Disaster Planning Hurricane Floyd Evacuation in Florida

Hurricane Floyd was deemed to be a Category 4 storm with 145 mph winds. It was also seen to be bigger than the hurricane Andrew, which had struck south Florida in 1992. Andrew caused a huge disaster and left 26 dead, 160,000 homeless, and property damage of $25 billion. Floyd was determined to be bigger and potentially more dangerous than Andrew, which caused people to panic. Officials had reported by Sunday night Floyd could become a Category 5 hurricane with winds exceeding 155 mph, which led to the officials deciding to evacuate the residents who were most likely to be affected by the storm. However, hurricane Floyd bypassed the state completely with its 140 mph winds skirting the peninsula off the coastline. Floyd did not make landfall and the evacuation orders issued were not necessary.
The issue hurricane Floyd presented was one to do with communication on who should evacuate. The officials had mapped out an evacuation plan, and they had issued the orders ordering some of the residents to evacuate. However, people did not adhere to the orders issued. Most of the residents relied on information being broadcasted by the local media, which emphasized the magnitude of the approaching storm. The media information created panic, and safe people rushed to evacuate, which created a massive gridlock on the major roads. The officials had issued specific orders informing people in certain areas and those living in structures that could not withstand the storm and high winds to evacuate. People who were living in standard homes were encouraged not to evacuate. The situation changed and resulted in all Floridians evacuating, which created a massive gridlock on the roads. The estimated timelines for people evacuating was calculated based on the number of people who were required to evacuate. Therefore, when there was a vast increase in the number of evacuees, the roads could not handle all the traffic, and there was no way of passing on information once people had left their houses.
In the future, the situation could be managed by continuously pushing for relevant information even if the media is exaggerating the situation. With digital communications, the officials could be sending alerts through SMS to the residents offering them updates on the storm progression, and areas that should be evacuated. The use of social media could be embraced as well. Social media is a powerful tool that could be used to share relevant information instantaneously. This way residents will get updated information, and they will not have to rely on the sensationalized media information. Also, it is vital to ensure people are aware of which areas should evacuate and where they should evacuate to, which will assist in managing the traffic on the road and reduce congestion. Once people have left their homes, the officials could make use of SMS to rely on relevant information like how to avoid congestion on the road and the roads they can use to escape the major highways.
The recommendations made were for the evacuation to a Category 1 level for the coastal counties and evacuation to a Category 4 level for the northern three-quarters of the Florida east coast and all structures within 20 miles of the coast. This recommendation was based on the fact that the trajectory of the storm would not hit Florida directly, instead, it would track northeast avoiding landfall, but it would come close to 25 miles off the east coast.
There should be a designated spokesperson who would be sharing information with the people. This would ensure that all the information being shared comes from a central place, and there is no chance of miscommunication. People should be alerted of the approaching storm and the impact it will have on the area. Then the areas that are likely to be impacted should be highlighted. This strategy will ensure people receive the right information, and the chance of misinformation is reduced.