The much-anticipated report details evacuation and communication strategies starting 72 hours before a hurricane is expected to make landfall through the storm's aftermath.

01:00 AM EDT on Saturday, May 27, 2006

BY AMANDA MILKOVITS
Journal Staff Writer

Rhode Island's first statewide hurricane plan is finally ready -- just days before the beginning of hurricane season on Thursday.

The next step: persuading Rhode Islanders to prepare themselves.

Governor Carcieri approved the plan yesterday afternoon after an hour-long briefing on the document by Robert J. Warren, the state Emergency Management Agency's executive director.

The plan details what the state would do from 72 hours before a hurricane is expected to make landfall to the aftermath of the storm.

The document includes a multi-page checklist of tasks for the agencies to follow as the storm approaches, as well as sample executive orders for declaring an emergency and issuing a mandatory evacuation order.

The report was written on the assumption that there would be little time to second-guess, Warren said.

Weather conditions can send tropical storms and hurricanes on high speed up the East Coast. A named storm in the Bahamas can reach downtown Providence in a day and a half, according to the National Weather Service.

The state's preparedness plan, after the initial 72 hours, follows a timeline in 24-hour blocks and details how the state will take charge -- such as communicating with federal emergency officials and neighboring states, calling evacuations, opening shelters, setting up emergency communications, and cleaning up after the storm.

Some examples:

From 72 hours to 48 hours before landfall, the state will set up communications with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Weather Service and neighboring states. Hospitals, urgent- and mass-care facilities and animal shelters will be on standby. Storm projections will be used to guide the timeline for evacuations and to decide whether alternate routes could be necessary.

From 48 to 24 hours before the hurricane, the governor declares a state of emergency; the National Guard may be activated. The state could open mass-care facilities, set mandatory local evacuations and close bridges and highways. Traffic will be monitored; outlying communities will be evacuated first. Officials will check on evacuations of people with special needs. Tow trucks and CVS Samaritan vans will be staged on the highways to assist stranded motorists.

From 24 hours before landfall to the end of the hurricane, evacuations will end as weather conditions worsen and bridges close. Teams for urban search and rescue, medical response, and damage assessment will be on alert for the areas expected to be hit hardest.

After the storm, river flooding from heavy rains may mean evacuating more residents. Communities will have to assess whether it's safe to re-open roads. The police and National Guard will provide traffic control.

Carcieri praised the plan. "We are so much better prepared than we've ever been," the governor said by phone after yesterday's briefing. Now, he said, he's concerned about getting people in Rhode Island to take hurricanes seriously.

"It's been a long time since we had a major hurricane," he said, "and we've gotten complacent."

THIS IS EXPECTED to be a very active hurricane season in the North Atlantic, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 13 to 16 named storms are predicted, with 8 to 10 becoming hurricanes. Of those, 4 to 6 could become major hurricanes -- Category 3 or greater.

AccuWeather predicts Southern New England has a "very high" risk of being struck by a hurricane this season.

The last damaging hurricane was 15 years ago, when Hurricane Bob swung into New England.

For years, cities and towns have gotten by on their own. Some posted evacuation routes, some didn't. Some had well-marked routes. Some routes went nowhere or into flood areas.

The state has an emergency operations plan, but it wasn't specific to hurricanes. After seeing hurricanes ravage Florida in 2004, Carcieri ordered the state EMA to put together evacuation routes and a plan.

The evacuation routes were finished earlier this year and posted on the state EMA's Web site at www.riema.ri.gov. Local officials have worked on improving shelters for use during hurricanes, and, as of yesterday, 27 hurricane shelters were ready, said Red Cross spokeswoman Angie Moncada.

Warren was hired last August with the priority of putting together the hurricane plan. He hired a Jamestown consulting company, Integrated Management Solutions, for about $20,000 to work with planners at the EMA. They reviewed hurricane plans used in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and developed guidelines that suit Rhode Island, Warren said.

While the basic plan is complete, there still may be changes as the federal government makes new requirements.

THE STATE EMA still needs to practice the plan. It's unknown how congested the evacuation routes will become; the state Department of Transportation is working on a study of the routes, but the results won't be finished in time for this season.

Warren said a publicity campaign on hurricane preparedness is planned for mid-June.

Carcieri said he wants maps of the evacuation routes and preparedness tips mailed to households in the flood zones.

The theme of "prepare yourself" is also raised by gubernatorial rival Lt. Gov. Charles Fogarty, who chairs the EMA advisory council. He launched his own public awareness campaign on Thursday, and posted links for hurricane preparedness on his Web site: ltgov.ri.gov.

"While it is imperative that the state has a plan for hurricane preparedness, the crucial piece to make this plan work is personal preparedness," Fogarty said in a statement. "It is critical that each household and small business take the time to prepare and develop their own strategy ahead of time."

amilkovi@projo.com / (401) 277-7213

EXTRA: Read the full hurricane-preparedness plan for Rhode Island:

http://projo.com/hurricaneplan