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Mandatory evacuations start today
Published September 21, 2005
ANGLETON — Texas’ first mandatory hurricane evacuation goes into effect at 6 p.m. today as officials urge residents to get out of the path of Hurricane Rita.
Brazoria County Judge John Willy called for the evacuation Tuesday afternoon after a series of conference calls with state emergency management officials and meetings with local officials. By 5 p.m. Tuesday, the county had plans to evacuate people without their own transportation, schools planned to close for the rest of the week and the emergency operations center opened.
As of 5 p.m., the National Hurricane Center projected Rita to make landfall late Friday night or early Saturday morning in Matagorda County as at least a Category 3. That would put Brazoria County on the “dirty” side of the storm, as the counterclockwise rotation sucks moisture up from the Gulf of Mexico, dropping it on Brazoria County. Willy is holding out hope the county’s preparations will be in vain and the storm will dodge the county.
“If it does miss us, we can all smile,” Willy said. “If it doesn’t, we’re in good shape.”
A mandatory evacuation for health-care facilities, including nursing homes, hospices and hospitals, goes into effect at 6 a.m. today.
“None of us have been through anything like this,” said Rick Perry, the county’s emergency management coordinator. “I think we’ve got a good plan in place.”
Residents need to take responsibility for themselves and their family, Perry said. Perry said his office has had calls from people asking officials to bring their elderly parents to a shelter because they were leaving.
Once the mandatory evacuation goes into effect, residents east of the Brazos River will travel Highway 288 to Beltway 8, then west to Highway 290 and on to College Station, where shelters will be opened. Evacuees are asked to follow posted signs to shelter locations.
Pets are welcome at the College Station shelters, said Brian Hilton, emergency management coordinator for College Station.
The mandatory evacuation will go in stages, beginning at 6 p.m. today with those living in low-lying coastal areas such as Surfside Beach, Quintana and San Luis Pass leaving first, Willy said.
Residents in Zone B, roughly south of CR 171, should begin evacuating at 2 a.m. Thursday. That includes the cities of Clute, Lake Jackson and Richwood.
Residents in Zone C, which is south of Highway 35, should begin evacuating at noon Thursday.
If Hurricane Rita develops into a Category 4 or 5 storm, residents in all other areas of the county need to be prepared to evacuate, Willy said.
Residents west of the Brazos River will take Highway 36 to Brenham.
Anyone needing a ride, including those with special needs, may go to one of several designated pickup spots, where residents will be evacuated Wednesday on school buses and taken to shelters in Bryan-College Station.
If you don’t have a ride to the pickup point, call Brazoria County Emergency Management at (979) 388-1801, Brazosport area; (979) 864-1801, Angleton and West of the Brazos; and (281) 756-1801, North County.
Departure times vary by school district.
Those living in Brazosport ISD will start loading buses at 1 p.m. today at Freeport Intermediate School, Clute Intermediate and Lake Jackson Intermediate School.
One bag and one pet will be allowed for the Bryan-College Station shelters. The pet must be in a carrier and must be able to fit underneath the seat.
No pets will be allowed at the Brenham shelter.
Brazoria-area residents needing a ride will meet at First Baptist Church in Brazoria and start loading at noon today. The West Columbia area pickup site is at Columbia High School.
The Angleton ISD site is at Angleton Middle School or Angleton Intermediate School. Loading starts at noon today.
Sweeny ISD residents will begin loading at 9 a.m. at Sweeny High School.
All evacuees on school buses will go to Bryan-College Station.
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