Not being able to afford to leave... wasn't there any help available to them?

The doctor and dog... how abusive can someone be?

I do feel for those who may not be able to afford to leave, however if you choose to stay behind for the sake of your pets you are choosing to face "sudden death" along with them.
Residents have been given ample amount of time to make arrangements to leave, with or without your loved pets. In situations where you may not have the funds or means to leave ask for help. In times like this people are there to help.
May god help you all.

A tradgedy in the making. The potential of death with Ike is staggering and yet people stay. These people whether it be from ignorance, stupidity or that world famous arrogance of some Americans that nothing can hurt me. Their reasoning is that the last storm didn't happen, it missed us or wasn't that bad. Do they not realize it is a numbers game. Eventually you will get nailed ie: New Orleans.

Very soon these fools (residents) will be begging for help and rescue. They will expect EMS personnel to put there lives at stake to save them and when they can't get to them, they and their family's will be super critical of these heroic people. Why do they insist on putting lives at risk.

Evacuations should be mandatory and in this cas why not just shoot those that dont leave. By tomorrow they maybe dead anyway.

You know what 's really appalling? This country gets hit by hurricanes every year, EVERY YEAR!  And yet, gas prices sore because the drill sites and the refineries shut down! This is ridiculous! As a free country with our own oil reserves, when crisis such as this hit, WE SHOULD BE PREPARED and we should tap into our own reserves to prevent just such a spike in prices. What's wrong with the Government? What's wrong with this country? Why doesn't common sense reign over stupidity or more so, over greed

Hey, hey Michael,
Excuse me, but my son stayed in Houston to "hunker Down" because his three pets were so hard to evacuate and in Rita he ran out of gas coming to my house! A two hour trip turned into twelve! I have places for them but he said he could handle it. He was afraid to travel with them since two of them are cats.
If anyone will be out helping their neighbors it WILL be him!
FYI: He is upper middle class. So much for your theory.
We have housed underpriviledged people in my home before.
We are democrats!
Sorry to spoil your theory but we care about the poor!!!!!
Blessings to all in Ike's path~

Andy:
It's not a numbers game. It's not a game at all. It's a storm, with human beings making poor decisions.

How sad... I agree that evacuations should be mandatory. Shooting the ones who don't leave? Come on.
--------------------------

Joey:
You're angry about gas prices when people are dying. How sad..

All I can think of to say is a storm doesnt care if you cant afford to evacuate. Plus the police arent going to be able to help. I would think these people have friends and family who would want them to be safe with them in a safe place or maybe they know someone who would love to help and would open their home to animals and family. No one wants people to be trapped and die in a storm because they have no money.

You would think that they would have learned from La & Gustav.

The idea that you can't leave if you can afford it is false. There were lots of free rides to shelters available and places to stay at no cost. The local Police, Fire Dept., Emergency Mangers and Agencies were helping 100's of people without the means to do it alone. Staying for pet snakes and spiders is a sign of emotional sickness.

Why does a person have a dog if they can't take better care of it than that? If the people feel the need to leave what about the poor dog – he can drown too.

And yes, the poor always suffers the most. I can understand not being able to afford to leave; I just hope that Texas is making sure that merchants are not participating in price gouging during this storm – its bad enough without that.

Annie Kate
Birmingham AL

I would personally appreciate CNN going in after the storm to find out how that dog faired and expose that doctor for what she is. Hippocratic oath? I wouldn't let them fix my car!

Isn't this called price gouging? I thought that practice was illegal. Shouldn't the present admin have put a cap on the prices?

Some people have legitimate reasons. My sister is an ICU nurse at a hospital in Texas City – next to Galveston. She has patients to take care of. Luckily she was able to bring her dogs in crates with her.

A spike in gas prices. After Gustav and with Ike going on right now, Gas has went down. So far after this storm has threated the coast of Texas, the gas price went up one dollar. The problem is that since the gas is not being shipped, some places in Orlando does not even have gas. That is a bigger problem.

First of all anyone who puts themselves and their families in danger because of pets in my mind are idiots. They are animals and can be replaced, I know, I know, bring on the hate but be realistic. I have a cat and a dog but if it came down to staying with them or taking my family to safety, guess which one I would chose.

AS far as not being able to afford to go, maybe if they weren't paying to maintain all t hese pets, they'd have some money for enough gas to get to the evacuation points. There were busses, etc. made available and they don't charge you to get on a school bus to get to a shelter.

I object to these same idiots putting their families at risk and the first responders lives at risk. Anyone who elected to stay and has to be rescused should have to repay the organizations for their rescues but we all know that isn't going to happen.

They all were told to leave, there were buses. They have proven they are idiots. The people who have to rescue them may die because of their stupidity. Shame on them and anyone who feels sorry for them. And the rest of the U.S. do NOT start the racist crud this time. Call it what it is.....stupidity.

I've been watching the coverage on and off. At one point I heard a man say he and his friends didn't leave because "the weather people are never right" about these things. On another clip I saw a bunch of immortal twenty-somethings, in some bar on Galveston partying and drinking themselves into a stupor.

As Jeff Foxworthy quipped, "You can't fix stupid".

Many that stay behind love their pets but that is not the reason they stay.

Most of you don't have any idea what these people live with every day. They don't worry about retirement or college for their kids because it is a major struggle to survive each day.

They stay out of desparation. There is no where to go. The risk of dying at home is a better bet they being homeless, out of gas & hungry on the road with no where to go and way to survive.

This phenomenon should be studied by public health and social work professionals. As a New Orleans native, I stayed in the city during a few hurricanes (but not Katrina) in the '80s and '90s. Our home was on higher land and never flooded or had any physical damage. Staying during natural disasters are not that uncommon and reasons differ. You do see it more amongst the poor because they cannot easily recapture all the materials they own like damaged furniture or significant memories.

This report is dead on, and you people have no idea what you are talking about making comments like "they had ample time to leave". Not even 48 hours ago this storm was projected to have little impact on our area. There was no 1 week warning like with Gustav, most evacuations were made yesterday less then 24 hours ago. My children went to school yesterday because no one knew what was going to happen. As far as money is concerned it is very true, there was no help offered except to "specail needs' no gas money , no nothing offered infact my town Baytown was out of gas as of 2 pm yesterday a few hours after we were told to get out. This is because higher paying jobs who bosses would not give them trash for leaving right away ran to get gas. Mean while most of these people who filled there tank in there two or more vehicles bought lots of extra gas in cans. Leaving people like me with realy no choice considring I am on empty. So yes tell everyone how we should suffer and we had help and lots of warning. We didn't have any help and after this storm is over i will probaly have no job for months and no one will care. It won't be like Katrina were everyone recieved a FEMA check. You know why? Because i can't afford to own a house so im in a hotel and Fema will deny my claim, unemployment i can not file, and i wasn't injured at work. So now you can all joke and laugh and make stupid comments on how im "a bum" because after this storm i'll be homeless, broke , and hungry so i might as well be one. Enjoy your ranting and say we deserve what we get , cause at this point I to hope I die. Thanks loud mouths.

The Broke Guy who had ample time to leave is signing off but don't try to argue wih me, your not here. You have no idea what im going through and no one cares. But on the other hand great to see the trillion dollar oil companies can charge 50 cents more + a gallon now to "help with a shortage" in there wallets . The lights are dimming i must go.

They provide shelters and free transportation to them so I'm not getting/buying that they have no where to go. What's the real story?

Shelters are available. It's as simple as that.

The truth of the matter is, ANYONE can leave, no matter how poor. I'm pretty sure if they could not get a credit card, a loan from a friend, or anything else, if they were to stand in the middle of the road and ask for help, someone would quickly help them. It's more of a matter of pride and if your pride is so big that you are willing to risk your children's lives, then you are a coward. A coward why? Because you're not willing to put your pride aside for something EXTREMELY important. I'm pretty sure no one will be talking about your pride at you and your kid's funerals though, they'll just be talking about how dumb and inconsiderate you were.

I really feel for people when they are hit with the unexpected tragedy or natural disaster. However, if you live within striking distance of a major hurricaine and you are too poor to evacutate....but somehow can afford to own six dogs, a snake, cats, etc etc if just doesn't add up to being prepared for the worse. So you get the worse while the more prepared are ready. The doctor is the one who could own numerous pets while the poor family should maybe have a dog. Seriously, I don't feel like I'm being insensitive here. Common sense anyone?

Andy,

Your sensitivity is touching, really. People each have their own reasons for staying, such as pets or a house that they have lived in for many years. WE as people not in the situation can not judge how important these things are to them. They make a decision to stand by the things that are important in their eyes; sometimes it's all they have and it's worth sticking it out. But do not blame them for then asking for help. Perhaps they regret their decision but at that point it's too late to do anything but ask for help. Suggesting that the "fools" who stay behind should be shot is completely unsympathetic and rude to the people who are only doing what they feel is ultimately right at the time.

I believe the answer is most of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve is stored in the form of CRUDE OIL, not refined gasoline, diesel fuel or AVGas (used by aircraft). Even if we did tap the reserve during each hurricane season, we'd have to trade our crude with another nation's refined fuel once our refineries were on lockdown during each storm. Your vehicle doesn't run on oil, it runs on gasoline or diesel fuel and if we don't have that stored, all the oil in the world won't help us at that moment.

Some people dont realize that some pets are just like children, but I think maybe this woman needs to maybe adopt out some those pets. That is way to many

"Not being able to afford to leave". Since when do you have to be rich to escape a hurricane. Is dying a more affordable price! Come on! Staying & risking your life, & more important your childrens lives is the better option? There a several ways to leave. Pack up your car & go. If that's not an option then call somebody up, ask a neighbor, or family to help you, use public transportation, Walk, Run, Skip, Hop, Crawl. Are you freakin' kidding me! They said this was going to be a major storm a week ago, & for everyone to leave, or risk dying. The real reasons these people don't want to leave is because they either don't think it will be a bad storm, or that someone will break into their house & steal their stuff, or both. There is a price for stupidity, & unfortunately some will have to pay it.

The doctor is wrong for locking his dog in a pantry. VERY WRONG!

i lived through 3 hurricanes in south texas before there was CNN........ in those days no one talked about evacuation. you just boarded up windows , secured somed drinking water, and a little food............ and survivied. i know now that the population is much hevier and some are poor......but i think there is a lot of media hoopla over a natural event like a hurricane. they occuer each year.

Self-reliance–it's the American way. That said, people who choose to stay should do it at their own risk. If they get in trouble, they should be left to their own devices.

Also, what you guys talking about gas prices should notice is that it's not the hurricane driving up gas prices–it's SPECULATION ABOUT THE HURRICANE driving them up.

People fail to realize they can't afford to move.. where could they go? What if you have no money no relatives nearby, no car?

This woman chose pets over her own kids. If shes lucky tommorow, someone elses kid will hang from a helicopter to save them. Hope he doesnt get hurt for her choice.

Why couldn't they take the dog to the sister's house too, for God's sake? If I had a husband or a wife that laid down that rule, I know who I'd be locking in the pantry and leaving with my dog. How can people be so rotten.

Maybe if they didn't have a snake, lizard, two scorpions, a tarantula, at least six dogs, and several cats, they could afford a plane ticket and stay at a nice hotel.

The cost to feed those animals must be huge.

Were buses or any other means of transportation helping with evacuations? I ask because some people may not own cars or maybe not reliable cars.
This is such a heartbreaking thought that the underprivileged people in our society can not afford to save their lives – essentially.
God be with them and all residents of Houston/Galveston and Corpus Christi.

What didn't that Dr. understand? The surge may bring 22 ft. of water in on top of her dog. Think of the terror this animal will go through listening to the wind, rain, and possibly the water coming in on top of him or her? Hard to believe a Dr. could be so insensitive to a pets well being.

Arrangements have been made to get people and their pets out of harms way and into shelters. These people are not taking advantage of services that are being offered to them. Poverty isn't stranding them on the island, ignorance is.

People who stay around in situations like this are either stupid or just want attention. If they can not afford to leave there are plenty of charities/resources available to assist them in evacuation. I agree with Andy. After the storm, these idiots will expect EMS workers to risk their lives to save them. It is just a shame.

A doctor who does not have anyone she/he knows to go to with her dog?
Sad

Someone should lock the twit of a doctor in the pantry and the dog and husband should go to higher ground. Honestly – some people just should not own pets.

I'm really sorry, but if you can afford all those pets, you should have figured out some sort of plan long ago. When you live in a hurricane prone area, you need to have a plan. Hurricanes happen and I shouldn't have to pay for your ignorance. I'm cool with helping rebuilding and things of that nature. But when emergency personnel and military have to put in all kinds of time and expense to rescue you when you were given plenty of warning? Sorry, not my problem. Especially gets frustrating when it's all over and people want to complain about the heros that STAY in order to help those who refused to leave when ordered too.

When I hear the argument that people stay because they don't feel right abandoning possessions and property – "its all they have", I feel very sorry for their sense of judgment. Does ones own life not count as the most prized of all possessions?
I love my home with all my heart, but in the end it will never be valued more then that of my own life and my families.

Amazing how cruel some of these comments posted on here are!! By "Americans" at that. Sad that so many people are insensitive to stituations like this because they are fortunate enough to live in a different part of the country. Walk in someone else's shoes for a minute before you display your ignorance on a message board.

they stay becouse they just cant afford to leave and they think that if they stay the can save thier personal property

So the doctor is locking his dog in the pantry while he and his wife move to higher ground...............wow nice guy. I hope he isn't my doctor ........that is disgusting. The dog doesn't even have a chance to save itself. SICK SICK SICK.

Judge ye not. Even if I had the money to leave, but was 80 years old, in a home I had loved for most of my life, with pets that meant the world to me, I'd probably stay.

This is not a case of poverty. EVERYONE was able to get out. Shelters are open, including for pets. There is no reason people should still be there. The police went door to door to get everyone out. Including their dogs, cats, and other pets.

I am an evacuee from Galveston, and believe me, the people who chose to stay did so at their own risk, and have no one to blame but themselves.

I can not begin to know how these people feel or why they stay or go. But, I do know that we have two small dogs and they are our babies and I would never leave them behind while I fled to safty. People that judge others for staying with their pets either don't have them or shouldn't. Our pets depend on us for their food and shelter and comfort. I would sell all i own to keep them safe, whatever that took. My heart goes out to all those people in the path of this thing and I will pray for you all.

I can't BELIEVE that doctor!!!! How cruel to lock the dog in a pantry where it has absolutely zero chance if the house starts flooding...he was going to a RELATIVES house...not a shelter....that dog should have been taking with him!!!!!! I'm not sure what city the woman was in, but I know Galveston has a shelter...she should've at least sent her children there.

I have no sympathy for anyone who stays. Having lived in several parts of our country, I know for a fact that hurricanes are the one natural disaster that you actually get warning for. And then to not leave??? Yeah, it can be a inconvience to do without some extras to save for this type of emergency, but it is way less of a convience that being dead. The people that I have sympathy for are the EMT's, Fireman and Police that have no choice but to stay and then to put their lives at risk for the idiots that do stay. Let's not even get into the fact that many people don't see the need for any kind of home insurance or even the minimal hurricane insurance which cost me about me about 3 bucks a month in North Carolina. These are the same people who will be screaming that the goverment needs to help them because as we all know, Bush caused the Hurricane just to torture innocent people.

I've seen a family member's decision making skills get damaged as a teenager. It's made me realize that everyone doesn't make logical decisions based on reasonable information like I'm used to. Some people just process information in a weird way, and don't realize the consequences of their actions until it's more than obvious.

There are tens of thousands of people who have a high risk of dying, mostly because they are too poor to leave the poverty stricken Galveston area. Yet, there are idiots like the ones leaving comments here that only care about their gas prices rising. Seriously!?

I'm from Deer Park, Tx, and the last thing I am worried about is your gas prices. Take your head out of your rear end, and realize that most people value human life more than your Ford Focus.

Also, poverty has been correlated with pet ownership, because it provides a coping mechanism to those effected by it. However, I agree that at some point, you need to worry about your family's safety and get the hell out of dodge.

I only pray for the safety for the poor and elderly that either didn't have the means to leave, or couldn't physically. I'm near San Antonio right now, not because I can afford to leave, but because I can't afford to stay.

It's a really sad situation that people feel they must do the unimaginable....To leave that many pets behind and know they may face certain death is a hard choice to make for those of us whom are the voices of the animals...We don't know if any help was available to insure the animals safety if the people were able to leave...We don't know a lot of the facts here and shouldn't be so ready to judge but only to care for our fellow neighbors and Americans.....It real easy to sit back and read the news from our computer in safe and secure places and judge....We should pray for these people and for their safety and feel blessed that we aren't the ones in their shoes...

While it may seem that these people are just ignorant, I assure you that that is not the majority. The hassle the goes with evacuating is extreme. Some people just can't afford to go through that. They have too much to account for. It is true that many American's are in a state of denial when it comes to these things. How can a storm possibly ruin my house? I can tell you that as someone who lives on an island off the coast of South Carolina; I can't begin to make judgments on others who I know nothing about. It is sad, however, that in America many of us need extreme circumstances (Katrina, 9/11) for us to learn to be conservative in these types of situations.

I would take the dog and lock the Doctor in the pantry – what an idiot.
As for not heading warnings to get out – poor or not – start walking and take your animals with you. There is help available – but you need to ask for it sometimes. Pride is a killer too.
Thoughts and prayers to all in Texas – including the animals.

Lock the dog in the pantry and she and hubby go to sisters and higher ground, what is wrong with people, TAKE the dog, I don't care if someone is allergic! Shame on them! I cannot believe how humans behave. They had warning and time to do something before the storm arrived.

So is this person saying death is cheaper than fleeing? That makes lots of sense.

Locking the dog in the pantry? Animal cruelty at its worst. I realize that this is a crisis, but that makes be absolutely sick. People like that shouldn't be allowed to have pets.

I would leave that place in a minuet. I dont like snakes either, I think the snake would be able to fly away, wouldnt it?

I really can't understand anyone willing to risk their life and the lives of their children, even if they can't afford to leave. That just doesn't make sense. Surely, there is a way to leave and find shelter.

As for the doctor locking up the dog in the pantry...she's sick. Why do people bother to have pets if they care so little for them? What's the purpose of having a pet? Status symbol? Some kind of accessory like Paris Hiltons dog? The poor animal is left alone and is unable to help himself.

I believe that all individuals living in an area succeptible to natural disasters such as hurricanes should be prepared financially for an evacation. During mandatory evacuations, people that choose to stay need to understand that our country's heroes (in the form of EMS, Firefighters, etc) SHOULD NOT go in until the risk is reduced...it is not fair to their families to risk their lives for people that do not have the self-control to save money for the worst. I view it as choosing to make some concessions (i.e. less pets in this example) to save up some money to ultimately save his/her family's lives. I really feel for the children who are not given a choice in the matter and it is selfish as a parent to purposefully risk his/her children's lives.

As for the oil reserves, the oil must come into this country via barges or oceanliners and comes into the bay. The cost of transporting this crude oil to inland refineries would also greatly increase the cost of gasoline. Also, the red tape associated with creating new refineries (mainly for environmental impacts) is too great for the oil companies to proceed. Not to mention, who is going to allow it in his/her backyard. It is easy to complain about gas prices, but you would be complaining even more if they were trying to put a refinery in your area.

In the end, I pray for those who chose to stay and hope their lives will be spared, but even more I pray for those that will try to rescue them in the coming days.

Carrie,

Even though I'm not in their situation, I can evaluate their judgment to stay just fine: when expert climatologists say you face "imminent death" if you stay, then you're being entirely irrational by staying (give, of course, that the government provided adequate means of them being evacuated).

Even if they are basing their decision what they feel is ultimately 'right' in time, it is most certainly NOT right for the American taxpayer to fork the money necessary to pay for their irrational behaviour. And of course, in an even more important sense, it is NOT moral for the absurd actions of these people to jeopardize the lives of many emergency personnel.

It may be insensitive, but for them not to make some reasonable effort to escape "certain death", they are fools.

This person appears to have a mental issue. To express the pets are more of a consern then the children this should be looked into for the safety of the minors.

Jason, you might think your argument is formidable, but as I said, people are not thinking about death. They are thinking about their situation. I'll say it again. Many Americans wont ever believe that death can happen to them until they are face to face with it.

Carrie, Andys comments were over the top, but yours, though sympathetic show an empathy that can only come from your own selfishness. Any reason for staying is ulimately misguided. I CAN judge this. Stupid for her to stay for animals. Period. I have three cats. They have lived in 7 houses in 5 states with me and my son. We love them. but if i chose them over the safety of my son, i would be...are you ready? Stupid. BTW, not sure about Andy, and I remind you I agree the shooting remark was ignorant and callous, but i have been through several of these types of disasters. I did what was neccessary to ensure the safety of my family. Nothing else matters. Period. I do blame them for being stupid then asking for help. Then people like I used to be part of will have to rescue them, risking their lives. Some may be hurt or even die trying to save them. Some of these rescuers have kids and pets. I hope all the rescuers on uneccessary missions make it home to their loved ones and I hope the stupid people who stay survive because of the rescuers bravery. Then I hope we make them pay for the wages and the helicopter gas that it took to rescue them from their STUPID decision. Maybe we will then have fewer stupid people.

Everyone had help yes even the poor people. They had free buses to take people to free shelters in and around the austin area and other places. I don't feel sorry for those who did not take that offer. Pets are part of the family yes but not worth dying for. Don't think for one minute that these so called poor people don't have the funds or the means to leave because in truth they do. Most people didn't leave for the same reason people didn't leave when Katrina came, pure stupidity. They think if they sit in a house they will be able to stop it from happening well it is going to come with force. So I don't feel for those who claim they are to poor to leave they had help and didn't take it. I feel that when you hear that you could die you should leave. So if they die well then know this they made that choice.

You're never supposed to leave pets behind like that. If you are evacuating without them, you are supposed to take them to a animal shelter. Vets can shelter your pets; it's recommended to bring a copy of their health records.

I think these storms have a way of weeding out the weak and brain damaged. When my local authorities tell me its leave my home or face certain death, the choice seems pretty clear. If people are unable due to physical restrictions or absolutely have no means of leaving then they deserve all the help their community, state and country can provide. The knot heads choosing to weather the storm should be used as sand bags during the next storm. As far as the dog in the pantry, I hope he haunts his bastard owner.

Perhaps the dog should have evacuated and the "good" doctor (lower case "d" is intentional) should have been locked in the pantry.

Doctor locking the dog in the pantry to go to family's place on higher ground!!!!! As several have already stated, animal cruelty and shame on the doctor. To the others who say that help went door to door and would have taken the pets, wrong again. You note the dogs and cats, but come on . . snakes, lizard, scorpions and not JUST dogs and cats, but NUMEROUS dogs and cats. Not going to happen. They were there to save their pets. I do believe though that it's inhumane and not giving thought when you have more pets than you can handle or afford. If you can't afford to save them, you can't afford to have them. Unlike our human children, every human being ALWAYS choose when we adopt pets . . . and in that choice we have the opportunity to ask ourselves, can I care for them?

I also feel we should pray for the people who choose to stay and weather the hurricane. But that does not mean that anyone else should be put at risk. If a family has so many pets that they cannot leave in an emergency situation, then they have too many and are not responsible pet owners or parents. And no emergency personnel should have to put their life at risk to save someone who does not remove themselves from harm. Staying is reckless, no matter what the reason. And endangering the lives of rescue personnel should be treated as a criminal act, in my opinion, if the residents could have left and did not. The woman is endangering the lives of her children and any personnel who may be called upon to rescue them. If any of them are injured in the storm, she should have to take responsibility for the decision she made.

Why didnt the cnn guys or whoever is reporting it, go get the dog?

One reason some people stay is they know once the storm is over the damn police won't let them back in for days to check on thier property!

Dogs are man's best friend, for a reason.

We need to remember the difference between human beings and animals. A human being made in the image and likeness of God, with an immortal soul, is precious. An animal has no soul and, even though it may be precious to us (as some of our other possessions are), it is nowhere near as important as a human being. My take on this: get the people out, soonest (although it's too late now for those folks). Surely there is room in the car, truck, whatever, for cats and dogs. Spiders, lizards: If there's room, OK; otherwise,there will be plenty more (more than plenty) where those came from. People are what matters! Nothing else matters at all.

I agree that locking a dog in a pantry is inhumane. Who knows how true that is though. With each story like this there are 100,000 people who evacuated and saved their pets. I evacuated 2 days ago from Houston with my 2 pets. Every friend I know brought their pets as well or stayed with them.

There are 2 stories here though. The one about the pets and the one about the 'stubborn Texans' as we're being made out to be. During the Rita evacuation more people died in the evacuation than the actual hurricane. We get 2-3 of these a year. People loot as well in these disasters. So I can see where some want to stay to protect their property. For the most people in the city if you stay in a boarded up house, keep a good ration of food and water and are well-prepared you can ride out something like this. Remember that the media is covering the worst part of this which is less than 1% of the metroplex.

So give some of these people a break. They aren't idiots too stubborn to leave. There are many reasons to stay in a situation like this.

And to Andy who posted earlier, why don't you step in my neighborhood right now and see who gets shot...

i find it sad that people are more upset about the dog then the poor family faceing death. hell they should leave the dogs and get out of town

I grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast where hurricanes and tropical storms were always a gamble of the "right" thing to do and how to prepare. The preparation with the pet dog gets a grad F in my book. I also find it absolutely sickening that a pet dog was locked in the owner's pantry. If you can't take your dog with you then you certainly shouldn't have one. If the dog was just left behind, freedom of using their animal instincts to survive would at least be an option. There are lives at risk and poor judgement like this does not help with the big picture. I HIGLY SUGGEST that local towns and cities in hurricane prone areas issue printed literature specifying a check list of preparations, safety steps and priorities. I'll give the benefit of the doubt that a lot of people don't think 100 pecent clearly during a crisis like this which makes putting some kind of guidlines in place that much more necessary.

I'm not going to judge them because I know i shouldn't generalize. We don't know if EVERYONE is staying because they're stupid. Generalizing is a mistake that many of you seem to be making. The people who have ample opportunity and funds are ignorant; of course. But not everyone is in that situation. I was just merely pointing out why many people make the same mistakes over and over again. With disasters, people become more conservative. But there will always be people with the "it can't happen to me attitude."

to all who complained about the doctor and dog. in EVERY situation where either me and the dog are both in danger or i'm safe and the dog isn't it's going to be so long sparky good luck! Why is this? because I'm not a freaking moron. I can buy a new dog. Besides the Dr.'s pantry is probably more than just the closet most of us have for a pantry. Doctors do tend to earn enough to afford a bigger house.

2nd when there are evacuations there are usually also means provided. During Gustav I remember seeing that our school board was sending several buses (to be driven by national guard) so lack of options probably isn't the case that means it was lack of a good decision being made. So maybe rather than looking for differences in income look for differences in IQ. I bet the people staying behind are a few points behind those who left.

We need to pray for all the people on the gulf coast. God bless them.

warning to stayers: you will get rocked and probably killed. most of you chose this, help was offered to those who felt like they had no plan B. people do not respect this stuff, do not believe they will fall victim to the stor,m, but truth is, it happens to the strong and the weak.

advice-- hold on to something that floats and that floats towards land

sounds like Katrina all over again...big storm, people not listening, people dying, people expecting the rest of us to save them, tax money being wasted, the rest of us sitting in our comfy homes complaining. I'm sorry, but I have mixed emotions, half of me wants to feel sorry for these folks and the other half gets angry. but what are we as humans if we loose complete compassion? I'm glad you're there Anderson, if nothing else than to show us how to have a little compassion...love u!

the most painful memory i have of hurricane Katrina is when i saw that family on the roof of their home who were about to be rescued by helicopter...their only concern at that moment was whether they could afford the helicopter ride...i cried with heaving sobs that is the gulf between the haves and the have nots in this country we live in America, one of the most prosperous and wealthy countries in the world and yet we suffer from gripping poverty as much as so called third world nations do so much so that when faced with a catastrophic event such as a category 3 or 4 hurricane, the people who are affected, who can least afford to evacuate are worried about being charged for the rescue efforts in their behalf.

No matter how we ultimately feel about these situations, I hope we all calm down and pray for safety for all these people. Whether you believe they are justified for staying or stupid they are still your fellow Americans. God help us all.

In response to "m", perhaps you have never felt or experienced the kind of bond that some people have with their pets! Animals are just as important to humans–i.e. without animals, there would not be cures for certain diseases, senior citizens and mentally-challenged people have been proven to show significant progress and sustainability when introduced to "pet therapy", and personally speaking, I would not leave my pets, period.

Rather than criticize people for not leaving their pets, why doesn't the so-called "help" that exists for people in these situations just allow them to bring their pets or arrange for animal shelters in other areas to temporarily house them?

I grew up in NE Georgia, which is frequently a site for tornadoes in the spring. Every time there was a tornado warning or watch, my mom would have us gather EVERY PET along with ourselves and pillows, and head to the basement. Most of the time I believe this was overreaction but nevertheless, she was not about to leave all of our pets upstairs if there were danger.

When people cast aside the importance or value of animals–pet or otherwise–I must question that person's committment and value to life in general. Who says that humans are more valuable than animals? And please spare me any religious rhetoric. If you are a follower of any kind of higher being, I know that ALL life is of value...not just human life.

As an aside: it is hard for me to comprehend why people would not leave when the weather service uses language like "certain death"....but I've never been in that situation. I can understand the fear of leaving home–not having enough money, not sure where to go, not sure what to do about the pets, etc. I believe the real question or issue is that –as another person pointed out–we know the storms come every season–lets get together and develop a plan that works for EVERY person. The notion of "get on a bus, we're going to take you out of here" is immensely frightening–esp. if one owns pets. C'mon....there are as many animal rescue operations are there are hospitals...surely the govt and these organizations can work together to alleviate this dilemma!

There is NO excuse to stay behind. I get sick of hearing I am POOR and cant leave. The Poor.. the Rich.. all were offered a way out.

Animals.. have the same rights in my opinion and they could have gotten them all out to! There are MANY shelters willing to take the aniamls. MANY of temporary foster homes for animals... If anyone stayed behind its their choice and in my opinion.. a bad choice they made.

This comment started w/ a guy going back to lock his dog in a pantry because its was ok... but HE needed to go save himself?!?!?! Is he that heartless? He deserves NO pet! I think that is pathetic! I hope he see's this.

I have heard for days about the evacuation.. There were buses leaving w/ the rich and poor on them and for someone to sit there and say we cant leave because we are "poor".. and would put their aminals and children at risk.. Its pathetic!! No one should be left down there.

I have children and am a major animal lover and I will never understand how anyone can be so selfish.. to make the choice to put children or animals at risk. To me its a clear sign they dont need either.

I dont understand this type of ignorance. Why should the police be left to risk their lives further to rescue those who wouldn't get out? Thats exactly what will happen. All afternoon we read in the news about situations... where officials... begged residents to get out.. BEGGED...

But once its passes... and they are trapped or hurt.. its the police and rescue they will be yelling for to come rescue and save them. Its the officials they will be screaming at because thier homes are flooded and they have no food or power.

I read all the comments posted here and there's a guy who thought he could stay and ride it out w/ his kids. Are you kidding me? But they finally talked him into going. When its over... I think he and the others like him should get a nice fat fine in the mail for the extra risk he created.

This is just "my opinion" which really amounts to nothing, but I dont think there should be any pitty for someones ignorance when it was clear to all they needed to get out.. or the uncaring of an animals .. that totaly blows my mind. A doctor.. anyone.. to leave their defenseless pet who depends on US... behind while he goes somehwere safe? Whoever he is deserves NO animal ..EVER! To make the choice to keep your children there.. incredible!

I never cease to be amazed at peoples ignorance. Its incredible!

If people are stupid enough to stay behind in danger of "certain death", then I say let them be done with it and decrease the surplus population.

If the rich are not in Galveston or other low-lying areas, then neither are their pets. They've made arrangements or taken them with them. It's unlikely they left them behind.

People were warned WELL IN ADVANCE of this storm. No matter what kind of pets they have and love, there was time to make some sort of arrangements or evacuate with them.

Some people just won't believe what is about to happen unless it smacks them in the face. Sadly, I guess, that's about what is going to happen.

Have any of you who are making accusatory, demeaning remarks, been in this situation? We see what is on television, we read the paper, the internet, etc. It seems like a simple solution, but we're not the ones running out of gas, sitting in traffic, leaving behind what has taken us so long to build. Panic sets in when a tragedy like this is about to occur. It's hard to make clear decisions when faced with such a situation. Not everyone has friends and family, and it's really unfair to assume that. You can't take your own life situation and expect everyone else to have the same opportunity and make the same decisions as you would.

I live in Florida and am disabled and I tell you I would have to think long and hard to go on a bus to a shelter after what I saw were the horrible conditions at shelters in NO after Katrina. i would never survive that. At least in my own home I would have a chance. Also, I heard on CNN how a group of disabled people were stuck on a bus for 7 hours because the place they were taken to wouldn't take them and there was no way to transport them. Again, a situation I wouldn't survive. These are all things people living in these types of disasters have to deal with. Would any of you posting here critisizing have wanted to be in the Superdome or the Convention Center?

More people died evacuating Houston for Rita (120) than were killed by that storm (18).

I do know the damage and fear a hurricane can cause. I do know what it is like to be VERY Poor.. but POOR has nothing to do w/ saving your butt!

Its not hard to understand someone knocking on your door saying we are scared you'll die! Its not hard to understand the words.. "life threatening"... and animals.. children... it takes NO understanding to put them in front of you.

I am sorry .. this upsets me greatly. Children.. animals are defenseless. They DEPEND on us to make correct choices and to choose to STAY... please.. there is no excuse!

We the adults... have an obligation to them. Its not about JUST getting through tonight or tomorrow morning.... If they make it that far.. its about the next few days or maybe week... or weeks.. with no water.. no power.. no food.. no home. no where safe.

My heart bleeds for the children and animals forced to stay behind, not for the "poor or rich" adults.. because POOR and RICH has nothing to do w/ this! Its not about your precious home. I mean do you honestly think staying will save your home? IT WONT! Homes can be replaced. Its about YOU and putting your children.. your animals. your LOVED ones first. That should be a very easy choice!

If they are to poor to leave why have all those pets?

I know it sounds foolish to most, but, my pets are my family. Most of them are "rescues" or "strays" that showed up on my property. When I took them in, I made a commitment to give them a good home for the rest of their natural life (for better or worse), in a couple of cases they had been abandoned and left to fend for themselves. That normally doesn't end well.
My point is that if I can't get them to safety, I will stay with them and I won't abandon them, I will protect them until I am unable. If it costs me my life then so be it, I'm willing to take that outcome.

I see a lot of people riding out Hurricane Ike, people there think they will be okay until they realize that it is too late and then they need someone to rescue them, causing more problems for the city when they should have left in the first place. I know people are hurting right now but if a lot of news stations says to leave your city or town because of the damage the storm will bring then you should listen, it is better to be safe than sorry, Things come and go but loved ones are not replaceable. My heart and prayers go out to all who have family members or friends in that lower part of Texas.

I FULLY Agree w/ you Barbara! To report this and not follow up and say you have that animal w/ you..... shame!

Afraid to brake a window to get in if needed?

I suspect tomorrow if its as bad as they are reporting.. there will be no windows in that home.. that arent broken! Shame!

So they left the dog in the pantry to drown, with no chance of escape? If that's how she treats her dog how does she treat her patients?

Galveston and many places were offering free transportation out of town. There was no excuse to stay.

What does this mean that poor people = uneducated?

So they own like fifteen pets and the fact that they're poor is the reason they can't leave? Doesn't have to do with their choices?

People stay behind because of financial constraints and pets usually. It is easy for people who do not live in an area where natural disasters happen frequently to pass judgment on others. I live in Raleigh NC and the weather is great. I would say that if a hurricane hit the NC coast right now I would have serious trouble finding enough money to go to another place. Food, gas, hotel, and pet accommodations can be pricey and could lead to the decision to stay behind. It would not be an easy or settling decision I am sure.

Sadly, we are seeing human nature at work here. The officials and the media overreacted to gustav and dolly so they think it will be no big deal again. I even thought it wasn't going to be as bad as the news said. I give a lot of the blame to the media. The media NEEDS a good story so lets be overly dramatic. So when it isn't bad over and over again people stop listening. Remember the boy who cried wolf? The media should just stick to the facts and stop worrying about ratings. How can anyone believe its dangerous when reporters are standing outside and basically tell us what we already see, Its windy with lots of rain, flooding and flying debris. Sheesh go inside already. So if some reporter can stand outside during a hurricane then it should be okay to stay home.
Anyway, the only time we ran from a storm we came home to no damage at all and we felt really foolish for running and spending all that money. Those that evacuated for gustav probably spent what little savings they had and can not afford to evacuate again but honestly many people felt it would be like gustav. Denial is a powerful thing.
As far as pets are concerned, I thoght it was okay to take pets to a shelter now? People are so concerned about their stuff when in the end their stuff won't matter. Situations like this are interesting studies of human nature but in the end all I can say is denial is a powerful thing. Sorry I'm bouncing around, I am tired.

the arrogance and sadistic cruelty of the people posting here is unbelievable.
Shame on you all!

You sound like junior high kids with no life experience, no empathy and no humanity.

But on another note, I have a credit card and I would max it out to make sure I was safe. And to add to Gator's comment - I do wonder why people have so many pets and can barely afford them. I make mid 40s and have a part time job. I have two cats and it costs about 60 a month to feed them and provide fresh litter (so my apt won't reek). It's hard enough with two animals (they were my buddy's pets and he was deployed to Japan btw)... I couldnt imagine having more.

There is a world of difference between the two words ...Un-educated and ignorance.

It requires no education to put your loved ones first!

Ladies and Gentleman,

One phrase: Survival of the Fittest

Is it really a mandatory evacuation if we are still going to use tax dollars and put emergency personnel at risk to rescue people who don't evacuate??? Quit going after them and maybe fewer people will stay behind. There is free transportation and we are all paying for those "free" shelters with our tax dollars so go use them!

1. The people who CHOOSE to stay behind will demand help if they get trapped (God forbid – I pray they will all be OK). However, if they choose to stay behind they are putting others at risk whose job it will be to rescue them.

2. THEY ARE LEAVING THEIR DOG IN THE PANTRY?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!! Arrest them for animal cruelty! That makes me SICK.

Some responsibility for residents not evacuating falls idirectly on the shoulders of the countless reporters: "hey, if they're here in such numbers, it can be that bad".

As a coastal Carolina resident, the lives of first responders should NEVER be put at risk to rescue residents who choose not to leave when a mandatory evac. order is issued.

Yes – yes – yes, publish the name of that selfish, cruel doctor! I cannot imagine a anyone choosing to use that hypocrit.

Agreed - the name of the doctor who who locked the family dog in the panty when they evacuated should be published! Let the public judge for themselves if this is the type of individual with whom they choose to enrich.

They should turn all of Galveston into a natural barrier as to be a buffer for future storms.

I question the validity of the Doctor leaving behind their dog. That just doesn't jive. If it is true, someone should hold them accountable.

The poor family who stayed behind - I just can't understand why they didn't leave if transportation out of town was available to them. Someone explain this, especially if shelters were available to them. I might buy and store at home two or three tents before a pet and camp out somewhere. Save your lives and the lives of rescue crew.

It's amazingly sad how little regard some of us have for living beings. Locking a dog in a pantry? Wow. And commenters here are acting as if discarding human life is a normal occurence. Think, people! The people who you seem to criticize as if they're too stupid to get out may not be able to. What about the handicapped, the mentally disabled, the poor? Hmm? It's appalling.

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that as many as 40% of Galveston's residents ignored the mandatory evacuation notice and the warnings of the National Weather Service to "get out or face certain death." While some of these people were undoubtedly elderly, ill, or poor, there is no way that most of the residents who stayed behind fit into those categories.

As for the poor, I live in central Texas, and we have had buses bringing people who can't afford to travel to shelters in our region. We even have pet shelters here. Why aren't folks such as the family in this article availing themselves of such opportunities? Did they simply not get the word, or did they want to come but were overlooked?

Wow, look at the hate filled comments. I know it is frustrating to see people make bad decisions, but come on they are still people. We need to remember that... as a society we need to remember that. History as shown us that when we start acting uncaring, hateful, and unfeeling as a society really bad things happen. In slavery the owners felt the slaves were not people (or inferior people ). In the Holocaust Nazis thought the Jews were inferior. There are many many other examples in history of this. It all starts with the statement "they get what they deserve" I feel as a nation we are becoming bitter, jaded, uncaring, and unfeeling. Do I think these people are using good judgement by staying??? No I don't, but that doesn't mean I use poor judgement myself and turn my back on them. That isn't what America is about is it?

As for the good Doctor I believe she should be evacuated to the nearest safest jail cell for animal cruelty.

I volunteered for the Red cross during Gustav and yesterday at Port San Antonio where evacuees are being processed and taken care of. By the time I left at 1 am, they were anticipating some 1,000 people per hour for the next few hours. There were buses and buses full of people arriving who couldn't have left on their own, as well as those who drove in their own cars. It certainly seems there were ample warnings and resources for them to leave.

A problem, however controversial it may sound, but that I have heard from my fellow volunteers who worked through Katrina, was that many times people would refuse to evacuate because they expected the transport to literally come pick them up on their street, and didn't feel like walking or getting a ride somehow to the state/city provided transportation. Certainly I'm not pretending that rich and poor people are on equal levels in ease of evacuating, but there comes a point where no matter your socio-economic status, you have to take a bit of initiative.

I wish everyone on the coast the best.

I'm sorry, but when they say evacuate, you freaking evacuate! Too many people stay around, and they cause problems.

Who in hell can do that to their dog?? Or to any animal for that matter?
Are people really that cruel? I have a dog and hearing that just upsets me because I would never be able to live with myself if that ever happened. Respect all forms of beings, ladies and gentlemen! They have feelings and emotions just as we do.

There are 5 main categories of people who stay behind:

1. Looters
2. Those who want to protect their property from looters
3. Those who simply don't believe it will be bad
4. Those who are disabled, weak or poor but foolish enough not to seek help (or rarely cannot find help despite trying in a timely manner)
5. Police, medical workers, other public officials and press

Ok people.

I live in the area.

Galveston and many cities/counties were offering free Transportation for evacuation to Austin Texas and San Antonio. There is no excuse why these people chose to stay since Galveston and others were offering to take them to shelters for free. It was blasted all over the news and radio for them to know what was going on.

That's so silly. Let the dogs die or have foresight to take the pets with you when you evacuate. I understand people love their pets, but even so...no dog is worth a human life or the lives of multiple people. When people stay behind for pet lizards and spiders....please. These people had plenty of warning and opportunity to get out. They could have seen to their pets days ago. It's a shame that people don't heed advice of authorities when they say "certain death" awaits those who stay behind. Shame on the parents who put their children into harm's way when they could have easily evacuated earlier. Anyone who is reckless enough to stay behind deserves whatever they end up getting. I feel for the rescuers who risking their lives trying to help these individuals who exercised extreme poor judgement.

Really scarey stuff. Folks just leaving little animals in closets and god knows where else. i will not leave my little dog. Wont do it.. That is my dearest friend. Take me and take her.

I am an Army wife and I have 1 son and yes my husband is a NCO meaning he is not AN OFFICER . My husband an I have always had our son and we also got a pet but I can tell you all !!! we was poor but we knew we could afford to care for our pet !! I am not trying to be mean but this story of a family in Texas having 5 pets but have no money to leave the area is out of control !!!!!! I love animals but I will never own more then I can take care of and thats why my Husband & I only have two small dogs and some fish but .................... MY POINT IS why would you not just pack up all of your pets and get out stop trying to make people feel bad by telling everyone you have pets and did not want to leave and yes you knew what you was getting into when you moved in so NOW you have to either deal or No deal !!!!!! I am so tired of people that have all this money (((( OR NOT ))) going out an buying all of these things and yes pets but as soon as something happens they can not take care off it THEY should not have ........the pet snake, lizard, two scorpions, a tarantula, at least six dogs, and several cats. IF U CAN NOT AFFORD TO GET OUT then you should not have so many pets

not a big deal to stay in the storm. It's just water and wind. So you get a little wet. Big deal. So you have to sit on your roof for a few hours until the water recedes. Big deal. In my day, we took the family out in the sail boat during hurricanes. The children loved it.

Economics are a reality of life that leads people with limited resources to make very tough choices they know expose them to physical, health, financial, and social risks. From cavemen to congressmen, this is one law of nature that has and always will be. There is no secret knowledge here that planners (FEMA et. all) should not have taken into account and provided solutions for. Free buses and free shelters at there destinations are one logical way to do this. If someone of there own free will makes a decision to stay who could have left, God help them and I hope they stay safe. But it is disconcerting that there is an element of selfishness, ignorant or not, because of the resources spent and good people who will risk their own lives to try to help them.

I love my dog, but it is a pet. We should prioritize people over animals. If resources are there, we should save pets as well.

I wonder what the total financial cost of this will be. I wonder what the probability of this happening was. I wonder what kind of flood walls could be built with the 100 billion dollars, which would actually add value and stability. This will not be the last hurricane in the gulf.

I'm not gonna comment about people choosing to stay, thats always a decision each person needs to make on their own. I do agree when children are in the picture, you take the overly-cautious road, though.

However, about dogs. That doctor may very well have had a large pantry and left plenty of food and water. But for you fools saying dogs don't have a soul, I would in all probability break into that Doctor's house, save the dog, and if given the opportunity, knock the guys lights out. He gave that dog a death sentence. If that house floods, the dog will slowly drown, and be terrified the entire time.

Dogs are just like children. They get scared of unusual sounds, their owners provide comfort. Yes, if I was forced to choose between evacuating and leaving my dog, or staying, I would stay, even if I knew with 100% certainty I would die if I stayed. I would sit there and hold my puppy, talk to him, let him hear comfort from my voice until the end came. Seeing my dog whimper and cry from a bad ear infection kills me, knowing theres nothing I can do to immediately remedy it. I could not possibly imagine leaving him in a small room, with no lights, left to his own terror, no comfort, nothing, until he drowned.

For anyone who cares, I don't believe in God, im at the lower end of "middle class", and, oh yah, I've plucked people out of the water in New Orleans after Katrina serving my Country.

All those putting harsh comments obviously are talking as if this is some sort of a movie they are watching and critiquing it. This the power of media I suppose, when people can't tell the difference between a movie and real events. Last time I checked, this was a free country where people have a choice in their decisions, for whatever the reasons they may be... I am certain that none of you critiques are qualified to judge them.

If you care at all, wish in your hearts for all to be safe, animals and people alike.

Hey people, how about this one... MOVE AWAY from Hurricane prone areas, especially those on sea level... You are playing a dangerous game. As a Californian, I think you are crazy. If Earthquakes happened as often (and as destructively) as Hurricanes, you'd think I was nuts too...

Totally agree with these people about not leaving. A pet is just like part of the family, and if one of your pets is going to be killed by mother nature, it's only fair that the rest of the family endure that same treatment.

If anyone from their family does survive, then they know it was God's will. Good luck to you and your pets.

The comments here are disgusting, callous, and cruel. Those who judge do so without understanding. Just because a government says "leave" a day or two before does not make it feasible. Just because people don't leave doesn't make them ignorant. Just because suffering is predictable doesn't make it right.

I know that there are people and animals who are truly stuck, and my heart and prayers go out to them!

For the people who are able to escape in plenty of time, and could take their animals, but leave them behind "for convenience" to face the horror alone, my words are not printable on your pages. . . . Did they not pay any attention to what happened to the animals in Katrina?

In case of an emergency at my small ranch, the horses will get loaded into a trailer, the goats will ride in the back of the pick up, and the dogs will ride in the cab with us. It will be very crowded, but it's temporary. Dying isn't.

I can leave my "things," but I can't leave my "living things." I just don't have that in me.

Unbelievable. I'm sitting here in a hotel reading the comments of a bunch of sheltered, spoiled Americans deriding the choices of people who in may, really, have no choices.

How many of you run to the basement every time there is a tornado warning? If you have never experienced the false anxiety, the worry, the sheer hell of evacuating for this type event, don't judge. The folks in Galveston expected a Cat 2... and the truth is the weather people were telling everyone from Corpus Cristi to Louisianna to evacuate. Right.

It's hard enough to evacuate under your own steam. But at the mercy and control of others with one bag of your life. One pet in a carrier, maybe. Staying or going is never an easy decision and some of you need serious therapy.

For those who have stated that "animals are less important than people" – I have news for you: I've lost many people I love and many animals I love, and believe me – I miss the animals more...animals who were unconditionally loving, friends through all times, angels on earth. How DARE anyone say that animals are less important than people to God. I hope that when YOU die, you get to YOUR Heaven only to find that the pearly gates are being guarded by a DOG.

Assuming we're talking about mandatory evacuations, there are two issues here: People who can't leave, and people who don't leave.

Some people can't leave. In NOLA, 27% of people had no private transportation and FEMA didn't provide any shuttle busses as they were supposed to.

People who can't leave can go to shelters. FEMA did make the Superdome available, but didn't stock nearly enough supplies. By the way the reports of crime in the Superdome were greatly exaggerated. Out of 27,000 people only ten died, which is unfortunate but not a disaster.

Then there are the people who don't leave the city or go to a shelter but just stay home. Those people are committing suicide, and the government shouldn't waste scarce resources on them. Sadly, most of the Katrina victims fell into this category and would have survived if they had gone to the Superdome.

I lived in Galveston for many years. My son was born there and I actually know the "immortal twenty something year olds" that were drinking themselves into a "stupor" and as previously mentioned.. most of the people that chose to stay, didn't chose to stay because of stupidity, they chose to stay out of reality of THEIR situation. Galveston is NOT a rich place, most people that live there do struggled daily.. business owners and homeless people alike. It makes me sick to think of how judgemental people can be. "The ones that choose to stay should be shot, because they'll be dead tomorrow anyway."

Those are my friends. Those were are my family. Most of them have NOTHING BUT their businesses and would rather die there then wonder what would happen if they left and everything was destroyed. I can tell you this. I am sitting here at 414 am mourning the loss of some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. Most of you sould be so lucky to ever have people like this in your life.

RIP

A comment to Cole, who claims to be the broke guy who is there:

Obviously, you're clueless, dude. You say you didn't have warning? There's been nothing on the news for days than Ike coming to Texas. No help offered? Wrong again. Plenty of help and guidance was offered. You're just too pigheaded to take it. I only hope you're not one of the jerks that ends up needing rescued...because if you're too ignorant to know what to do in the face of danger, I'm not sure I'd agree with someone else risking their life to save yours.

I didn't read every reply here, but as a person who weathered hurricanes Buleau(sp) and Celia as a child, I would never respond to a "mandatory" evaculation. All houses are different and can withstand different circumstances. We did fine, thank you, without electricity with our coleman stove and waiting in line for ice. I would rather be stuck at home than be on a highway somewhere, both leaving (in traffic) and returning (with some self rightous government telling me I can't go back to my own house). If the media concentrated on the people who make do and manage fine instead of the few that need rescues, all this bs would not happen. People did fine without such government "help" in the old days.

I agree with many of the comments here....... there must be some way for the less fortunate to get out and somewhere for them to go... But I am shocked at a doctor that would leave his dog there to suffer ... that doctor should be reported...at least the others care about their pets and what happen to them... OBVIOUSLY, he only cares about himself. I would never want him caring for me..... I hope CNN does do a follow-up on him.

As far as the woman staying behind with all of her children and their pets, remember everyone this still America, where we all have the right to make choices! We are all individuals with our own thoughts and reasons for what WE chose to do. If someone says they don't have the money, maybe they don't. I don't blame people for not leaving whatever their circumstances are. Some may want to stay to protect what little they have in this world.
As for the dog placed in the pantry; everyones post on the subject seems to be leave the Dr. in the pantry, and take the dog to the shelter. What about the person writing the story here, why didn't they do something proactive and ask the Dr. for the dog? Instead of leaving it to fend for itself. Dogs for some are their lifeline in this world "so called working dogs" would you leave one of them behind?
I think not, I hope that someone after all this time has the mind set to find out where the dog is and take it to safety, that's the least anyone can do.

Not everyone can afford much these days... did you ever think maybe she was a single mother who tries to get by for the sake of her children. Its hard enough these days with a spouse or partner. But as usual not everyone can understand unless maybe they have been in the situation themselves. And for the Doctor... So cruel. Hope she loses sleep at night and maybe when she returns home the dog will pay her back! Im cheering for the dog!

So Rebecca what do you consider fittest... surley you don't mean survival for the richest. Must be one of those type that get everything handed to them. Wonderful, thats all we need these days some spoiled people to help spread greed.

After Katrina, most shelters now take pets. Much it is is total ignorance and stupidity...to be able able to claim "I survived Hurricane..." There was enough warning for most to get help to higher grounds. My dad lives in Houston. Most times he packs up the wife and animals and heads to Mexico.

I went through 4 hurricanes in '04 in Flordia. The sightseers and thrillseekers that purposely head out into the storm and towards the beaches is unbelievable.

I hate to say it but it comes down to responsibility. As a child my family lived on the gulf coast of Florida for 15 years. My parents had a hurricane plan. Everything from prepacked bags during hurricane season to a list of hotels that allowed pets. We left many times and my parents had games to keep us busy. And our dogs ALWAYS went with us. We never had much money but they had a small envelope hidden in the house full of cash in case we needed money to evacuate. Even as a child I do not remeber being afraid it was more of an adventure. If you choose to live in areas like this you have to take responsibility for that choice.

I think the people that lock their dog in pantry or otherwise chain or lock them up need followed up. How can CNN report this without going after it. To hell with laws and regulations. Lock the doc and family in pantry and save the dog. Those peoples lives are not worth saving. How can they. How can we report this and not do someting about it. Please !!!

I feel for those who are unable to leave or choose not to leave. On the other hand, if there is a mandatory evacuation, why are the reporters and staff there. If other people are in danger,there is no need to keep reporters and staff at the area of a possible death scene. No reporters should be allowed in the area of a mandatory evacuation. The media people love to report these catastrophes, however, mandatory evacuation should be for all and they should not be excempt.

I live in Florida near the coast. I will never evacuate. Minor damage to your roof can turn into a major problem because you were not there to take action to minimilize the damage. You can not return to protect your property until it's too late. The police can not protect you against looters and sad but true sometimes these looters are the police themselves.

There are always options to leave. I believe the authorities were helping people to leave. However, people stay behind because they believe it won't be as bad as they say it will. In addition, they think nothing will happen to them. However, these foolish people are putting other peoples lives at risk when have to go in and rescue them. There should be a law with strict penalties to impose when people do not heed the Mandatory Evacuation Orders.

"They are afraid to leave because of the pet snake, lizard, two scorpions, a tarantula, at least six dogs, and several cats."

They can't afford to leave town to save their lives but they can afford the care of the animals?

I have plenty of money,no debt, no mortgage, 1 dog, a baby boy, and a wonderful wife. We already decided should this happen to us, we live and die as a family. If that means staying, so be it. If that means leaving and finding accommodations that take us all, even our dog, as a family so be it. My father, who fought in Vietnam, taught me that. You live and die as a unit. Some shelters will not take pets. My dog is just as valuable a family member as my son or my wife. Can't tell you how many times my dog's hearing and sense of smell alerted us to potential danger. Many dog's have sacrificed themselves to save their owners. Many dogs today help police officers save lives, even the officer's. There are a lot of cruel people out there. I was a firefighter. Just because someone was stupid and smoked in bed, I don't have a right to let them die. I don't judge other people for the mistakes they make when deciding whose lives I might save that day. My job was to save lives, not judge them. I leave that up to G-d. I signed up to save lives, and that is all any first responder needs to do.

Why didn't they get on the dump trucks that came by as a last ditch effort to get everyone out? Or the buses days prior? The Houston SPCA is available to accept peoples' pets in these situations, at no charge. There is never a good excuse to leave and no matter how poor a person is, they can always walk away. Someone would give them a ride. There isn't an excuse and maybe authorities need to consider taking children out no matter what in these situations, in future evacuations.

Some people here need a good reality check! Sherry is right...mandatory should mean you are on your own if you stay...nobody is coming to bail you out.

A lot are saying something about being fortunate enough to live in another part of the country...last time I checked, anybody can move if they want to. It isn't necessarily going to be easy but other people manage to do it all the time. What makes you special and what makes it everyone else's problem?

One of the problems with this great nation is you have way too many people going through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands! Many, many of those that have no money find literally hundreds of dollars every single month for alcohol...in lots of those cases we the taxpayers are paying for that too.

I have made some poor choices in my life and have paid dearly for some of them. But they were MY choices and I am the one who needs to pay the price for them...anyone who wants to jump in and bail me out is more than welcome!

What really gets to me personally in all this is to see all the 'poor folks' who for whatever reason choose to live in coastal areas then expect and demand the government bail them out when the hurricanes that happen ever single year, happen. I will guarantee you, the person in Kansas who lost everything to a tornado still lost everything just like the person on teh Gulf Coast!!! If they, who very well may be totally broke as well, don't have insurance they are 'on their own'. What makes the people who live on the coast so special? Where is FEMA for them?

Sorry...WAY to many people are expecting the 'government' to pick up the tab on WAY, WAY too much and then complain because they have to pay taxes! Oh, and guess who isn't paying any taxes into the pot at all...those broke folks who sit on their butts and drink all day and expect everyone else to give them a handout.

Prayers for all the people involved with this hurricaine.
Truth is, they were told to "get out"/ and that they face "death" if they stay.
Couldn't the pets go with them? ie. New Orleans (this time)/ what about the shelters? the Red Cross and all..........
I understand not wanting to leave pets behind/ and reluctance to leave, but it is spelled out/ GET OUT

re: the "doctor" and their dog............i agree with everyone......animal cruelty that should be dealt with after the storm.....

just my opinion

Perhaps one of the reasons is that media and the weather forecasters are always forecasting the worst possible scenario and every time they are wrong they lose credibility. People then become more cynical about the predictions and more comfortable ignoring them.

Joe

I think you miss the mark. Many people choose to stay because it is often very dificult to get back to your home after a storm has gone through. That delays getting repairs done and the danger of what items might be left in your home being damaged or stolen by looters. If your home is at a higher elevation or you have a second story, hunkering down with plenty of supplies and waiting out the storm is not a bad option.

Huh? Why are people judging the doctor – the fact that she has to leave the dog behind shows she had no better choices than the woman with two kids and a zoo in her house. Obviously she chose the pantry because she figured it was the safest place and least likely to flood. Are people seriously thinking that the lady with the zoo is the one who is making the correct choices? The difference between them isn't income.

May be these folks who stay behind like poor folks in New Orlean have no transportation or money to leave. I don't hear the state there try to move them

I'm sorry but this excuse of "people are too poor to leave" is a cop-out. How poor do you have to be to not be able to afford to get on a bus for free and be evacuated.

Those who stay because they think they can ride it out or who stay because of their pets or stay because they"re too poor to get on a free bus out will be the first ones to cry out for help that will put rescuers' lives in danger.

Get out of the area or take your own chances later; don't risk the lives of others just because you choose to risk your own life.

helping those that can't afford to leave should be on the list of priorities for fema. they know, i'm sure, that this problem exist but are they doing anything about it. apparently not. pressure needs to be put on our elected officials to address this problem.

now those in the new orleans area that stay behind should know better by now. the poor folks were helped last time and should have made a new life where had been temporarely relocated.

i have meet people moving in to my area, rich, poor, black and white. many saying they would never return... some seemed to just want to ride the fema train for all it's worth. . come on wise up, you can't live below sea level and on the bay and not expect nothing to happen. i lived for 19 yrs on the cheasapeake bay and dealt with hurricanes, my family still has houses on stilts on the water front and they'll never leave, even after one house was completely washed away. i know both sides of the coin here

back to new orleans, it should be condemned and the whole place relocated. it could still be on the water just ABOVE the water table. this was done in tornado alley after the government got tired of yearly baling out those same towns constantly being destroyed.

stop wasting my tax dollars and fix this. sometimes people need help but are ashamed or afraid to ask. they shouldn't have to and the poor blue collar people, my self included, should be the first ones receiving help.

just my 2 cent rant

One of the reasons they stay is pretty simple. They see these idiotic news anchors setting up right in the path of the storm to do their live shots, and the public views that and says, "Hey, if they can ride this out and be in the storm itself, surely I'll be okay in my own home." When the National Weather Service says those that stay behind will face "certain death", news anchors need to follow that same advice. IIf they don't, people will ignore it. (And don't worry, your ratings will be fine covering the storm from a distance.)

As far as their economic status, that has nothing to do with them evacuating or not. I don't care if I was broke – you better believe I would get the heck out of there. They had options, they just chose not to exercise them.

I am so hurt reading the comments of so many Americans putting other Americans down because they do not think or feel the same way you do. If you have never walked in their shoes you are only guessing what you would do if you had nothing. I have lived in what I would call tough times with 3 children to raise by myself. The decisions I made were a lot different than when I had the comfy chair and a weekly pay check. to look forward to each week. I can not imagine what NOTHING must feel like.
So think about what you say because all your help with used underwear, worn out furnture, and rude comments does not give anyone a sense of worth. Keep in mind somthing I was told many years ago, Choose Your Words Wisely.

As someone already pointed out, these areas get hit with hurricanes EVERY year. Obviously a hostile environment for humans, certain areas should not be INHABITED by humans. Seems like a big insurance scam that hurts the rest of the country to allow people to inhabit these areas.

Many of the people in Houston chose to leave during Rita, and were on the road for 24 hours in order to reach San Antonio! The thought of that kept them home this time.

As my dear departed Dad used to say, you, "Can't make something idiot proof". The world will always have its share of ignorant people who simply don't know enough to get out of harm's way.

I vividly recall all the "hurricane parties" that were held along the Mississippi Gulf Coast by such ignorant people back in the 1960s in the face of catastrophic Hurricane Camille. For many of them, those "parties" turned out to be their last.

As George Santayana once said, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

How about people don't leave because the media is always over sensationlizing these events. Every hurricane seems to be the "mother of all storms" or the one that will bring "certain death". Unfortunately people don't take the warning seriously anymore because of the over dramtic coverage. The sad thing is the one time the media does get it right many people will suffer........

Well, we're upper middle class, and we never evacuate. Though we're in Destin, we've never had significant damage even from direct hits. If I were concerned, I would leave with my WHOLE family. There is no way I would leave my pets behind to fend for themselves. People like the doctor are the arrogant ones. They just don't get it. They are not more important than those they promised to care for and protect: yes, their pets.

I doubt anyone reading this board has lived a life completely void of bad judgement or poor decisions that put themselves or others in some sort of harm.

Ever had just one drink more than you should have and gotten behind the wheel of a car? Tried to beat a train? Driven over the speed limit because you were late? Stayed with an abusive spouse?(etc.)

I'm not defending or condeming those who stay, but I do understand that there are a whole host of reasons why people sometimes have trouble doing what is best for themselves and their familes.

What does stun me is the inability for people to see this in themselves and to wish harm to others so that they don't have to pay taxes to help someone else out.

How could you possibly afford to feed all those animals and yet be too poor to leave. I see some discord there.

I have a dog that I love and can 100% say there's no way in hell i would leave him behind to drown as I left to go to a relative's home. it's simple – you get in the car, you put the dog in the car. no brainer. i don't even know these people, but i'm sitting here thinking about this poor dog i don't even know scared to death or God forbid, dead by now, all alone.

On the spike in gas prices, yes, another "excuse" for the oil companies to raise gas prices and our government to sit back and do nothing – letting our reserves go unused. I hope whoever is in the white house next time around is more sensible.

There is difference between a bunch oh idiots thinking the hurricane is just wind and water and people who cannot leave their homes because they CANNOT!

in response to the 2 main accusations here...

1) Ample time to leave?
Only on Wednesday did we knew the severity of Ike. Making the decision of leaving everything you ever owned behind is not a easy as most of you here think. I am surprised the fear of losing everything doesnt scare you! Some people do make that decision and leave and some just cannot cos they cannot afford the gas and a hotel room.
And in most cases there was no gas left in an y local stations by thursday afternoon. Some greedy people emptied all the gas.

2) why not take the public transport and stay in shelters?
You cannot take all you have with you unlike in your car! Once the option of taking your car is gone, you HAVE to really leave everything behind!

I am not saying these people are being very smart risking their lives staying but it beats me how most posting here have total lack of empathy!

I agree with what alot have said. They were warned and told it will be deadly. If they have children but chose to stay and something horrible happens to one of those children then that is something they are going to have to live with for the rest of their life. They always say you should have some sort of an emergency plan/kit. They need to start saving up money and putting it asside for situations like this. My prayers to all.

I wonder if there were any buses like they had in New Orleans this time around for Hurricane Gustav. If they were prepared, this would not be an issue of poor people making it out in time, because the buses should be able to pick people up at a central location and take them to higher ground, in safe shelters. Sometimes plagiarism (or cut in paste) of good ideas makes sense, and this is a good example of one.

I would leave WITH my pet. That doctor has no heart nor should ever be given, sold, adopted a pet again. i honestly believe in the eye for an eye punishment. He/she deserves to be tied in a room, go through a man-made (if need be) storm and be scared to death alone and then if he/she was lucky enough to survive, given no treatment for their mental anguish. I cannot believe that, in this day and age, that people still are so thoughtless and cruel. Take your animals and yourself and leave...Like one person already wrote..walk, crawl, run, skip...ANYTHING...LEAVE!!! THERE'S NO EXCUSE FOR THIS!

I lived through a hurricane, a typhoon. It destroyed our home. I was 7 months pregnant at the time, and required an emergency C-section the following day. I had a premature baby, and my husband and I had no place to bring our new baby. The shelter would have been unacceptable for a 3lb preemie! (Consider the hygiene issues.)
We stayed in a hotel for two months, and then moved into a condo owned by a friend who reduced the rent for us. Needless to say, the experience was EXPENSIVE ! ! ! ! !
It would be interesting to do an article on what the personal expense is for people living through these disasters...... loss of home, additional costs of new housing, additonal cost of buying new necessitites to replace old ones, loss of job and salary, etc., etc.!

I have no problem with the fact that people choose to stay behind. It's their life and their decisions BUT....once that choice is made and the point of no-return comes, you need to deal with your decision, be it for the best or the worst outcome. People need to accept responsibility for their actions.

There is a lot of righteousness and selfishness in some of these e-mails, especially about people and their devotion to their pets. In many of these cases the people have probably rescued the pets and they have become part of their family. In other cases, even if people are poor and face almost insurmountable odds, their pets give them solace and refuge from some of these problems. It's not a case of family vs pets!

For the family in the article I think one very telling statement is "they seem to be in a state of denial." I think this happens more often than most people realize. Some people, when confronted with a disaster of unimaginable magnitude, DO go into a state of denial. They are not ignorant, stupid, or even purposely jepoardizing the lives of emergency workers. They don't know what else to do or how to do it. In the face of the overwhelming, they shut down, against all logic. Their decisions may seem foolish or crazy to us as we sit safe and comfortable at our computers, but we are not in their situation. More sympathy and less vitriol would really change this country. Are Americans really so hateful?

The sad fact is that poor people just don't have anywhere to go. They cannot afford a hotel, food to eat out, etc.

I notice that animals are rarely discussed during hurricanes and tornados. They need protection also because they cannot 911 for help. More emphasis needs to be placed on the animals safety. This is very unfortunate.

Mr. Gittelman, it's compassion for the plight of others (in this case, the poor) that exposes a layer of a story that might otherwise go unnoticed and adds to the historic record. Lovely work. I hope you and your team are safe.

Wow! The ignorance on this thread is breathtaking! Of course it's easy to sit up there on your high horse and judge everyone who is less fortunate than you when you have NO idea what people go through to survive and just how little resources the poor have in this country. Just because YOU have the resources to get out and it may seem so simple to you doesn't mean everybody is able to also. We saw the same thing with Katrina. "Those people should have just gotten out" or "It's been long enough, how long does it take to get back on your feet?" Easy to judge when you have the means to leave and the financial resources to sustain yourself while you're displaced. People in this country have no idea what it's like for these people.