As Hurricane Harvey loses power and the extent of the devastation becomes more evident, questions will inevitably arise about the lack of mandatory evacuations in large cities like Houston.
Evacuations in the past have created chaos on the roads and left people trapped in shelters far away from home. They also take people out of harm’s way, reducing the need for emergency rescue operations. Older residents and those in need of intensive medical care present unique challenges in an evacuation scenario.
The man who lead the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 recently weighed in on the question during an interview on CNBC. See the video of the interview with Lt. Gen. Russel Honere here.