Evacuation Orders Don't Have a Multiple Choice Answer

Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes as flooding hit Calgary in June 2013, but many were skeptical of the warning and chose to stay put, according to new research from Mount Royal University. 

(Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)


After an evacuation order, it's remarkable how many ignore it and possibly as many as a third.  Whenever I have heard of people ignoring an evacuation it has not seemed like so many and some do it for sentimental reasons, some like the Ten-Cat Man may feel there's no choice, and some others who say they have a good reason.  However, that doesn't come even close to helping with understanding why as many of a third of you won't do it.

CBCnews:  'I didn't trust the warnings': Why a third of Calgarians disregarded flood evacuation order

Zen Yogi:  maybe they're just so mistrustful of the news they don't believe anything from it anymore?

That's possible but it doesn't seem so credible, Yogi.  Sure, that MSM is bad and is the root of yet more bad things but it would feel as if this problem is just squished inside with the rest of that mess and there's more to it than MSM badness.

Yevette:  they didn't want to leave their homes

It's a credible reason, particularly for older people, but do they really want to die for it?

There's no comedy since people often die because of this kind of obstinacy.

Zen Yogi:  it's mystifying


"There are people who said stuff like, 'I didn't trust the warnings,' or 'I wanted to wait and see how bad it was going to be,' or 'I was just chillin',' or 'I was having fun watching my community evacuate,' and these sorts of things."

- CBC

Now they don't seem so much obstinate as lackadaisical and even that wouldn't be so strange if not for the numbers of them.


I thought there was more action in this than actually seems to emerge.

Zen Yogi:  it did seem promising

It just comes back to people being bloody-minded and that goes into the Well, That's Unusual category to retire it.  There still must be some kind of an answer to it.

Zen Yogi:  it does seem there must be an answer to it ... or not

There's the Waffle Zen I have tried so hard to learn, Yogi.

Zen Yogi:  it's just that it could have been caused by sunspots, mate

Or a blast of cosmic rays from the star they call Mellifluosity.

Zen Yogi:  that's it, Silas