Dr. Brian Wolshon: Hurricane mass evacuation routes

ANCHOR
AS COMMUNITIES ALONG THE COAST PREPARE FOR HURRICANE SEASON… EMERGENCY OFFICIALS ARE REVIEWING EVACUATION PLANS AND TRAFFIC STRATEGIES THAT COULD HELP SAVE LIVES.

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(GFX: CONTRAFLOW MAP)
ONE OF THOSE STRATEGIES IS CONTRAFLOW… WHICH TEMPORARILY REVERSES INBOUND HIGHWAY LANES SO MORE PEOPLE CAN EVACUATE AT THE SAME TIME.
DOCTOR BRIAN WOLSHON… A CIVIL ENGINEERING PROFESSOR AT LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY WHO STUDIES MASS EVACUATIONS… SAYS CONTRAFLOW IS NOT PERFECT… BUT IT CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE… NEARLY DOUBLING THE NUMBER OF CARS MOVING OUT OF A CITY DURING AN EMERGENCY… BUT *ONLY IF PLANNING HAPPENS LONG BEFORE A HURRICANE HITS.
HE SAYS IN SOME STATES… CREWS HAVE TO SET UP CLOSURES AND BARRICADES ACROSS MORE THAN 100-MILES OF ROADWAY… REQUIRING SIGNIFICANT COORDINATION… MANPOWER… AND RESOURCES.

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Duration: :38
Super: Dr. Brian Wolshon – Professor, Louisiana State University
“What I think fundamentally though is that if there is a life-and-death situation and you have lanes that are open and available for traffic, people will and have on their own used it. People will take action. So what I always say is even if it’s not used, even if you don’t like it, at least have a plan because sooner or later, it’s almost inevitable, sooner or later, it’s going to be needed. It’s going to be needed, whether you’re prepared for it or not.”

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AND IT’S NOT JUST HURRICANES.
WOLSHON SAYS CONTRAFLOW CAN HELP WITH EVACUATIONS DURING WILDFIRES… FLOODS… TRAIN DERAILMENTS… AND OTHER EMERGENCIES.
SOME STATES WITH CONTRAFLOW PLANS INCLUDE LOUISIANA… TEXAS… AND GEORGIA.