| Public Policy Blog |
Get informed on the latest controversial issues that affect you and your family in Houston in Public Policy Discussion.
|
|
« Back To Latest News
By Rad Sallee, Staff
Houston Chronicle © 2005
October 6, 2005
A task force will study the handling of the Hurricane Rita evacuation, with an emphasis on avoiding a repeat of the gridlock that left thousands of people stuck in traffic.
"We're going to identify things we did right and things we need to improve on," Harris County Judge Robert Eckels said Wednesday in announcing the panel at Houston TranStar, the county's emergency management center.
Eckels said that far more people ended up on the road than the estimated 1.2 million who live in storm-surge zones and really needed to flee.
"Voluntary evacuation had already caused congestion when the mandatory evacuation was called," he said.
The task force will assess the evacuation that was ordered by some of its own members. The loosely organized group grew out of joint storm planning that began in 2001 among Eckels, Galveston County Judge James D. Yarbrough and Brazoria County Judge John Willy, said Eckels aide Gloria Roemer.
The group will work closely with state officials and a task force appointed by Gov. Rick Perry to improve evacuation procedures, said Eckels and former Kemah Mayor Bill King, who serves on both panels.
click here to read more » |
|
