When Getting Out Is Foremost, How Will We Go?

Remember that song sung by The Animals, “We Gotta Get Out of This Place?”
Unconsciously, whenever I am in a public room, regardless where it may be, I always search for the “Exit” signs. Maybe it’s just being paranoid, but you can never tell when you may just have to high-tail it out of a place to save yourself.
Getting out is a primary survival mode of any animal, just watch the Animal Planet, and you will see how many animals devise methods to shield themselves from predators and scoot away to live for another day.
Reading Jack Fichter’s page one story in the Aug. 11 edition about tiny Cape May Point’s plans for hurricane evacuation should make everyone in Cape May County at least think “How do we get out of this place?” No, I don’t mean to escape the oppressive taxation system in the Garden State (although friends and family who have the means have done, or are planning to get “outta here.”)
This wonderful peninsula we call home is supposedly one of the nation’s most vulnerable spots when it comes to evacuating in case of a major hurricane. Thus far, we have “dodged the bullet” many times. Such luck tends to run out sooner or later.
Instead of believing such disaster can never happen here, should we not possess a good, solid plan to evacuate the county in a timely fashion?
We talked about this prospect as we were considering Fichter’s story, and it seems there is yet much to be done, after all these years, to get the population of Cape May County to safety in the event of a powerful storm.
One of the points to be considered is that we have highways that will, in time of a big storm, flood. Garden State Parkway is just a few feet above high water on an astronomical high tide when there is no wind of storm surge. Route 47 is no better, although it is on the western side of the county.
The Parkway is not an elevated highway, but is ground level along many miles, both in Cape May, Atlantic and Burlington counties, likely places the masses will want to go if the “big one” is heading our way.
There are plans to move many fire engines to the county airport in Erma, since it is supposed to be one of the highest places around. I don’t recall seeing Woodbine airport in the mix, but is it not just a tad bit higher that the one in Erma?
We pondered another factor: moving people away from the county.
At first blush, it seems logical that most people will jump in their cars and head north. Evacuation Route signs are posted throughout the county. That’s terrific, but what about little things like traffic signals, which, even on a perfect day, hold up traffic on Route 47 through Dennis Township and into Cumberland County?
There rest, in North Cape May, ferry boats. Has anyone considered that, in time of dire storm evacuation, which must take place at least 36 to 48 hours before the storm hits land, that those ferries have a huge capacity for foot passengers?
Seems no thought has been given to boarding people on them, and heading up the bay into Delaware River, where maybe 5,000 souls could be rescued from the impending disaster down here.
If we should ever again see trains running into this county, how many people could be rescued using them? Has anyone considered using school buses?
I know people are hardheaded when it comes to leaving home, especially those who have pets. Pets, you see, are not allowed in emergency shelters. I know, as do you, there are some folks who will prefer to die with their pets rather than leave them alone to fend for themselves.
The people in Cape May Point are to be commended for taking a good, solid hard look at what is possible, and more likely than ever to happen, given global warming changes that are bringing about more severe weather than most of us ever expected.
Another factor that has to be considered is that weather predicting is not a perfect science. In all likelihood, if a big storm is roiling up the coast, and makes it to Cape Hatteras, N.C., it will be here in a relatively short amount of time.
Many county residents believe, as did many in Louisiana before Katrina struck, that they had ridden out many a “blow,” and this would be no different. The people in the Point ask residents to complete forms that indicate who gets notified in event of emergency.
Bluntly, spell out who the next of kin is for notification when they find you, because once the emergency responders leave, no one will be coming back to save you.
Because of where we live, every aspect of evacuation ought to be spelled out to the “T” and every resident ought to know, has a right to know, what will be done in event of a big storm.
Last winter, we were paralyzed by blizzards that knocked out power, some for many days, and trapped many in their homes. What if a similar intensity storm would strike the county when there are countless thousands of visitors here?
Who among us recalls a time in the last century, when a summer evacuation was called, and Cape May County turned into absolute bedlam. Lluckily, we dodged the bullet that time too. Traffic attempting to leave barrier islands was horrendous, bumper-to-bumper, with tempers flaring and short, it got ugly.
It only takes one minor accident on such an exit route to stymie thousands of others trying to leave. Something as simple as a flat tire or running out of gas can be potentially lethal at such a time as that.
We must demand of our elected officials: “Show us the plan, before we start singing, ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place!’”