Aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Dodged a Bullet

 

I worked like a dog to help the evacuees of Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans. Then it was our turn to stare at a Category 5 hurricane.

 

Hurricane Rita hit at the Sabine River, near the Louisiana border. A mere 100 miles separated us in the Houston area from total disaster and 130 mph winds.

 

Last night as Rita moved in we had high winds here on the western edge of the storm; the “clean side,” so I can only imagine how fierce it was in Port Arthur that took the hit on the “dirty side” along with western Louisiana.  Rita even broke a levee in New Orleans, re-flooding parts of the city. 

 

We dodged a bullet.  We lost power for only 7 hours and that was enough “camping out” for me. Confusion continues and people are streaming back into town although the Mayor has requested they “stay put” to keep the highways clear for emergency responders and clear power lines, debris, etc.

 

And a huge problem became evident in Rita’s wake.

 

Here we live in a major gas refining area -- and yet we have no gasoline in the city!  In fact there isn't much gas for hundreds of miles around us. It could be days before supplies come in.  The lack of gas stranded thousands of people for hundreds of miles around Houston.

 

Clearly the Texas emergency plan has some serious defects, despite all the post 9 11 planning.

 

Nearly 3 million people evacuatedthe Houston area.  We could see the same traffic jams coming back into the city. 

 

A friend of mine is from Port Arthur. He may not have anything to go back to--several feet of water has filled the streets.  This isn’t over yet…

 

The good news - we found a Chinese restaurant open this afternoon. What a nice break from hot dogs and can food!  Most of the stores remain closed. It has been like a Grade B movie.