NPR

Why Stay During A Hurricane? Because It's Not As Simple As 'Get Out'

As rescues continue after Hurricane Michael, officials expressed frustration at people who didn't evacuate. But experts say people's decisions to stay are almost always carefully considered.
Brian Bartlett from the South Florida Search and Rescue team, right, checks in on Tom Garcia after Hurricane Michael passed through Mexico Beach, Fla. Mr. Garcia said he stayed in his home through the storm and he had to hold the sliding glass doors shut as the wind tore through.

Brock Long was frustrated. Yet again, the FEMA administrator said, people in the path of a powerful hurricane had ignored evacuation orders.

Hurricane Michael had leveled the small Florida city of Mexico Beach and destroyed large parts of nearby Panama City. The death count was rising as search and rescue workers pulled bodies from the rubble.

"Unfortunately in this country we seem to not learn the lesson," Long said, his exasperation audible as he spoke to reporters a few days after the storm. "When we ask people at the local and state level to heed the warnings, dang it, do it! Get out!"

More than a

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Apple Shows Its Steepest Quarterly Decline In IPhone Sales Since Pandemic's Outset
The 10% drop in year-over-year iPhone sales for the January-March period is latest sign of weakness in a product that generates most of Apple's revenue.
NPR3 min read
The CDC Says Maternal Mortality Rates In The U.S. Got Better, After A Pandemic Spike
The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. in 2022 – while still high – went back to where it was before deaths surged during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest CDC report.
NPR4 min read
Who Will Pay To Replace Baltimore's Key Bridge? The Legal Battle Has Already Begun
Workers are still removing pieces of the Key Bridge from Baltimore Harbor, but the fight over who will pay to replace it has already begun. Past accidents offer some clues about how it could play out.

Related Books & Audiobooks