Emergency planners in New Orleans are asking people who will need assistance evacuating in the event a hurricane approaches to register with the city for a ride out.

Emergency Preparedness Director Jerry Sneed says he estimates that between 25,000 and 30,000 people will need a ride out of harm’s way and he says anyone who thinks they’ll need that assistance should call 311 to put their name on a list.

“We are ready to assist all of those citizens who need helping getting out,” he said. “However, when I only have 6,000 signed up, I have a tough time justifying to the state and federal government that I need additional assets.”

WWL-TV

Sneed says the plan is to begin picking up people at 17 designated spots across the city two days before a storm is slated to hit. Those people would be taken to Union Passenger terminal for processing and then bused to evacuation shelters.

People who need assistance getting to the pickup points would be given a lift by the city.

Sneed and other emergency personnel want people to know that there is no plan to open the Superdome as a shelter of last resort in the event of an anticipated storm of category-3 or higher strength.

“If a person decides not to heed the mayor’s warning (to leave), they’re on their own,” warned Sneed.

311 Concerns

But while the city is asking people to register for a ride out by calling its 311 service, some say it’s not a good idea to count on a service that has come under some heat recently.

Council woman Shelly Midura says the system can’t be trusted to handle such a large volume of calls and compile a large list.

“I don’t think 311 is capable of doing that right now,” she said.

Midura says the 311 system has been taking requests and complaints but that they often end up not getting to the right city department.

Tuesday she still said she would grade the service as no better than an “F.”

However, Council woman Jackie Clarkson said she thinks 311 can still be successful in an evacuation program. She said the 311 system has done a good job collecting information and that the problem is getting it to the correct agencies once it’s collected.

“It’s the front part that is working,” she said. “When they call in and register the name, that’s the part that is working well.”

Clarkson said the second part of the 311 equation isn’t necessary for compiling a hurricane evacuation list.