Waiting for Fitzgerald

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
You weren't watching. Houston could have done better. It took Houston a day to relaize it should let people drive out on both sides of the freeway. You are old enough to have gone to games at the old Oreiles (sp?) stadium aren't you? They had all lanes gone in before the game and all lanes going out after. I could have told Houston to do that from the start.

But the point is, a city's ability to get empty quickly is tied to population density and arteries. We aren't changing either.

After O's games the traffic still sucks for a bit, and same for redskins games, and basically any event. Using both sides of the highway would not have solved the problem. The only solution was some sort of staggered evacuation. There was time for that, and something could work. E.g., take the last number on your license plate as which time you get to go. Or pick neighborhoods. Or something.

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
You weren't watching. Houston could have done better. It took Houston a day to relaize it should let people drive out on both sides of the freeway. You are old enough to have gone to games at the old Oreiles (sp?) stadium aren't you? They had all lanes gone in before the game and all lanes going out after. I could have told Houston to do that from the start.

But the point is, a city's ability to get empty quickly is tied to population density and arteries. We aren't changing either.

They were using contraflow lanes out of Galveston and south of the beltway on 45 as early as Wednesday.

I can tell you now that there's no way in hell, given the way the highway works in Chapel Hill, Brenham, Giddings and Elgin that would have worked on 290 (which is the highway I sort of paralleled in my evacuation route).

I think that the problem was they had no idea that as many people were going to evacuate as they did. They were aiming at getting the people from the coast out first, but everyone from the city took off, too.

Oh, and anyone who doesn't know how to drive on a highway (especially with regard to speed limits and common courtesy regarding the fast lane) shouldn't evacuate and/or return to the city until everyone else has made it.

Goddamned motherfucker going 40 in the left lane next to someone else going 40 in the right lane outside of Elgin on Saturday night, I'm talking to you.

[Shape Shifter]

Horse lawyer goes before Congress:


"I'm happy you left," said Rep. Christopher Shays (news, bio, voting record), R-Conn. "That kind of look in the lights like a deer tells me you weren't capable of doing that job."

Rep. Gene Taylor (news, bio, voting record), D-Miss., told Brown: "The disconnect was, people thought there was some federal expertise out there. There wasn't. Not from you."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050927/...NlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[Replaced_Texan]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
After O's games the traffic still sucks for a bit, and same for redskins games, and basically any event. Using both sides of the highway would not have solved the problem. The only solution was some sort of staggered evacuation. There was time for that, and something could work. E.g., take the last number on your license plate as which time you get to go. Or pick neighborhoods. Or something.

That's what they tried to do. There were maps of zones and you weren't supposed to leave until your zone's alloted day/time.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Do you have any idea what this does to your credibility generally?

Since I do, in fact, have the best avatar, I'd say it raises it immensely.

And I agree Houston could have done it better. But they did it better than NO, and not just because Katrina happened a few weeks ago.

On the Wal-Mart debate, it is too easy to simply say that Wal-Mart illustrates that goverment services should be outsourced. While Wal-Mart did a great job and the governments on all levels didn't, that's not the end of the story. WalMart responded well, but countless other companies did not. WalMart got trucks into NO efficiently, but KMart didn't. Kroger/Safeway/PigglyWiggly didn't.

It's just as important (perhaps more important) to examine why WalMart got what it got right right as to proclaim them superior.

[spookyfish]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I didn't actually get on any of the highways, thanks to some preplanning a few months ago, but it was really, really bad getting out of Houston on Wednesday night/Thursday morning.

But apparently better than most places:


I heard on the radio on Monday morning that Bush was suggesting that the Pentagon take over these sorts of things. The thought horrifies me. It seems that the Administration either wants total military control or none at all on the Federal level and working with local government and businesses isn't as much of an option.

ETA: I kinda agree with this guy:

Seems that Wal-Mart's plan worked beautifully during Katrina, when it wasn't interfered with by FEMA. There are a lot of experts on logistics out there that don't specialize in warfare. It seems to me that we should look to them first and let the Pentagon worry about defending the country from enemies.

I seem to have some recollection that Mick Jagger spent some time at the London School of Economics and apparently has a lot of input into the logistics of the tours. Perhaps the Dept. of Homeland security can hire him as a consultant, although I'm not sure he'd go for the pay cut.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
Oh, and anyone who doesn't know how to drive on a highway (especially with regard to speed limits and common courtesy regarding the fast lane) shouldn't evacuate and/or return to the city until everyone else has made it.

Goddamned motherfucker going 40 in the left lane next to someone else going 40 in the right lane outside of Elgin on Saturday night, I'm talking to you.

Riding in the car with RT can sometimes be kind of scary.

I'm just sayin'.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
The only solution was some sort of staggered evacuation. There was time for that, and something could work. E.g., take the last number on your license plate as which time you get to go. Or pick neighborhoods. Or something.

Huh?

• "I understand there was a dirty bomb a mile from your house, but the freeway is reserved for plates ending in "3." You're not scheduled until 2 more hours."
  
  "Oh. i'm sorry officer. I will return at the appointed time."

I meant the old stadium in Baltimore. The new one is easier to get to.

Originally posted by baltassoc
Riding in the car with RT can sometimes be kind of scary.

I'm just sayin'.

RT showed admirable restraint. I would have had someone hold the wheel while I put a few rounds through their back windows. What good are all those carry permits if you never get to use the guns?

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by ironweed
RT showed admirable restraint. I would have had someone hold the wheel while I put a few rounds through their back windows. What good are all those carry permits if you never get to use the guns?

She only gave the setup, not her reaction.

I thought forcing the guy off the road was a bit much, but I'm really not sure she needed to do it right at the entrance to the bridge, forcing him down the cliff and the resulting fiery blaze.

But they were annoying.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by baltassoc
She only gave the setup, not her reaction.

I thought forcing the guy off the road was a bit much, but I'm really not sure she needed to do it right at the entrance to the bridge, forcing him down the cliff and the resulting fiery blaze.

But they were annoying.

she sounds likes she may be frustrated about something besides other drivers. ? ?

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
Huh?

• "I understand there was a dirty bomb a mile from your house, but the freeway is reserved for plates ending in "3." You're not scheduled until 2 more hours."
  
  "Oh. i'm sorry officer. I will return at the appointed time."

I meant the old stadium in Baltimore. The new one is easier to get to.

Yeah, that's how the plan would work. Because getting them all on the highway to die instead makes a lot more sense.

different plans for different events.

The new one still sucks to get out of. One exit from the lots dumps you on to the streets of a bad neighborhood, with no explanation how to get to the highway.

[Hank Chinaski]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
Yeah, that's how the plan would work. Because getting them all on the highway to die instead makes a lot more sense.

My point is you aren't evacuating a major city quickly. Staggering would turn into gun battles. You all should build bomb shelters.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
My point is you aren't evacuating a major city quickly. Staggering would turn into gun battles. You all should build bomb shelters.

There's a workable solution. I think mayor Nagin is wondering himself why all of the people who had no car rides out didn't at least build themselves bomb shelters to ride out the storm in.

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
My point is you aren't evacuating a major city quickly. Staggering would turn into gun battles. You all should build bomb shelters.

So the O's fans hang out in the shelters until the traffic clears up? Is that the plan?