with their 4X4 their was no way they could get stuck. And,though I hate to admit it, I've gotten stuck myself once or twice, usually when I was being dumb.

"In Alaska we have four distinct seasons. There is early winter, mid winter, late winter, and next winter. What you folks down south call 'summer' is just the transition from late winter to next winter!"

Aksar,referring to me ,the 4x4 over and over posts by me,Im the broken record.

Im not discounting 4x4 makes folks over confident,thats where the experience factor plays. Just because its 4x4,street tires wont cut it yet folks see those stupid commercials and think it does,Then you have the 4x4's that cant move and block the roads.

We are very steep here on the roads and just shake our heads at the uninformed 4x4 owners that havent a clue what they are doing,or what they DONT have . Monster street 4x4 trucks,add hard mud tires (STAY HOME!)....Escalades in snow banks with low profile street tires(STAY HOME!)I hear ya totally on what you are saying.

You must equip your 4x4 with the equipment that will actually move you in the environment you are tackling.BFG all terrain tires can tackle most situations very well.Freeway,dirt,snow and rain,its a good thing,they are extremely popular up here.

Pete,you would LOVE these on your Jeep,my Jeep has em.And quiet soft ride too!And high mileage too especially on our light Jeeps,They will take you through any road condition at all that California offers.
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