Councilor calls Hub evacuation plan 'a joke'

Criticizes mayor as having failed to educate public

MOUNTING CRITICISM Michael Flaherty has been stepping up his criticism of Mayor Thomas M. Menino over the last several weeks.

Councilor Michael Flaherty yesterday accused Mayor Thomas M. Menino's administration of failing to educate city residents how to evacuate in response to a terrorist attack or other emergency.

"The city's evacuation plan is a joke," Flaherty said in an interview after a City Council hearing on the public health risks of a proposed biolab at Boston University.

City officials said Boston does have an evacuation plan, last updated in 2006.

They pointed to a city website that includes a rudimentary map of large roads that could be used to get out of town in a crisis, and a list of neighborhood emergency sites like schools and community centers.

But the website lacks detail and does not include any neighborhood-by-neighborhood plans for getting people out of the city.

Menino administration officials also said the city has been working with schools and community centers to prepare them to respond to emergencies and has launched a public campaign to encourage families to establish their own emergency preparedness plans.

Flaherty, who is considering running for mayor next year, dismissed the city's efforts as inadequate.

His criticism echoed attacks launched against Menino by challenger Maura Hennigan in 2005.

"It's irresponsible of our city not to have an evacuation plan that is communicated to its residents," said Flaherty, who added that he wouldn't know where to send his family if there were an emergency.

"It's great that the city has a plan, but it's no good if the residents, the people that are going to need the plan, don't know about it."

Flaherty has been stepping up his criticism of Menino over the last several weeks on issues including the mayor's proposal to move City Hall, and the city's looming budget deficit.

Donald McGough, director of the city's Office of Emergency Preparedness, responded by pointing to the Ready Boston initiative, which encourages families to create a household emergency plan, make an emergency kit and "Go-Bag," learn about various hazards, and get involved in local organizations.

"Do I wish we could reach more residents and get more individuals and families prepared? Absolutely," he said in a telephone interview after facing a grilling from Flaherty in the hearing of the council's Committee on Environment and Health.

"There's always more we can do and we're continuing with this process," McGough added.

He said it is difficult to get people's attention because the city is not prone to natural disasters like hurricanes that regularly require families to plan for leaving in a hurry.

A pilot program to train volunteers in Charlestown to help their neighbors respond to an emergency wraps up later this week.

McGough also said the city's public safety agencies have been intimately involved in discussions about the public health risks associated with the proposed biolab, at which researchers would handle some of the world's deadliest germs.

Councilor John Connolly, chairman of the Committee on Environment and Health, said Menino's administration has been working to address security concerns, attributing the sharp questioning to the political environment.

"I'm always concerned about our emergency preparedness, but the administration has been open on where they need to improve and where they've made great strides," Connolly said yesterday. "Michael's line of questions are always politically charged these days."

John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com.