In a test of Boston's ability to handle unanticipated catastrophes, officials yesterday staged a mock evacuation, overseeing the movement out of the city of almost 700,000 people over a three-hour span in the late afternoon.
The evacuation was a test of a new $827,500 emergency preparedness plan just unveiled by Mayor Thomas Menino. A team of police, fire, transportation, and health specialists, as well as officials from the MBTA and several other state agencies, had participated in its development, which included new “evacuation route” signs as well mailing brochures to residents detailing emergency procedures. The team spent months identifying a variety of evacuation mechanisms, coming up with a list that included automobiles, buses, subways, commuter trains and even bicycles.
Judging by yesterday’s results, the extensive efforts are bearing fruit. The mock exodus began at around 4:00 PM, with more than half of the city’s population participating. Observers said there was a dramatic increase in traffic on roadways, with frequent jams on Routes 93 North and South, Route 1 North, Storrow Drive and the westbound portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike. Nevertheless, traffic moved, albeit slowly. “The new signs were very helpful,” said one of the evacuees, who was heading south to Duxbury. “Without them, I could very well have taken a wrong turn and ended up in Newton.”
For its part, the MBTA stepped up the frequency of public transit vehicles in order to accommodate the crowds seeking to exit the city. Still, subways in particular often arrived at stations full, forcing some evacuees to wait. Many of those interviewed said they had to stand for their entire trip.
In addition, local radio and television stations sent helicopters and airplanes flying over the city, reporting on traffic conditions and providing evacuees with real-time information about how best to avoid trouble spots and speed their departure. Police meanwhile directed traffic at heavily used intersections while city tow trucks cleared vehicles from the parking lanes of streets identified as major outbound arteries. Along Route 93 South, state officials created a special “HOV lane” for evacuees who traveled together in one automobile.
Three hours later, downtown was virtually empty. Most evacuees said they planned to spend the night in dwellings located in nearby suburban communities before returning to Boston in the morning. Menino, professing to be pleased with the day’s results but vowing that “we can do better,” said he wanted to stage another mock evacuation immediately. “We plan to keep practicing every single day -- excepting perhaps weekends -- until we get this right,” he said.
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