It was the unexpected storm surge. Car after car, traffic backed up as much as 100 miles.
Thousands of vehicles carrying people trying to evacuate before Hurricane Rita came calling were stuck in gridlock. Some ran out of gas.
While Galveston County officials maintain that they are pleased with how the evacuation of the county went, all admit that something in the system broke down once those evacuating got north into Houston.
What was supposed to be a six-hour trip from Galveston to evacuation shelters in Huntsville took more than 10 for many.
Horror stories abound from those trying to get out of the storm’s path. Television images of expressways turned into parking lots reinforced those stories.
“That is definitely something that will be addressed when we assess this situation,” said John Simsen, a spokesman for the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management. “This is an unprecedented action, and we know that on our end things went as we had planned, but something went wrong (further up the route).”
While county officials brag on what they estimated to be an 80 percent evacuation rate countywide — Galveston Island reported that 90 percent of its population cleared out — Simsen knows that the images of gridlock will hurt future efforts.
“These situations, for whatever reasons … we are going to have a more difficult time from a public information standpoint,” said Simsen. “We have to take advantage of the fact folks have taken us seriously.”
It is unclear who under the state’s mandatory evacuation traffic plan was responsible for ensuring that fuel would be available along the evacuation routes. Local emergency management officials said that the plan may have taken for granted that gas stations would remain open and have enough fuel to fill the need.
In an often-heated phone call between state and local officials, the demands from local officials in Harris, Galveston and Brazoria counties, among others, were that the state take action.
Gov. Rick Perry’s office Thursday night promised that gasoline was indeed on the way. A press release said tankers with fuel would arrive by 9 p.m.
But it was not until early Friday morning when the first trucks arrived along Interstate 10. Thousands stuck on Interstate 45 were still waiting at 7 a.m.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and Conroe police were doing their part along I-45. Law enforcement officials used a fuel truck that would normally have been reserved for patrol cars to give five to 10 gallons of gas to those who had less than half a tank.
The traffic snarls also proved to be deadly. Fort Bend County Sheriff’s officials confirmed that three people died while in the massive traffic jam.
Spokesman Terri Ann Carlson said two people died of carbon monoxide poisoning, while an elderly woman died as a result of heat stroke.
The gridlock was a big reason Texas City resident Jack Cross remained behind, although he said he might leave just hours before Rita was expected to make landfall.
“I am not bent on staying here, although I am not too worried,” Cross said. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to be a hero.
“But I would rather stay here than go through that mess. People with children, their pets, running out of gas, no bathrooms, 100-degree heat where you would have to cut your motor off and get out on hot concrete.
“I will wait even until (today). If it clears I’ll go. If not I’ll stay here.”
Kemah resident Claire Durkee Worthington said she tried to get out of town, but couldn’t.
“I actually spent many hours attempting to evacuate to Otting,” she said.
Worthington was planning to meet some friends. She left about 3 p.m. Wednesday.
“I only got to the Interstate 10 (at the) Campbell Road exit at about 4 a.m. (Thursday),” she said.
“Exhausted I pulled off the road and slept in my truck until I was fit to drive again. I came home at about 11:30 am.”
Worthington also feared that the lack of open gasoline stations would mean she would run out of fuel.
“When I couldn’t find any gas my fear of being stranded and the new storm coordinates tracking somewhat to the east made my decision for me,” she said.
Emergency planners, while maintaining that not all about the news of the evacuation was negative, promised the plan would be tweaked based on the lessons learned.
“These are issues that will be discussed after all of this is over, you can rest assured,” said Simsen.
