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View Full Version : Good luck, TX and LA...


Judy G. Russell
September 23rd, 2005, 08:56 AM
Hurricane Rita looks like she's going to wallop the daylights out of east Texas and west Louisiana sometime tonight and tomorrow. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations have been problematic at best and we can only hope that folks who need to get out of harm's way do so -- and safely (your hearts have to go out to the families of those poor elderly evacuees on that bus outside of Dallas).

Fingers and toes crossed that Rita weakens and moves (the slower she goes, the worse the flooding effects will be).

Good luck, folks. Pete Creasey and others from that area, check in afterwards and let us know you're okay!!!

Peter Creasey
September 23rd, 2005, 09:42 AM
>> Good luck, folks. Pete Creasey and others from that area, check in afterwards and let us know you're okay!!! <<

Judy, Thanks so much for the thoughtful post. Things are looking slightly more hopeful for Houston as the "target" has shifted a slight big eastward.

Evacuation was not an acceptable option...who wants to spend all day in standstill traffic with 100 degree temps and then run out of gas, the whole time being in a constant state of severe stress/worry.

The degree to which I can "check in" depends on whether (when?) we lose power and when it is restored.

Judy G. Russell
September 23rd, 2005, 03:43 PM
Things are looking slightly more hopeful for Houston as the "target" has shifted a slight big eastward.Yeah, it looks like Port Arthur is going to get it now. Sigh... what a mess. Stay safe and check in afterwards as you can.

Lindsey
September 23rd, 2005, 06:11 PM
Evacuation was not an acceptable option...who wants to spend all day in standstill traffic with 100 degree temps and then run out of gas, the whole time being in a constant state of severe stress/worry.
I thought about that when the news stories came out about those horrendous traffic jams, and I was more than a little provoked with your lieutenant governor for blaming the situation on people who hadn't moved to get out fast enough. Does he think most people can just jump in the car and go the minute an evacuation order is issued? I think most people would need a bit of time for planning and to secure their property as best they could.

But it puts a new perspective on the 20% of the New Orleans population who stayed put, and shows that evacuating a major city is a very difficult thing to do.

Good luck to you! I hope Rita will be kinder to you than Katrina was to Louisiana and Mississippi.

--Lindsey

Peter Creasey
September 23rd, 2005, 07:52 PM
>> it looks like Port Arthur is going to get it now. <<

Judy, The word is that Port Arthur is going to get levelled. Really a sad situation. But it may even be east of Port Arthur which shifts the tragedy...also sad, obviously.

Peter Creasey
September 23rd, 2005, 07:59 PM
>> I was more than a little provoked with your lieutenant governor <<

Lindsey,

Thanks so much for your kind sentiments. They are much appreciated.

As for our Lt Governor. Here is a snippit about him...

>> Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst is a native Texan, proud veteran and successful businessman and rancher. He serves as President of the Texas Senate and is proud of the broad, bipartisan support he earned for virtually every piece of major legislation during the 78th Session. <<

I am not aware of the out-of-context quote you attribute to him. To my knowledge, he has been reliable with his application of appropriate resources/ordinances, including having to do with beach erosion (which is [and will continue to be] a huge issue).

Judy G. Russell
September 23rd, 2005, 09:40 PM
The word is that Port Arthur is going to get levelled. Really a sad situation. But it may even be east of Port Arthur which shifts the tragedy...also sad, obviously.NOLA is already flooding, again, but Port Arthur has all those refineries and chemical plants. Sigh. What a mess. The only good thing is that Rita's winds are dropping -- down to 120 mph now -- so the punch won't be quite as devastating as Katrina. But oh my... hold onto your wallet at the gas pumps...

Lindsey
September 23rd, 2005, 10:11 PM
I am not aware of the out-of-context quote you attribute to him.
All I can tell you is that I heard it on the news last night or the night before. MSNBC, I think. He was asked about the gridlock on the highways leading north, and his response was something like "Well, that might have been avoided if people had just started out earlier." It struck me as more of the "blame the victim" stuff that was heard in the wake of Katrina, but if you're fine with it, well--it's your state and your lieutenant governor.

I do hope all those people out on the road find shelter somewhere safe.

--Lindsey

Lindsey
September 23rd, 2005, 10:14 PM
but Port Arthur has all those refineries and chemical plants.
Yeah; gasoline here has already jumped up nearly 40 cents/gallon in the last 2 days. I'm going to have to cut back my 401K contribution so that I can pay for the gasoline to drive to work. (No, I'm not kidding.)

--Lindsey

Bill Hirst
September 24th, 2005, 01:11 AM
All I can tell you is that I heard it on the news last night or the night before. MSNBC, I think. He was asked about the gridlock on the highways leading north, and his response was something like "Well, that might have been avoided if people had just started out earlier." It struck me as more of the "blame the victim" stuff that was heard in the wake of Katrina, but if you're fine with it, well--it's your state and your lieutenant governor.

I do hope all those people out on the road find shelter somewhere safe.

--Lindsey
Starting the evacuation earlier would mean evacuating a much larger area. The danger zone is very uncertain 4 or 5 days before landfall.

By the way, the situation with the refineries makes me think our national petroleum reserve should consist of refined fuels, not crude oil. Katrina and Rita have made it clear that the nation is vulnerable to a loss of the refineries. On the other hand, the price of gasoline is making some people choose smaller cars instead of huge land yachts. I've always had the opinion that the country won't get serious about auto fuel efficency until the price of gasoline hits five bucks a gallon.

Best of luck to the residents of Texas and Louisiana.

Peter Creasey
September 24th, 2005, 09:17 AM
>> NOLA is already flooding <<

Judy, Yes, the levee breaches were reportedly caused by Rita's storm surge.

We have been very lucky in Houston. While there is a lot of damage and thus far nearly 1,000,000 people without power, the bullet dodged us.

Very blustery and rainy today with occasional power flickering (we still have power at this time). It looks like an ominous Fall day outside...dark and foreboding with the wind often blasting everything, almost like a West Texas blue norther.

Galveston has had a lot of damage/problems also, but again, much less than it might have been.

Now once the conditions are assessed and addressed, can you imagine the same nightmare as before as 2+ million people try to migrate back home...probably once again in huge traffic jams, running out of gas, and having no (or few) gas stations with gas!?!

Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2005, 10:04 AM
I've always had the opinion that the country won't get serious about auto fuel efficency until the price of gasoline hits five bucks a gallon.It's a sure bet it's headed in that direction...

Judy G. Russell
September 24th, 2005, 10:05 AM
Yeah; gasoline here has already jumped up nearly 40 cents/gallon in the last 2 days.Ouch. That sounds like gouging. There's been no change, or even a slight downward change, here.

Lindsey
September 24th, 2005, 11:01 PM
Starting the evacuation earlier would mean evacuating a much larger area. The danger zone is very uncertain 4 or 5 days before landfall.
You need to point that out to the lieutanant governor of Texas. ;)

--Lindsey

Lindsey
September 24th, 2005, 11:07 PM
Ouch. That sounds like gouging. There's been no change, or even a slight downward change, here.
Whatever it is, I'm glad I filled up my tank before the prices shot up! But it really hurts to have to pay nearly $50 for a tank of gasoline.

--Lindsey

Peter Creasey
September 25th, 2005, 08:51 AM
>> You need to point that out to the lieutanant governor of Texas. <<

Lindsey, I wonder if you are aware that some of your interjections come across as barbs and cheap shots. I don't believe this is the way you intend them.

Bill Hirst
September 25th, 2005, 01:23 PM
You need to point that out to the lieutanant governor of Texas. ;)

--Lindsey
I didn't vote for no Texans in any office, but somehow they keep gettin' elected.
:(

Judy G. Russell
September 25th, 2005, 02:33 PM
it really hurts to have to pay nearly $50 for a tank of gasoline.Tell me about it. Remember that I ended up working at home for several weeks due to various factors. Before I spent that time at home, I could fill the tank for about $25-27. Afterwards, it was $45. Talk about sticker shock!