Mission Statement
A user-friendly, location-based single source of information and resources for those facing potential threatening events. Inform, Encourage, Guide, Support
Vision Statement
Making it easier to find important and timely information to help people make knowledgeable decisions about their safety with greater peace of mind.
Why We're Here
Introduction
Hello, my name is Jon Olive, and this is our story.
In September of 1999 Hurricane Floyd was barreling toward Jacksonville, Florida as a major hurricane roughly three times the size of Hurricane Andrew. The massive storm caused what was at the time the largest peacetime evacuation in the United States, prior to Hurricane Katrina.
At the time I was living in Tallahassee, Florida, normally a 2.5-hour drive to Jacksonville. On the morning that the evacuation orders were issued I called my grandmother who lived by herself in Jacksonville and told her to be ready to leave and I would be leaving shortly to pick her up.
When I arrived at my grandmother's house, I was met with the sweet aroma of a homemade pound cake still in the oven. We did not leave immediately.
By early afternoon we had packed her bags and of course the freshly baked cake and were on our way. Because of the slight delay and total confusion of the evacuation order, a trip that would typically take 2.5 hours now took us 8 hours.
The first thing I noticed on our journey was the confusion and terror of the population fleeing for their lives. Rest Areas looked like refugee camps, with some cars broken down and other folks simply trying to figure out where they were going. Every exit was the same; no gas, no supplies and people becoming more desperate. It was at that moment I knew there had to be a better way. A timely source of information for weather conditions, lodging/shelters, food and supplies, healthcare, fuel, etc.
This story explains why we are currently developing our site with a focus on Florida first. But we plan to expand to every state and the U.S. territories as we’re able. We’re also expanding our site to provide the answers for emergencies as they come up – and maybe when it isn’t an emergency for anyone who just needs to get away.
Ultimately, if our work here makes it possible for just one family to make the decision to evacuate or shelter in place with more peace-of-mind and safety, we will have helped make a difference.
Our Staff
Jonathan Olive brings his years of experience in conservation real estate and finance to the team, and is the driving force of Evacuation Destination. His story is the launch of this dream, with the hope of helping others in times of need during an emergency. Jon graduated from Florida State University and calls the I-10 corridor of Florida his home.
Gretchen Hirsch is known for her passion and commitment to building partnerships that drive business growth. With more than 30 years of experience, she is working with this team to help make this dream a reality. She is based in Florida.
Gretchen has held leadership positions in retail and media for some of the largest companies in the US as well as non-profit organizations and earned a BS in Journalism & Communications from The University of Florida.
Randall Ryan is lending his energy and tremendous experience in IT and software engineering to help bring Evacuation Destination to life. He is currently Vice President of Digital Marketing & Strategy at Gannett, and lives with his family in South Carolina.
Randall holds a BS in Mathematics and Computer Science from The University of South Carolina, as well as an MS in Information Systems from Nova Southeastern University.
Click to our Important LINKS
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”
—Theodore Roosevelt
