At this point, the computer models project that the storm will stall right off the coast and then drift slowly south before turning inland. That means the Carolinas could be facing literally days of winds above 100 mph combined with storm surge and inland flooding at deadly levels. There is a mandatory evacuation order in place for more than a million people. (ABC News)Faced with this (and we all hope it is not as bad as predicted), the folks in charge are telling everyone to get out. And, they're telling folks that the first-responders may not be able to help them.
This brings up the question we wind up dealing with every storm season. How much of an obligation do our first responders have to risk their own lives in an effort to save people from their own stupidity?I've done it both ways, literally stood in the eye of the storm as both a first-responder and as a willing participant. And, if we've learned anything from major storm disasters over the past decade, it is these two lessons. 1) First responders may nit be able to get to you. It may be simply impossible to get to you. and 2). Don't expect any help for three (3) days AFTER THE WIND STOPS BLOWING.
If you want to ride out the storm, that is your absolute right, but the practical realities of doing so may put your life at risk. We're sorry, we really are, but we may not be able to help. It's a sad reality, but it's something we learned during Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and most recently, Harvey, last year. Help is not always available, and may in fact be three days away.
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When Hurricane Allen had NAS Corpus Christi bore sighted in August, 1980 the Commodore put out the word that he wanted all Navy personnel to bring their families aboard the air station for shelter. Elevation there is 18 feet. I told my troops what the Commodore said and then what I was going to do. If the storm was still on track to hit us I was putting my family on the road to DFW at 7PM. If it still had us boresighted at midnight, I was getting on the road. The storm stalled that next morning, meandered around in the Gulf for a bit, and then headed for Brownsville. Turned out to be just a road trip for us but I felt that was the prudent decision. Talking to one of my neighbors who was a senior officer in one of the training squadrons found out that everyone else did pretty much the same thing. Hurricane Allen was a Cat 5 storm that would have inundated the air station.
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