THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, June 1, 1994 TAG: 9406010502
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940601 LENGTH: Medium
Two years in the making, the plan calls for 150 blue-and-white signs to mark the routes out. The region is divided into evacuation zones, and traffic flow will be guided by police at key intersections. Commercial traffic will be restricted in favor of moving people; some inbound traffic will be rerouted; and tolls will be lifted to speed departure.
{REST} But while the methods to evacuate may now be more specific, the bottom line is unchanged: Get out early. Studies have shown that at the height of the tourist season, it could take about 27 hours to evacuate Virginia Beach alone.
``Residents should heed the warnings if a storm approaches our region,'' said Stephany Hanshaw, who coordinated the plan's development for the Virginia Department of Transportation. ``People cannot wait until the last minute. If they do, they'll only jeopardize themselves.''
Troy Lapetina, Norfolk's emergency services coordinator, agreed.
``We have too many people and not enough roads,'' Lapetina said. If an evacuation is ordered, ``it is imperative that people evacuate promptly and use their assigned routes.''
For that reason, it is important both that people leave early and that they know whether they need to leave. Some residents would be safer staying in their homes, especially where storm surge and heavy flooding are not principal threats.
``We're very confident with our ability in this plan to move vehicles,'' Hanshaw said. ``But we know it's impossible to move out all 1.2 million-plus residents.''
The evacuation plan operates in two phases, with initial emphasis placed on getting people out of the most vulnerable coastal areas such as Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Poquoson, part of Hampton, York County, the Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck.
The second phase would widen the evacuation to more inland areas, such as Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Newport News and the rest of Hampton.
Highlights of the updated
hurricane evacuation plan
SECTIONS: The region has been divided into sections, and residents of each will be told which routes to use. This is intended to more evenly spread traffic on available roads.
SIGNS: About 150 evacuation-route signs will be installed throughout the region pointing the way out for motorists.
REROUTING: Traffic heading east into South Hampton Roads will be diverted to I-664 and the Monitor-Merrimac Bridge-Tunnel.
BRIDGE-TUNNEL: The eastbound tube of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel will be closed. This will give officials flexibility in the event a major accident forces closure of the westbound tube during an evacuation. Tunnel traffic could be switched between tubes.
Officials will not use all four lanes as a simultaneous evacuation route, however.
HOV LANES: The lanes will be reserved for emergency vehicles, providing them with an open route and eliminating the problem of traffic bottlenecks where the reversible lanes merge back into I-64.
LIMITS ON TRUCKS: Trucks and some other commercial vehicles will be given a short period of time to get out of the region after an evacuation is ordered. But shortly after, they will be denied access to interstate highways in order to get residents out. Trucks will be able to use Route 58 west.
Inbound commercial traffic may be halted or restricted.
NO TOLLS: Tolls on the Virginia Beach-Norfolk Expressway will be suspended.
HELP AT INTERSECTIONS: Police will direct traffic and restrict flow at key intersections and interstate interchanges in order to maximize the outbound traffic flow.
MOTORIST ASSISTANCE: Additional motorist-assistance patrols will be used to assist with minor car problems and to speed removal of disabled vehicles.
by CNB