Is running away from a hurricane necessary?

[Victor Schneider]

Everyone knows how I hate to slay sacred cows, but there is one in
Florida that just does not make any sense. Specifically, in the event
of a major hurricane storm surge, there are coastal regions of Florida
that are expected to flood. And, for that reason, there are all kinds
of elaborate escape plans and escape routes and rules about staying
behind. Because it is expected that the flooding would remain for some
undetermined period of time.

Now, I ask you, when in recent memory has any major flooding occurred
that remained for more than a few hours after the hurricane passed? It
just doesn't make sense. If the land is even a few feet above sea
level, and most floodable Florida land is certainly that, then, unless
the sea level has gone up, the flooding has nothing to do but drain
away, quickly. Has even one study been done at a reputable civil
engineering department (I mean one outside of Florida, of course) to
simulate the effects of a hurricane driven storm surge and the
_duration_ of such a surge. If I can wait for the surge to go away, why
on Earth would I want to join the snake dance of traffic "escaping" from
its path?

It really pays to have State officials who are right there on top of all
the emergency preparedness without ever once having asked whether it is
really all that necessary and what the real basis is for such excessive
preparation.