IS THIS A DREAM?

One of my very reliable colleagues told the story today of reaching home eight hours after he left work on Wednesday afternoon. He is originally from New York, and lives 50 miles away in Virginia. Because of the "snow," the buses don't run on typical schedules, so he had to take the metro to the bus stop in Virginia. Once there, the bus inched its' way towards the park and ride, only to be turned back or stopped by little "hills" and abandoned cars. From the bus, the passengers watched in disbelief as drivers left their cars facing any which direction, cluttering the streets, making vehicle traffic even more difficult. Because the bus could not climb the hill, the passengers suggested that an alternate route be taken. But the driver did not speak English, and was trying to get approved route directions through the dispatch service. The group of passengers tried a variety of things... in order to get more traction, everyone was asked to go to the back of the bus. But, everyone did the opposite of what was asked of them, causing more confusion. One individual was having a "claustrophobic moment" and demanded to be released from the bus- which the rest of the passengers quickly obliged. In fact, they may have pushed her out the door for being so distracting.  Once the band of frustrated and tired passengers were able to get moving a little more, they finally ended up stopping at a CVS type place to take a break. By now it was 10PM. A few of the folks were now within 1-2 miles of walking distance to their final destinations and walked out. The owner of the store said she would keep it open until midnight. All the while, she was cashing in on primarily liquor purchases, and several of the folks asked to use the power supply to recharge their dead cell phones. Many had made contact with family members, who were attempting  to reach the store to pick up their family/friends. My colleague, however, still had 12 miles to go to the park and ride. His son wanted to pick him up at the store with the old reliable 4 wheel drive. But my colleague said another woman he was with was afraid of being abandoned, so he said he would "do the right thing" and wait with her until her ride came. In the meantime, my colleague's son went to the park and ride, got the car "dug out" and drove it home; when he told his father what a wonderful thing he had done, my colleague asked him "what did he think he was supposed to drive himself home in when he reached the park and ride?" Back at the CVS, everyone was waiting for their ride to appear. A pair of headlights glowed on the very dark road. Everyone was so excited to think that maybe a police presence or someone would finally arrive to help. When the door opened, a women in her slippers and bathrobe entered the store carrying a pizza. She asked the store owner if she could borrow her microwave to heat the cold pizza. You see, her power supply had been cut off, and she was hungry........ I don't think she offered a slice to anyone who was standing there looking aghast at what had to be an even more ridiculous sight. My colleague's son eventually arrived to pick him up. Upon entering his home, he made his way to the wine cabinet and ended the dreadful evening. He did not make it back in to work the next day. But 2 days later he was able to tell this surreal story. QUESTION: if there ever was a REAL emergency, how on earth would this city be evacuated? I don't believe it would.

Call me old fashioned, but we always get the gas tank filled whenever it is at half- to avoid getting in to an emergency situation. Our motto is to prepare and take care of what you have control over, because there is so much that you don't have any control over. The common sense gene has been lost in this town. I do not know how executive decisions are made by some of these same individuals!

How would this city be evacuated in a real emergency?