Stuck in traffic for 7 hours

Thousands Sat In Their Cars For 7 Hours Tuesday As Police Played Blame Game

On July 24, an shut down County Road 39 and Sunrise Highway in Southampton creating "sheer agony, bedlam and confusion" for hours for trapped motorists.  "I feel trapped,” one woman said. Another motorist said,
“I have children that are hungry, thirsty; 95 degrees in the car, and we have no gas and nowhere to go.”

Authorities passed the buck as Village police blamed the state police who in turn blamed the town police for closing the highway to clean oil and clear debris from a collision between a car and a garbage truck. Motorists were left in the dark and waiting, and waiting.

Nearly seven hours after the roads were closed, traffic began to ease.

When a reporter (who was stuck in the jam) questioned officials, would traffic be like this during a hurricane evacuation, the Suffolk County’s Office of Emergency Management responded, No way, in case of a real emergency "a coordinated effort would take place bringing all the response agencies together operating on one specific plan.”

[Now think back to Hurricane Katrina and the "coordinated" effort in Louisiana. If police cannot handle normal events, don't expect better performance during a crisis. ]

The Red Cross recommends that everyone be prepared for traffic events like this by having a go bag with you in your car. Keep snacks, water and a working phone in the car at all times and try to keep the gas tank near full.