# Pitting idiots who refuse to leave their home in the face of impending doom **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 2, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639 "2009-09-02T15:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/41 "2009-09-03T18:22:17Z")
> [@whole\_bean](#): > > (Orlando is not really a high risk area - it’s pretty far inland). Well, except for 2004, when we got hit with the triple-whammy that was Charley-Frances-Jeanne. Lots of places in central Florida were without power for _weeks._ My MIL lost the screen to her patio/pool area. It seemed like every other week at work we were scrambling to get everything done so we could bug out. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/42 "2009-09-03T18:36:32Z")
I’ve never been a big supporter of the mandatory evacuation procedure. But that’s just the personal responsibility / Darwinist in me. Big assed forest fire coming through? This is how I see the conversation going. Government Agent (GA) doing the door to door notice: Mr. John Public (MJP), I’m just here to let you know there’s a big assed fire and it’s predicted to spread to this area in three days. We strongly recommend that you pack up and move to a safe area. [IDEAL SCENARIO] MJP: Thanks for the warning, we’ll get right on that. GA: Thank you sir, have a nice day and be safe. [/IDEAL SCENARIO] [LESS THAN IDEAL] MJP: Thanks for the warning, but the fire will never make it this far. GA: Are you sure sir? It’s destroyed a hundred thousand acres and 150 homes already. MJP: I’m sure, you can go now. GA: Of course. I’ll just need you to sign for this transponder. Please keep it with you at all times so your family can find your charred corpse when the all clear is given. [/LESS THAN IDEAL] And then the a followup team goes through the next day to issue a final warning and collect any children in the households. Personal responsibility extends only as far as yourself. Children deserve to be protected from the idiocy of their parents. A gray line, but imminent death is well to the other side of it. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/43 "2009-09-03T19:14:29Z")
> [@gazpacho](#): > > SoCal is about 20 to 30 times larger or more than your definition of the greater bay area. So I am not sure you have good evidence for it being much safer from fires. What does the size of the area have to do with it? I could make my definition much smaller, since the neighborhood I actually live in has _never_ been evacuated because of a natural disaster, and my point would stand. It is, factually, much safer from fires than the area of SoCal that’s prone to wildfires. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/44 "2009-09-03T20:26:15Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > So the fact that you guys would be all packed, thus not losing any worldly possessions, isn’t because you’re “not idiots” but because you have less stuff? yeah, that was my point [QUOTE=ivylass] Well, except for 2004, when we got hit with the triple-whammy that was Charley-Frances-Jeanne. Lots of places in central Florida were without power for weeks. My MIL lost the screen to her patio/pool area. It seemed like every other week at work we were scrambling to get everything done so we could bug out. [/QUOTE] Apologies for not giving O-town it’s hurricane propers. I left Fla in '99 and, obviously, haven’t kept up. Your '04 summer experience confirms a childhood of summers on the gulf. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/45 "2009-09-03T21:36:37Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > So the fact that you guys would be all packed, thus not losing any worldly possessions, isn’t because you’re “not idiots” but because you have less stuff? No, it is because we would have packed BEFORE being forced to run out of the house clutching a couple of items,and then crying on national tv about losing everything one owns…because they waited until the sheriffs were pounding at the door telling them to evacuate. At this time, we would still run with about a van load of stuff. Crap can be replaced, people and paperwork cant [and a few family heirlooms] leaving a house and barn full of stuff we have collected over the years [power tools, hand tools are very bulky. a full blacksmithery, my floor frame for quilting, 3 sewing machines, dressmakers equipment, kitchen equipment, furniture…] We now own the furniture, it is not provided in the navy housing as mrAru retired a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2009, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/46 "2009-09-03T22:11:31Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Certainly, sheer square mileage and population are going to factor in. However, that’s not going to be the sole determiner. > > Surely you concede that given disasters are much more likely to occur in some areas than others. For instance, nobody would be surprised by a hurricane in Florida, but one in North Dakota would raise some eyebrows. True, but a blizzard in Floria would be also unlikely. Yes, some places have a few more disasters, but no place is 100% safe. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/47 "2009-09-04T07:29:49Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > What does the size of the area have to do with it? I could make my definition much smaller, since the neighborhood I actually live in has _never_ been evacuated because of a natural disaster, and my point would stand. It is, factually, much safer from fires than the area of SoCal that’s prone to wildfires. One point about S Cal being a very large place is that most of it is in no danger of wildfire (or the mudslides that tend to come the next winter). So, just as you have chosen a safer place to live up there, so do I live in a safer place down here. California is a huge state and there are plenty of safe places to live. Are there any places that are safe in Tornado Alley? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/48 "2009-09-04T10:04:09Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > One point about S Cal being a very large place is that most of it is in no danger of wildfire (or the mudslides that tend to come the next winter). So, just as you have chosen a safer place to live up there, so do I live in a safer place down here. > > California is a huge state and there are plenty of safe places to live. Are there any places that are safe in Tornado Alley? Yeah but you get earthquakes which can affect a huge area. True there is no place in tornado alley that is “safe” (unless you count living below ground). Thing is tornadoes have a rather narrow, localized effect and tornado alley is sparsely populated overall. On the flip side tornadoes are among the most devastating of natural disasters and forewarning is usually not very much time at all. Like a finger of god just rubbing out whatever is under it. Fortunately a good storm cellar, if you have one, is near perfect protection for you (your house and stuff are screwed though). Tornadoes are weird and fickle things too and oddities appear like a completely wiped out neighborhood, and I mean literally flattened, with one house left untouched just standing there that the tornado jumped over. Spooky. Living in a trailer park is just asking for it though. They really seem like tornado magnets. (Probably one of those confirmation bias things but sure does seem like tornadoes go for them an inordinate amount of the time.) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/49 "2009-09-04T14:10:14Z")
[QUOTE=whole bean] Apologies for not giving O-town it’s hurricane propers. I left Fla in '99 and, obviously, haven’t kept up. Your '04 summer experience confirms a childhood of summers on the gulf. [/QUOTE] Well, half the time I think it’s an excuse for the weather forecasters to go on the air 24/7 to show off their super-duper Doppler Radar, to send the reporters out to show how the waves are really kicking up in Lake Eola, and for the camera guys to get shots of the leaves and branches blown down in the ditches. Plus you get the all-the-time ticker and squeezebacks so you can see what’s happening NOW, just so later on, after the storm has passed, the tv stations can produce promos showing how they were there for you with up to date information that you couldn’t see anyway because you lost power. Yeah, we freak out a little down here during extreme weather. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/50 "2009-09-04T18:07:16Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Yeah but you get earthquakes which can affect a huge area. Not all of them, not even close - you all just hear about the bad ones! 😛 > [@](#): > > True there is no place in tornado alley that is “safe” (unless you count living below ground). Thing is tornadoes have a rather narrow, localized effect 😕 Do we only hear about the bad ones? From what I’ve seen on TV, it looks like they take out whole cities! > [@](#): > > Living in a trailer park is just asking for it though. They really seem like tornado magnets. (Probably one of those confirmation bias things but sure does seem like tornadoes go for them an inordinate amount of the time.) Heh, yeah, it does seem like the tornadoes aim for trailer parks! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/51 "2009-09-06T02:47:25Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Fine. > > But when you get in real trouble you may expect rescue thus putting other people’s life in danger. Read the article linked in the OP and you can see an instance where rescuers had to perform a dangerous rescue to pluck idiots who stayed in the face of the fire. > > I like the idea above. Have everyone who wants to stay sign a waiver that they are on their own for the duration of that given threat. If they get in real trouble they’ll just have to deal with it on their own. In my case I was going to Key West. When I got there they said a hurricane path was going to K.W. and there was a mandatory evacuation. So we left and went to Homestead. The hurricane turned and went straight to Homestead. I never knew palm trees could bend that far without breaking. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639/52 "2009-09-08T16:55:40Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes, some places have a few more disasters, but no place is 100% safe. No one is saying they are. **You** , however, said that California was no worse than any other state, and that is demonstrably wrong. I understand your desire to defend the state you love, but let’s please be reasonable here. Saying California has more natural disasters than some other states doesn’t make it a bad place to live–it just makes it more dangerous in certain respects, depending on what part of the state you live in. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pitting-idiots-who-refuse-to-leave-their-home-in-the-face-of-impending-doom/508639.md?page=2)