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<br />It <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />~oos-~o <br />RESOLUTION <br /> <br />CALLING FOR LEGISLATIVE REVIEW AND NECESSARY <br />REVISION OF EMERG"ENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES AND <br />POLICIES PROMPTED BY HURRICANE RITA IMPACTING THE <br />UPPER TEXAS GULF COAST AND INLAND COMMUNITIES <br />ALONG THE DESIGNATED EV ACUA TION ROUTES <br /> <br />WHEREAS, Hurricane Katrina's demonstrated destructive power appropriately <br />warranted the mandatory evacuation of endangered populations exposed to the potential <br />landfall of, at times, a Category 5 hurricane, Hurricane Rita. with winds in excess of 145 <br />mph, and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the State approved Emergency Management Plan called for the <br />voluntary and eventual mandatory evacuation of the largest peacetime evacuation in US <br />history, with the 72 hours prior to the projected landfall of Hurricane Rita, and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the vast majority of evacuees sought refuge inland to significantly <br />improve their exposure by fleeing the low lying coastal plain, and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, warranted recovery activities resulting from Hurricane Rita, <br />particularly in South East and East Texas should take priority for all impacted parties <br />over other corrective initiatives until such time can be adequately devoted to restoring <br />essential services in the damages areas, and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the excruciating experience of this evacuation ordeal negatively <br />impacted a large portion of the population to the point that future evacuees could choose <br />a greater risk level by staying behind, rather than experience another exacerbating ordeal <br />of the type and magnitude experienced for Hurricane Rita, and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, inland rural communities and infrastructure systems were <br />overwhelmed by the magnitude of the event in manners which could and should have <br />been anticipated so that reasonable mitigation efforts could have been started in advance <br />ofthe triggering events to the mutual benefit of all, and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, the massive delays of as much as 30 plus hours for individual <br />citizens endangered their lives, and resulted in the loss of some life, exhausted needed <br />fuel supplies, strained and in fact rendered inoperable mechanically challenged vehicles, <br />and <br /> <br />WHEREAS, after the obvious delays and bottle necks meant that thousands of <br />fleeing Texans would be left in harms way until State officials relented and implemented <br />mitigation measures, and <br />