Yes. If you'll notice, the Superdome was initially opened for stranded tourists. If you look at the pictures though, you see some of the poorest people in New Orleans staying there for shelter.
Living in a hurricane state, I also have another perspective on this. While it may seem trivial and "stupid" to you, a lot of people evacuate leaving one family member behind in their home because of the massive amount of looting that happens during hurricanes.
People get terrified of the idea that the water won't take everything they own and they'll get back to find out that a criminal has, instead. This is especially the case when they can't afford to replace things like refrigerators, TVs, their kids computers or beds, etc. To us, it's just "stuff." To them, it's years of work, saving, sacrifice and struggle. They defend it the same way our ancestors defended their home, homes on the range.
Despite everything that I just said, I live in a city that is prone to severe flash flooding. When people do stupid things like driving through high water and getting stranded, I get annoyed too. I know that sometimes when you're driving up on high water, you can't tell that it's there. I've discovered that from experience. That's why you drive slowly, though, so you don't end up window-deep in flood water before you realize you're driving in it!
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-08-30 04:52 pm (UTC)Living in a hurricane state, I also have another perspective on this. While it may seem trivial and "stupid" to you, a lot of people evacuate leaving one family member behind in their home because of the massive amount of looting that happens during hurricanes.
People get terrified of the idea that the water won't take everything they own and they'll get back to find out that a criminal has, instead. This is especially the case when they can't afford to replace things like refrigerators, TVs, their kids computers or beds, etc. To us, it's just "stuff." To them, it's years of work, saving, sacrifice and struggle. They defend it the same way our ancestors defended their home, homes on the range.
Despite everything that I just said, I live in a city that is prone to severe flash flooding. When people do stupid things like driving through high water and getting stranded, I get annoyed too. I know that sometimes when you're driving up on high water, you can't tell that it's there. I've discovered that from experience. That's why you drive slowly, though, so you don't end up window-deep in flood water before you realize you're driving in it!