[StBernard] Distribution of southwest Louisiana emergency evacuation guides begins

[Westley Annis]

Distribution of southwest Louisiana emergency evacuation guides begins


LAFAYETTE, La. - Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco announced today that
citizens of southwest Louisiana can now pick up their own copy of the
state's new southwest emergency evacuation guide at dozens of locations
throughout the area. 

"Do not gamble with your safety," Governor Blanco said in urging citizens to
take hurricane evacuations seriously. "We learned important lessons from the
Hurricane Rita evacuation, and we used those lessons to develop a new plan."

Blanco said the guide should help every family develop its own personal
evacuation plan. 

"Residents should educate themselves about the plan, decide where to go and
write down a personal evacuation plan. Make a list of all your travel needs
now and post it where you can easily find it," Governor Blanco added.

The state plan, developed by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and
Development (DOTD) and Louisiana State Police, would be activated in the
event of a western strike, as in Hurricane Rita, and involves two points of
contraflow, or reversed lanes of traffic, on the interstate system. All
traffic on both sides of Interstate 10 from the east end of the I-210 loop
to U.S. 165 will be directed east, and all traffic on both sides of
Interstate 49 from I-10 to the town of Washington will be directed north.
Contraflow operations would be triggered when local officials call for
mandatory evacuations in Lake Charles and Lafayette, approximately 30-40
hours before tropical storm force winds are predicted to hit Louisiana's
coastline.

Contraflow operations were used very successfully in the pre-storm
evacuation of the New Orleans area before Katrina. The state's plan safely
evacuated approximately 1.3 million people before the storm made landfall.

DOTD, Louisiana State Police, the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and
Emergency Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the American Red Cross urge residents to
take the following steps:

1. Get a copy of the plan and read it carefully. The plan is available at
dozens of locations. A distribution list is attached.
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.

Governor Blanco also said residents should be prepared to face traffic
delays during an evacuation. It is impossible for Louisiana's road structure
to handle a full-scale evacuation without motorists' experiencing delays.

"The best advice is to leave early," the governor said.

Governor Blanco kicked off the guide distribution today at two news
conferences: one at State Police Troop I in Lafayette and one at State
Police Troop D in Lake Charles.

Residents can access the southwest Louisiana contraflow map on DOTD's Web
site at www.dotd.louisiana.gov/maps <http://www.dotd.louisiana.gov/maps> .

Additional Media Contact: 
Lt. Lawrence McLeary
Public Information Officer
Louisiana State Police
225.925.6202 (office)

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The Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation Louisiana's Fund for Louisiana's
People www.louisianahelp.org