September 22, 2005
Exit Katrina, Enter Rita
This one is up to a Class 5 and is headed for the Gulf Coast. There are some reports that have this as one of the worse to ever hit. Galveston Texas, which is in her path, is only 8 feet above sea level. The people who are in the areas most likely to be hit seem to be obeying the evacuation orders. I guess we've learned from Hurricane Katrina.
Posted by Valkyre at September 22, 2005 10:55 PMThoughts from East-Central Texas.... Although the original predicted track from Monday had Austin right in its path, Rita has since taken a Northern turn while in the Gulf the past couple of days. Thus, the inland tropical storm watch for Austin has been cancelled. We still expect 1-2 inches of rain and wind gusts up to 30mph, but that's a typical weekly summer thunderstorm around here.
Still, I am in the distinct minority as most people I know have friends or family from the Houston/Galveston area staying with them right now. Gas prices in the area have spiked a good 25 cents in the past two days, supermarkets have run out of staples such as water and bread, and hotels are supposedly booked to capacity. It's certainly going to be a crazy few days.
Posted by: Nephew Danny Boy at September 23, 2005 07:50 PM