To stay or to go: it may be the most important decision you face during the hurricane season! It's a decision best made now, when you're calm, long before a storm hits. But in some cases, the choice may not be yours. Stay tuned to ABC26 or the Emergency Alert System (EAS) radio stations 870 AM for official reports.
Manditory Evacuation Conditions
Deciding to Go
Emergency Shelter Information Points
Louisiana Evacuation Routes & Contraflow Maps
You must evacuate if you:
* Live in an evacuation zone where there will be flooding.
* Live in a mobile home. No matter how well you tie it down, it is unsafe!
* Live outside of levee protection.
* Live in a low-lying inland area or on the coast.
* Live in A high rise. Winds are much stronger at higher elevations.
* Know your building is unsafe.
* Use life spport equipment that uses electricity.
If You Decide to Go:
Follow directions of local officials. Evacuation routes may be closed due to high winds and water many hours before a hurricane or tropical storm makes landfall.
Keep in mind that the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area faces a big evacuation problem due to our large urban population and very limited road system which often floods. If you decide to evacuate, here are two pieces of advice:
* Do it early. Very early!
* Stay tuned to local media (local radio stations like 870 AM or watch ABC26 on your portable television) for storm and evacuation reports.
It all comes down to too many people in too many cars on too few roads. This massive gridlock puts people in serious harm as the storm comes ashore. If you are leaving, here are a few tips:
* Finish securing everything in & around your home. Put up shutters, or plywood or metal window covers.
* Raise valuables and expensive furniture off the floor as best as you can.
* Move patio furniture, hanging plants and gas grills inside.
* Confirm reservations if you plan to stay at a motel/hotel.
* Notify relatives or friends of where are you are headed.
* Pick alternative places between your home and your ultimate destination where you could stay if roads are clogged. Take with you a list of telephone numbers for those places.
* Turn off electricity at the main circuit breaker or fuse box before you leave. This will protect appliances from power surges and reduce risk of electrocution by live wires after the hurricane.
* Turn off any sources of gas -- natural or propane -- at the meter or tank.
* Make a final walk-through inspection of your home just before you close the door.
* Don't forget keys, checkbooks & credit cards, and IDs.
* Make sure your car is packed wisely. Include a first-aid kit, water and food, dry clothes, flares, & extra gasoline in an approved container.
* Do not tow a trailer or a boat! It is too hazardous!
Shelter Information During an Evacuation
Because of the fluid nature of shelter occupancy, citizens are encouraged to obtain information about shelter openings and locations at shelter information points along the evacuation route. Information about shelter evacuation points will be on the Department of Social Services website, the Louisiana State Police website, or by calling the American Red Cross at their toll-free number, (866) GET-INFO or (866) 438-4636.
* Don't ride out a hurricane in your car alongside the road.
* It is very possible that traffic may be congested near your home. If you realize you cannot go anywhere, return home immediately.
* Know where shelters are along the route you plan to take. The state will have local radio station broadcasts where local shelters are, so stay tuned to your car radio.
Shelter information points:
Vidalia: Tourist Welcome Center: U.S. 84
GPS Address: 1401 Carter Street, Vidalia, LA 71373
Tallulah: TA Truck Stop: I-20 Exit 171, north on US Highway 65 GPS Address: 266 US Highway 65, Tallulah, LA 71282
Marksville: Paragon Casino Resort: LA-1 between LA-107 (to the south) and LA-115 (to the north) GPS Address: 711 Paragon Pl, Marksville, LA 71351
Bunkie: Sammy's Truck Stop: I-49 Exit 53, east on LA Highway 115 GPS Address: 3601 LA Highway 115 W, Bunkie, LA 71322
Alexandria: Med Express Office: I-49 Exit 80, south on US Highway 71 / US Highway 167 GPS Address: 7525 US Highway 71, Alexandria, LA 71302
Shreveport: P.E. Gym at LSU-Shreveport: near the intersection of LA Highway 1 (Youree Drive) and LA Highway 526 (E Bert Kouns Industrial Loop) GPS Address: 1 University Place, Shreveport, LA 71115
Leesville: Pickering High School: LA Highway 171 at Lebleu Road GPS Address: 180 Lebleu Rd., Leesville, LA 71446
Oberlin: Allen Parish Tourist Information Center: at the intersection of US Highway 165 and LA Highway 26 GPS Address: 8904 US Highway 165, Oberlin, LA 70655
Simmesport: Maddie's Truck Plaza: LA Highway 1 between LA Highway 105 (to the south) and LA Highway 1183 (to the north) GPS Address: 15972 LA 1, Simmesport, LA 71369
Louisiana Evacuation Routes
New Orleans' crescent-shaped city is better described as a gumbo bowl when a hurricane enters the picture. Being below sea level puts us at a precarious position prone to flooding. When evacuation is ordered, the whole city converges toward the rim of the bowl, which represents the edge of the metropolitan area.
You should decide where to go, educate yourself thoroughly about the plan, and then write down a personal evacuation plan. Make a list of all your travel needs now and post it where you can easily find it.
Louisiana State Police, the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), and the American Red Cross urge you to take the following steps:
1. Get a copy of the plan and read it carefully. The plan is available at dozens of locations, including Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, libraries and post offices. Distribution of Southeast Louisiana emergency evacuation guides begins
2. Come up with your own personal evacuation plan BEFORE the need for an evacuation arises. Residents should know where they are going and how to get there.
3. If a storm is approaching, leave as early as you can. The sooner you leave, the safer you will be.
The Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Evacuation Guide is available from the following trusted sources (we've included multiple links in case any one website is not available). This is a 12-page PDF file and may take a minute or more to load. (You'll need Adobe Reader to view the file. Get Adobe Reader here.)
ABC26 or LSP or DOTD or GOHSEP
All these routes can lead you to safer ground if you leave early. The longer you wait, the danger factor increases and so will the traffic gridlock. Because an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 New Orleanians will want to evacuate, you should leave as soon as possible. The skies may be calm when you begin to evacuate, but time is critical when several hundred thousand cars get on these limited escape routes.
Additional resources for your evacuation:
Contraflow overview map: ABC26 or DOTD - Must be printed landscape!
Contraflow Phase 3 Instructions: ABC26 or DOTD
Jefferson Parish I-10 Contraflow: ABC26 or DOTD
Northshore I-10 & I-12 Contraflow: ABC26 or DOTD
Manditory Evacuation Conditions
Deciding to Go
Emergency Shelter Information Points
Louisiana Evacuation Routes & Contraflow Maps
You must evacuate if you:
* Live in an evacuation zone where there will be flooding.
* Live in a mobile home. No matter how well you tie it down, it is unsafe!
* Live outside of levee protection.
* Live in a low-lying inland area or on the coast.
* Live in A high rise. Winds are much stronger at higher elevations.
* Know your building is unsafe.
* Use life spport equipment that uses electricity.
If You Decide to Go:
Follow directions of local officials. Evacuation routes may be closed due to high winds and water many hours before a hurricane or tropical storm makes landfall.
Keep in mind that the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area faces a big evacuation problem due to our large urban population and very limited road system which often floods. If you decide to evacuate, here are two pieces of advice:
* Do it early. Very early!
* Stay tuned to local media (local radio stations like 870 AM or watch ABC26 on your portable television) for storm and evacuation reports.
It all comes down to too many people in too many cars on too few roads. This massive gridlock puts people in serious harm as the storm comes ashore. If you are leaving, here are a few tips:
* Finish securing everything in & around your home. Put up shutters, or plywood or metal window covers.
* Raise valuables and expensive furniture off the floor as best as you can.
* Move patio furniture, hanging plants and gas grills inside.
* Confirm reservations if you plan to stay at a motel/hotel.
* Notify relatives or friends of where are you are headed.
* Pick alternative places between your home and your ultimate destination where you could stay if roads are clogged. Take with you a list of telephone numbers for those places.
* Turn off electricity at the main circuit breaker or fuse box before you leave. This will protect appliances from power surges and reduce risk of electrocution by live wires after the hurricane.
* Turn off any sources of gas -- natural or propane -- at the meter or tank.
* Make a final walk-through inspection of your home just before you close the door.
* Don't forget keys, checkbooks & credit cards, and IDs.
* Make sure your car is packed wisely. Include a first-aid kit, water and food, dry clothes, flares, & extra gasoline in an approved container.
* Do not tow a trailer or a boat! It is too hazardous!
Shelter Information During an Evacuation
Because of the fluid nature of shelter occupancy, citizens are encouraged to obtain information about shelter openings and locations at shelter information points along the evacuation route. Information about shelter evacuation points will be on the Department of Social Services website, the Louisiana State Police website, or by calling the American Red Cross at their toll-free number, (866) GET-INFO or (866) 438-4636.
* Don't ride out a hurricane in your car alongside the road.
* It is very possible that traffic may be congested near your home. If you realize you cannot go anywhere, return home immediately.
* Know where shelters are along the route you plan to take. The state will have local radio station broadcasts where local shelters are, so stay tuned to your car radio.
Shelter information points:
Vidalia: Tourist Welcome Center: U.S. 84
GPS Address: 1401 Carter Street, Vidalia, LA 71373
Tallulah: TA Truck Stop: I-20 Exit 171, north on US Highway 65 GPS Address: 266 US Highway 65, Tallulah, LA 71282
Marksville: Paragon Casino Resort: LA-1 between LA-107 (to the south) and LA-115 (to the north) GPS Address: 711 Paragon Pl, Marksville, LA 71351
Bunkie: Sammy's Truck Stop: I-49 Exit 53, east on LA Highway 115 GPS Address: 3601 LA Highway 115 W, Bunkie, LA 71322
Alexandria: Med Express Office: I-49 Exit 80, south on US Highway 71 / US Highway 167 GPS Address: 7525 US Highway 71, Alexandria, LA 71302
Shreveport: P.E. Gym at LSU-Shreveport: near the intersection of LA Highway 1 (Youree Drive) and LA Highway 526 (E Bert Kouns Industrial Loop) GPS Address: 1 University Place, Shreveport, LA 71115
Leesville: Pickering High School: LA Highway 171 at Lebleu Road GPS Address: 180 Lebleu Rd., Leesville, LA 71446
Oberlin: Allen Parish Tourist Information Center: at the intersection of US Highway 165 and LA Highway 26 GPS Address: 8904 US Highway 165, Oberlin, LA 70655
Simmesport: Maddie's Truck Plaza: LA Highway 1 between LA Highway 105 (to the south) and LA Highway 1183 (to the north) GPS Address: 15972 LA 1, Simmesport, LA 71369
Louisiana Evacuation Routes
New Orleans' crescent-shaped city is better described as a gumbo bowl when a hurricane enters the picture. Being below sea level puts us at a precarious position prone to flooding. When evacuation is ordered, the whole city converges toward the rim of the bowl, which represents the edge of the metropolitan area.
You should decide where to go, educate yourself thoroughly about the plan, and then write down a personal evacuation plan. Make a list of all your travel needs now and post it where you can easily find it.
Louisiana State Police, the Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP), and the American Red Cross urge you to take the following steps:
1. Get a copy of the plan and read it carefully. The plan is available at dozens of locations, including Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's, libraries and post offices. Distribution of Southeast Louisiana emergency evacuation guides begins
2. Come up with your own personal evacuation plan BEFORE the need for an evacuation arises. Residents should know where they are going and how to get there.
3. If a storm is approaching, leave as early as you can. The sooner you leave, the safer you will be.
The Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Evacuation Guide is available from the following trusted sources (we've included multiple links in case any one website is not available). This is a 12-page PDF file and may take a minute or more to load. (You'll need Adobe Reader to view the file. Get Adobe Reader here.)
ABC26 or LSP or DOTD or GOHSEP
All these routes can lead you to safer ground if you leave early. The longer you wait, the danger factor increases and so will the traffic gridlock. Because an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 New Orleanians will want to evacuate, you should leave as soon as possible. The skies may be calm when you begin to evacuate, but time is critical when several hundred thousand cars get on these limited escape routes.
Additional resources for your evacuation:
Contraflow overview map: ABC26 or DOTD - Must be printed landscape!
Contraflow Phase 3 Instructions: ABC26 or DOTD
Jefferson Parish I-10 Contraflow: ABC26 or DOTD
Northshore I-10 & I-12 Contraflow: ABC26 or DOTD
