A updated version of the official state hurricane evacuation plan is now online.
The state's 157-page plan was posted online late Friday, the day after the Atlantic hurricane season began. Some local emergency management officials said Monday that they did not know the plan was ready.But several who had seen it said the plan sufficiently addresses some of the most crucial concerns from last year, including traffic management, fuel availability along evacuation routes and the evacuation of people who can't move themselves.
"Clearly, the governor and his staff . . . have listened to the community, assessed our lessons learned (from Hurricanes Rita and Katrina), and the outcome is the best plan that we could have," said Rudy Garza, an assistant city manager for Austin.
The plan includes several new components, such as "comfort stations" that would provide food, water and medical assistance along evacuation routes and a point-to-point system that would pair coastal cities with inland cities for special needs evacuations. Galveston's special needs evacuees would be brought to Austin.