WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Three of the United States' biggest cities have been rated as least prepared to evacuate residents before or after a major disaster, USA Today reports.
Los Angeles, Chicago and New York scored the worst of 37 cities rated by the American Highway Users Alliance in a report that factors in such things as the number of major highways out of a city, natural barriers such as mountains or water, how well internal roads are laid out; population and the percentage of residents who have cars.
Kansas City, Mo., was the only city to receive an "A" because it's not densely populated, has no geographical barriers around it and it has a good intra-city road system, said Greg Cohen, president of the alliance.
While Columbus, Ohio; Memphis; and Pittsburgh received "B" grades, 20 other urban areas got an "F," the newspaper said. Miami, San Francisco and San Diego were among the lowest grades.
"The potential for terrorist attacks and last year's New Orleans flood destruction underscore the necessity for providing sufficient evacuation capacity from the nation's urban areas," the non-profit alliance said in a statement.
