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Galveston declares state of emergency, orders mandatory evacuation
10:16 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 20, 2005
By T.J. Aulds / The Galveston Daily News & Janice Williamson / 11 News
KHOU
Many Galveston island residents have boarded up their homes with plans to evacuate.
Galveston officials have now called for mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Rita beginning Wednesday. The order is for every one living in Galveston County.
People in medical centers and nursing homes will start evacuating at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Residential evacuations start at 6 p.m. The county’s evacuation plan calls for the evacuation of residents in phases.
Galveston also declared a state of emergency late Tuesday. That means the city council will step aside and the mayor and city manager will call the shots. Basic city services will continue for the time being with the exception of public transportation. That will stop after the last bus runs Tuesday because the buses are being used to evacuate people.
The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Tracking Rita:
Hurricane Central: Latest position, track and satellite images
Ask a meteorologist: Post your question here
Gulf of Mexico radars
Texas alerts
Storm surge map
Evacuation routes:
Evacuation/Storm surge map | Text directions
Disaster supply kit | Evacuation tips | Disaster plan
Emergency Numbers
• Police, fire department, ambulance: 911
• Greater Houston chapter of American Red Cross: 713-526-8300
• FEMA (Disaster Relief): 1-800-621-3362
• City of Houston services helpline: 311
• CenterPoint Energy Natural Gas: 713-659-2111
• CenterPoint Energy Electric: 1-800-332-7143; 713-207-2222
Printable tracking chart
Sign up for KHOU.com's free: Tropical Weather Watch | Severe Weather Alerts
Flight tracker
Anatomy of a hurricane | Flash required
But a sense of urgency was already beginning to build on Tuesday.
Homeowners were stocking up on supplies and boarding up their homes. After seeing the devastation caused by Katrina, most are heeding the warnings to leave.
"I've got a lot of options, but one of them is not staying here if we're gonna get a Category 3," said Dennis Miller. "That's not an option."
Residents who wait until the mandatory evacuation takes effect on Thursday will only have one way out. They'll have to stay on I-45 until they reach Huntsville.
Betty Prough is going to Baltimore on Wednesday.
"It'll be OK," she said. "I mean, you know, we have great neighbors, we have great friends, people take care of each other. We'll be OK.
Citizens who don't have transportation will be bused from the community center in the 4700 block of Broadway and head to shelters in Huntsville.
Evacuees will be allowed to carry one suitcase and their pets on the buses, but the pets must be in carriers or crates. Pet owners should call 409-763-8477 if they need a cage or crate.
The number to call for more information on the evacuation is 409-797-3710. Anyone who needs to ride a bus, should call that number to alert the city. By late Tuesday morning, about 800 people had signed up. The Huntsville shelter is set up to hold about a thousand people.
Zone A of the evacuation plan, which includes the southern portions of the county including Galveston Island, Tiki Island and Bayou Vista, begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Zone B of the plan, which includes the central portions of the county’s mainland as well as the bay front communities of Kemah, San Leon and Bacliff, are to start evacuation at 2 a.m. Thursday.
Zone C, which is the northern reaches of the county including League City and Friendswood, will start evacuation at 12 p.m. Thursday.
Tropical force winds from Hurricane Rita are expected to hit the county by early Friday.
EVACUATION ZONES ZONE A - 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 21
Galveston Island (I-45)
Jamaica Beach (I-45)
Tiki Island (I-45)
Bayou Vista (Hwy. 6)
Clear Lake Shores (Hwy. 146)
Kemah (Hwy. 146)
San Leon-Bacliff-Bayview (Hwy. 146)
Bolivar Peninsula (Hwy. 87 and Hwy. 124)
ZONE B - 2 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 22
Texas City (Hwy. 146)
La Marque (I-45)
Hitchcock (Hwy. 6)
Dickinson (I-45)
ZONE C – Noon, Thursday, Sept. 22 (Use Highway 6)
League City (I-45, Hwy. 146)
Friendswood (I-45)
Santa Fe (Hwy. 6)
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Online at: http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050920_ac_mandatoryevac.788768d6.html
10:16 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 20, 2005
By T.J. Aulds / The Galveston Daily News & Janice Williamson / 11 News
KHOU
Many Galveston island residents have boarded up their homes with plans to evacuate.
Galveston officials have now called for mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Rita beginning Wednesday. The order is for every one living in Galveston County.
People in medical centers and nursing homes will start evacuating at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Residential evacuations start at 6 p.m. The county’s evacuation plan calls for the evacuation of residents in phases.
Galveston also declared a state of emergency late Tuesday. That means the city council will step aside and the mayor and city manager will call the shots. Basic city services will continue for the time being with the exception of public transportation. That will stop after the last bus runs Tuesday because the buses are being used to evacuate people.
The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning.
Tracking Rita:
Hurricane Central: Latest position, track and satellite images
Ask a meteorologist: Post your question here
Gulf of Mexico radars
Texas alerts
Storm surge map
Evacuation routes:
Evacuation/Storm surge map | Text directions
Disaster supply kit | Evacuation tips | Disaster plan
Emergency Numbers
• Police, fire department, ambulance: 911
• Greater Houston chapter of American Red Cross: 713-526-8300
• FEMA (Disaster Relief): 1-800-621-3362
• City of Houston services helpline: 311
• CenterPoint Energy Natural Gas: 713-659-2111
• CenterPoint Energy Electric: 1-800-332-7143; 713-207-2222
Printable tracking chart
Sign up for KHOU.com's free: Tropical Weather Watch | Severe Weather Alerts
Flight tracker
Anatomy of a hurricane | Flash required
But a sense of urgency was already beginning to build on Tuesday.
Homeowners were stocking up on supplies and boarding up their homes. After seeing the devastation caused by Katrina, most are heeding the warnings to leave.
"I've got a lot of options, but one of them is not staying here if we're gonna get a Category 3," said Dennis Miller. "That's not an option."
Residents who wait until the mandatory evacuation takes effect on Thursday will only have one way out. They'll have to stay on I-45 until they reach Huntsville.
Betty Prough is going to Baltimore on Wednesday.
"It'll be OK," she said. "I mean, you know, we have great neighbors, we have great friends, people take care of each other. We'll be OK.
Citizens who don't have transportation will be bused from the community center in the 4700 block of Broadway and head to shelters in Huntsville.
Evacuees will be allowed to carry one suitcase and their pets on the buses, but the pets must be in carriers or crates. Pet owners should call 409-763-8477 if they need a cage or crate.
The number to call for more information on the evacuation is 409-797-3710. Anyone who needs to ride a bus, should call that number to alert the city. By late Tuesday morning, about 800 people had signed up. The Huntsville shelter is set up to hold about a thousand people.
Zone A of the evacuation plan, which includes the southern portions of the county including Galveston Island, Tiki Island and Bayou Vista, begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Zone B of the plan, which includes the central portions of the county’s mainland as well as the bay front communities of Kemah, San Leon and Bacliff, are to start evacuation at 2 a.m. Thursday.
Zone C, which is the northern reaches of the county including League City and Friendswood, will start evacuation at 12 p.m. Thursday.
Tropical force winds from Hurricane Rita are expected to hit the county by early Friday.
EVACUATION ZONES ZONE A - 6 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 21
Galveston Island (I-45)
Jamaica Beach (I-45)
Tiki Island (I-45)
Bayou Vista (Hwy. 6)
Clear Lake Shores (Hwy. 146)
Kemah (Hwy. 146)
San Leon-Bacliff-Bayview (Hwy. 146)
Bolivar Peninsula (Hwy. 87 and Hwy. 124)
ZONE B - 2 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 22
Texas City (Hwy. 146)
La Marque (I-45)
Hitchcock (Hwy. 6)
Dickinson (I-45)
ZONE C – Noon, Thursday, Sept. 22 (Use Highway 6)
League City (I-45, Hwy. 146)
Friendswood (I-45)
Santa Fe (Hwy. 6)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Online at: http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050920_ac_mandatoryevac.788768d6.html
