Safety decision is personal

College of William and Mary President Katherine Rowe ordered students to evacuate the college campus.

Williamsburg-James City County schools and JCC offices were closed again Friday. York County Trash and recycling collections are on schedule this week.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam ordered “mandatory evacuations for parts of the state in advance of Hurricane Florence. Residents in Zone A will begin evacuating at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The evacuation is mandatory, meaning residents could be charged with a misdemeanor if they refuse to leave.”

York County Sheriff J. D. “Danny” Diggs emailed: “No person living in York County or Poquoson will be arrested by any York-Poquoson Deputy Sheriff for failing to evacuate. The decision to evacuate is yours. It should not be a decision made by the government. Your decision to stay may be risky and you assume all risk as authorities may not be able to help or rescue.”

A William and Mary freshman should inform President Rowe that Williamsburg is not in Zone A, B or D, and is not in a hurricane evacuation zone. And Gov. Northam should not threaten Zone A residents with a misdemeanor if they refuse to leave.

Come hell or high water, I for one, plan to shelter in place. Roger D. Howell Yorktown