Many Houstonians May Be Unaware They Live In Evacuation Zones

The information’s not required in real estate documents, and the last time the evacuation zone map was activated was during Hurricane Ike: nearly 10 years ago. Officials also say around a million people have moved to Houston from other locations, and may not know how to evacuate. Is Houston ready for the next big storm?

By Allison LeeJanuary 11, 2018 9:30 amEnergy & Environment, Houston Public Media, Partner Organizations, The Texas Newsroom

Ed Edahl/FEMA

Houston, TX, September 21, 2005- Traffic on US 45 was virtually one way north as Galveston citizens evacuated the coastal flood plains. Recent memories of Hurricane Katrina sent people scrambling to prepare for Hurricane Rita.

From Houston Public Media:

Some people worry that when the next big hurricane targets Houston, people who live in “evacuation zones” won’t know what to do. The fear is: many don’t even know they live in one of the zones.

“There’s, I think, something like 20 percent, 25 percent of city of Houston is in an evacuation zone. So, it’s not insignificant,” said environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn. He’s also co-director of Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disaster Center, or SSPEED.

The hurricane evacuation zone map wasn’t activated for Harvey, because Blackburn said it’s designed for wind and surge storms, like Hurricane Ike. But he is concerned homeowners don’t know they reside in these zones.

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