It didn't take long for the state to realize there was a problem with hurricane evacuations. The mass exodus that took place during the evacuation of Hurricane Rita was a costly lesson – 130 people died.
"There has to be coordination across the entire region. And there has to be a sequenced event and there has to be key decision points on when those things are made. Otherwise we're putting Texans in jeopardy," Texas Director of Homeland Security Steve McCraw said.
So a state drill began Tuesday that runs through Friday to see if each entity is ready for another hurricane.
"We've talked about specifically addressing fuel, even to the point of identifying which stations will be open and have an agreement to be open," McCraw said.
Central Texas is getting into the mix too.
"What we're trying to do now is just get better coordinated, add some facilities, add some resources, get more people trained. We would like to have a little bit better information next time. It was so chaotic in terms of who was coming, where are they coming from what kinds of special problems do they have," Austin Office of Emergency Management Director Steve Collier said.
 |  |
 | |  |
| | | | | | | |
Evacuation plan
The state is running drills of its new evacuation plan.
 
| | |
| | | | | |
|
Central Texas received positive response from the state for doing all it could.
"From our stand point here in Central Texas is we're a shelter hub. That's what we're geared up for," Texas Department of Public Safety Capt. John Reney said.
Austin sheltered 18,000 evacuees from Rita. The region is now prepared to take in 20,000 and has 75 available shelters.
"What we have going for us, is that we work real well with the region, because the city of Austin itself can not handle this situation. So, we're relying heavily of surrounding counties, mostly Williamson and Hays," Collier said.
Austin is one of the three evacuation hubs in the state. Out of Houston people can take Interstate 45 to Dallas and Interstate 10 to San Antonio, both have entrance ramps that can be closed off. But it's not that easy to U.S. Highway 290 into Austin.
"It's tremendously complicated to do contraflow on a highway that's got grade-level crossings every few miles through multiple small municipalities," Collier said.
A plan is in place, but regional officials are hoping they never have to use it.
The state also expanded the 211 system. You can register, if you're a Texan with special needs, and need a ride during an evacuation. If you're registered, you'll get picked up from your home and secured a spot on a bus out-of-town. More than 200 people have already registered.
