Friday, September 23, 2005

[1779 - Captain John Paul Jones in Bonhomme Richard captures HMS Serapis]

[1863 - Mary Church Terrell, educator, political activist, first president of National Association of Colored Women, born in Memphis, Tennessee]

[1949 - President Truman announces Soviets have exploded a nuclear device]

Get Out of Town #2

In a surprising show of candor, Houston Mayor Bill White reportedly acknowledged that the city's evacuation plan for Hurricane Rita had gone awry because so many people tried to flee the city at once. Excuse me, Mr. Mayor, but with visions of Katrina fresh in the minds of your citizens, and Rita bearing down on them with even higher winds, a prudent official might just have anticipated this problem. When a population of several million folks takes to the road in their vehicles at the same time, all headed in the same direction, the possibility of a traffic jam of monumental proportions looms large.

One knows not what measures Mayor White undertook to ensure that the evacuation of his city would be phased and orderly. Clearly, he should have done more than he did. An evacuation plan should consist of more than ordering everyone out of town and designating someone to remain behind and turn out the lights after the populace has gone. At a minimum, stationing law enforcement officers at all major on-ramps to I-45 might have metered the traffic volume and kept the freeway moving, thus preventing grid lock and chaos. Just a thought, boys.

William's Whimsical Words:

Isn't it time that our government officials extracted their heads from their evacuation orifices?

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