Cost of evacuation

**NOLA_mom** · 09-11-2008, 12:34 PM

I am just curious if anybody has an estimate how much their evacuation cost. We went for Gustav. Included plywood for the windows, storage bag for the car roof, carrying rack for the car roof, vacuum storage bags for clothes, batteries, gas, hotel for 5 days, eating out for 5 days, pet evacuation supplies. I guess that's it.
I am well over $1000, probably closer to 2k just on this.

Anybody knows how much did evacuation cost them?

**dilligaf** · 09-11-2008, 07:49 PM

just curious, have you just moved to NOLA and that being the reason for not having much of these supplies beforehand ?

**DonnainME** · 09-11-2008, 08:01 PM

When I lived in FL we had supplies all the time but it was expensive when we had to leave with planning on where to go and gas and stuff like that.

I feel for you.

**Early Bird** · 09-12-2008, 10:37 PM

I always wondered about that. So, if you have to evacuate, you have to pay for supplies, restaurant meals, and hotels. Right? And for an indefinite time.

Then, you possibly have repairs at home.

More reason to have an emergency fund.

**dcompton** · 09-12-2008, 11:38 PM

We tend to think of the life disruption of an evacuation and the ghastliness of the process itself, but it definitely would not be cheap -- and to know that it's not necessarily a one time emergency expense. You could have to do it all again two weeks later. I wonder if that's a factor in the decision of some to stay, especially when the same areas keep getting pounded. How many evacuations could most people fund in a season? Unfortunately, storms don't take that into consideration, and I would imagine that hurricane battle fatigue, and perhaps the expense, ends up costing lives.

**dilligaf** · 09-13-2008, 08:24 AM

To us it would be a major factor in living in an area prone to hurricanes and other disasters au natural. Personally we would not move to a location such as that without having a proper permanant bug out location. I couldnt imagine the expenses the constant evacs would cause and in this economy omg...

**Michelle** · 09-13-2008, 08:30 AM

That's awful.

I never really gave much thought to all the costs involved to evacuate. The cost of home repairs is bad enough.

toile · 09-13-2008, 09:50 AM

Yikes!
I have been curious about that plus lost wages/
I often run into a visitor here thats here because of the storms.

I really can't imagine the stress on a family and or the budget.

**debbiepete** · 09-13-2008, 10:49 AM

We live in Slidell LA. The cost to evacute for Katrina was over 1,500, plus we had a tralier. The cost to board up, gas food and site fees. We were gone for 5 weeks.
We stayed for Gustuv and DH installed functional shutters, so no more boarded up windows.

**FrugalMomof3** · 09-13-2008, 10:57 AM

I have never thought about this but as far as home repairs isn't that why we have homeowners insurance?

2ndly, I guess that's why my family and I have never moved to a place prone to such natural disasters.

**madhen** · 09-13-2008, 11:13 AM

My mother and sister live in a flood zone, as did I when I lived at home. They've had to evacuate three times now, over the last 20-30 years, for fear the levee would break. Each time, the local hotels put people up for free, so the only thing they paid for was cost of food and gas. All three of us have homeowner's insurance, so that would hopefully off-set cost of rebuilding (although Allstate and Hurricane Katrina showed how reliable the insurance companies can be).

My main concern and loss of "property" would be my animals. Where I live now, no worries about flood, and it would take the mother of all earthquakes to do me much damage. However, the BIG danger out here is wildfires. I've cleared as far around my house as I could, and even a little beyond my property line into a vacant lot of land next to me, but I would still have to leave if a big fire ripped up the valley, just because of the heat and smoke. I would not be able to take all the critters with me. The donkeys, goats, and most of the chickens would be on their own. The pond fish would also be left behind. I have mentally rehearsed how to quickly get the birds and dogs in the car, and I have small emergency kits set up for both. In the summer, I keep some extra jugs of water in the truck, just in case.

**nancycg56** · 09-13-2008, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by FrugalMomof3

I have never thought about this but as far as home repairs isn't that why we have homeowners insurance?

If we have hurricane damage on our house (or any type of wind damage), our deductible is 1% of the assessed value of our house ~ several thousand dollars. For any other kind of damage, our deductible is $500. I think this is common for those that live in hurricane areas.

When a tree fell on our house during Hurricane Isabel, it was determined that our insurance company did not let us know about this change in policy so for those repairs we only had the $500 deductible. But we have been thoroughly informed since then.

**debbiepete** · 09-13-2008, 11:38 AM

You cant rely on homeowners insurance in this area. They have made the deductble so high, they dont have to pay anything.

**LadySlipper** · 09-13-2008, 11:58 AM

Boy, do I have a grudge with insurance companies. We were with Allstate since '69 with NO claims. They dropped us (along with many others) a few years back because we were too high risk (for hurricanes). BUT they graciously lined up another company for us at 3x the cost (we found another for just about $30 more).

As for evacuation, I've never had to yet *knock wood*.

**Holly** · 09-13-2008, 12:07 PM

Insurance companies get away with it as an act of GOD.
I know that it probably cost a lot to evacuate but It would cost so much more to see my loved ones drown or have to pay their
burial expenses. JMHO ( homes can be rebuilt , my families lives can't )
My brother is lucky they go to her moms ( they left Thursday ).