Previous experience with evacuation

[Lotusflower70]

People wondering why no evacuation order. This is largely why. Hurricane Rita 2005. Dozens died IN this traffic #Houston https://t.co/TAzw6KsxY5

[dalton99a]

1. How Hurricane Rita anxiety led to the worst gridlock in Houston history

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Hurricane-Rita-anxiety-leads-to-hellish-fatal-6521994.php

How Hurricane Rita anxiety led to the worst gridlock in Houston history
Matt Levin | Updated 6:05 pm, Friday, August 25, 2017

The worst traffic jam in Houston history began 10 years ago today. For some, the gridlock wouldn't end until a full 24 hours later.

Hurricane Katrina had devastated the U.S. only a few weeks earlier. And with Hurricane Rita – documented as the strongest Gulf storm on record – on track to bash East Texas, Houstonians heeded the call to evacuate. That’s the moment residents remember best a decade later.

[BruceWane]

2. The Rita evacuation disaster

Even before the Rita evacuation failure/disaster, there had been plenty of discussion by officials throughout the region as to whether or not the evacuation of more than 5 million people was even remotely possible.

In the time that has passed since Rita, the population of the region has grown by another 1.1 million.

No evacuation order because you CAN'T evacuate 6.6 million people in a day or two. Hell, not even in a week. And you can't predict the path and/or impact of a storm with enough confidence to call for that kind of action outside of a day or two. By the time you know it's going to hit us, it's too late. There's just not enough roadway to do it. An believe me, we've no shortage of roadways. It's just not possible.

Shit. News just announced that they're opening floodgates at Addicks reservoir right now. They had announced that they'd start releasing water at 2AM to prevent the dams from failing, but apparently the water's rising even faster than the flood control district and the Army Corps of Engineers had anticipated.

[NutmegYankee]

3. Probably also had a "hurricane Irene" effect.

One of the reasons NYC felt safe from Sandy was a year prior a hurricane had rolled right over them with minimal damage. The damage was instead felt to the East on LI, Eastern Connecticut, and RI where there were massive power outages lasting weeks.
I live in SE Conn and lost power for a week. Due to being lower population, we never developed the gas shortages though water was an issue without power to run well pumps.

When Sandy hit, we prepared like crazy and actually took lighter damage. I had power back in 18 hours. We were also well prepared having been bitten previously, but NYC learned the opposite lesson and was caught far less prepared.

[Dustlawyer]

4. I was in the Rita evacuation. Rita went right through my town East of Houston.

took 13 hours in 100 plus heat to go 60 miles and we still ended up in the middle of that nightmare! No AC or the truck would overheat. Towns would not let us stop to use the bathroom. Yea, kiss my ass we could have evacuated Houston. People who say that are ignorant dumbasses!!!