Viral photo does NOT show evacuation up I-95 to Richmond

An image is spreading online that purports to show a large traffic jam caused by people evacuating up the Interstate 95 (I-95) north to Richmond as Hurricane Florence approaches.

The image shows a large traffic jam as cars come to a standstill, along with captions that the image was taken on I-95 north to Richmond (Virginia.) The I-95 is an East Coast highway that goes from Florida to Maine.

WOW! I-95 NORTH TO RICHMOND. THIS STORM IS GETTING REAL ….

I-95, NORTH ROUTE TO RICHMOND.

However, the image does not show cars evacuating Hurricane Florence. In fact the photo dates back to 13 years prior, when Hurricane Rita hit many southern states across the US in September 2005. The photo actually shows the I-45 just north of Houston as thousands fled north.

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In fact, using signposts visible in more high-resolution versions of the photo (signs that point to Sawdust Road and Rayford Road) we were able to track down the area the photo was taken on Google Maps.

While many people have indeed evacuated the Carolinas north up the I-45 towards Virginia, this photo does not depict such an event.