Texans Prepare as Dean Draws Near

By Chris Duncan | August 20, 2007

Some South Texas areas have begun taking precautions as Category 4 Hurricane Dean charted a course toward the Yucatan Peninsula and the Gulf of Mexico, with the Texas coast a possible target.

City officials in Brownsville called for voluntary evacuations while in Edinburg, another city near the Mexico border, the Texas Youth Commission began evacuating nearly 270 inmates and staff members from its Evins facility. They were being transferred to another facility 400 miles (650 kilometers) north in Brownwood, according to Gov. Rick Perry’s office.

In the coastal city of Galveston, residents remember the disastrous evacuation before Hurricane Rita in 2005.

State officials say they’ve worked out the kinks in the system, but many Galveston residents aren’t ready to believe them.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people about this,” said resident Chuck Lee. “They’d rather die in their homes than die in their cars on some highway.”

The Rita evacuation quickly turned into a disaster, as motorists from the coast ran into residents fleeing Houston, clogging evacuation routes for miles in sweltering heat. Gas stations closed after running out of fuel and supplies and motorists sat stranded and helpless for hours.

On Saturday, lighted signs along the highways usually reserved for Amber Alerts flashed an ominous message: “HURRICANE FORMING NEAR GULF. KEEP YOUR GAS TANKS FULL.”

James Quigley, 78, has lived in a beach house for 25 years and fled early enough in 2005 to avoid the massive gridlock.

If Dean takes aim, Quigley will put his valuables in storage and head north early next week. Until he’s sure it’s coming, Quigley is content to track the storm on TV and take appropriate steps only when necessary.

“I’ve been through all of this a few times,” he said. “Now, they have the technology to tell you what you’re looking at and where it’s going to go. You should have enough time, if you pay attention, to get out of the way.”

In New Orleans, where the memory of Hurricane Katrina is still fresh, people were already preparing.

Patrice Garibaldi said her family was beginning to pack things they might need if they left the city and put things they’d leave behind higher. The family rebuilt a house in eastern New Orleans, and Garibaldi said the threat of Dean was nerve-racking.

“I pray it doesn’t come,” she said, but her family is preparing because she’s not satisfied the levees will be able to withstand a strong storm.

President George W. Bush signed a pre-landfall emergency disaster declaration for Texas, allowing federal equipment and supplies to be moved in now, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.