hey gang
the lastest models show RITA heading for texas.
i hope not. everybody down there be careful.
keep one eye on the weather and get out of the way if its headed your way.

Yeah, they're now showing a direct hit on Galveston as a Category 3 storm this coming weekend. I hope they're wrong!

Planning for the worst here at work, evacution (air)starts tommarrow at noon for katrina refugees to arkasas(4000) then waiting to see which base is next.Cleaned out the beach house today and kissed it good bye.This is a big deal!!!!!. N.O./miss/ala/ had .5 million people we have 4.5 million so it going to be a cluster to get them out but we are moving on it as you sleep.I will be locked in the emergency operation center from thursday to?.Please pray that we don,t see it but that chance looks slim right now.God Bless and hope to see yall on the beach in 2 months...........aj

hey aj
i don`t know if your going to get to read this before the hurricane hits. be careful buddy. i`ll be praying for you.
now you got me worried about you.
i`ll be watching the weather channel with you in mind.
i guess mother nature is going to show us how nasty she can get.
again be careful buddy.

Here is the latest from AJ before he went home to get some sleep:

"Well as of 5am things are improving but stll not great.The forward speed of the storm is 15mph which will bring it in south of freeport.This is the dirty side for us.We need for rita to p/u speed to 18-22 mph(rare) to bring it in far south of us.pray for speed...............aj"

This puts Pat's, McDuffy's, and one of Terry's homes closer to a direct hit. Galveston and Houston, being on the "dirty side" means they will get the brunt of the rainfall and outer bands including tornados, just not the eye, hopefully. The beach will likely end up wide and hardpacked but full of debris.

PS Everyone needs to stock up on gas now. It's about to go through the roof!

God bless all.
Dave

Here's a great tracking map. There's more links at the bottom of the page...

http://www.quehubo.com/eng/rita/hurricane_rita.php

hey dave
thanks for the tip on gas. yea. before the last cane hit N.O
i filled up both my cars and stocked 20gals in cans.
my thoughts and prays goes out to all of my buggy family who might get hit with this thing.
AJ. MIKEY AND THE REST OF MY TEXAS FAMILY
YOU BE CAREFUL. REMEMBER YOU GOT FRIENDS WHO LOVE YOU AND WOULD BE VERY HURT IF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO YOU.

Rick and Sarah are in Houston too and are threatening to head to Elmers for a little vacation. I told them to give me a call and I'll meet them out there, though Primm has cheaper hotels.

The local news on the radio was just talking about possible storm surges pushing all the way up to loop 610 south. That with the combined rain will be flooding for sure. Sure picked a good year to move from Pearland!

krocdoc (with bags packed!)

Jeeze that's what, 35 miles inland? That means Terry's main house (near the 15 mile exit off I-45) is in danger too!

Charles, get out sooner than later. The refugees from Katrina filled up the hotels all the way to Austin. They've thinned out now but there will be 10 times more people leaving the Houston area if it comes to that.

AJ is recommending folks head to the Hill Country (or farther) where I am (65 miles NW of Austin). I have a standing offer to all my buggy buds down there to come stay with me. I'm stocked up with supplies, just bring your own bedding as I'm short in that department. You have my cell phone number.

Take care,
Dave

stood in line for 20 minutes to get gas this evening. This place is a madhouse and it looks like it will only get worse as the press continues their 'largest storm ever' reporting. We will certainly be looking at getting out of here no later than Thursday morning and possibly tomorrow evening. I've got all the insurance I can possibly have so it's grab the animals, clothes, and the hard drive! Dave, thanks for the offer, and we may just show up on your doorstep.

krocdoc

any body want to trade jobs for a few weeks?, meals included and plenty of overtime!:ticking:

Hey all. If you are going to evacuate I would think about leaving in the middle of the night. Some friends left New Orleans at 3:00 in the morning and traffic was not bad then. I know when we left for Lily 3 years ago we left at midnight and there was no traffic. Stay safe and good luck.

Susan

Good idea Susan. Here is one of my experiences driving home one weekend from the beach:

For those of you thinking about waiting until Thursday morning to leave let me give you a little perspective on what to expect traffic wise.

Last Cinco de Mayo as I left Galveston for home there was a strong line of thunderstorms that came out of the hill country and was in Houston the same time I was traveling through. Traffic was moderate and still moving about 30mph.

By the time I made it past Katy traffic had picked up considerably though still moving well. The rain had ended by then. Shortly before getting to Sealy traffic came to a standstill and I quickly shunted off onto the service road and followed a parallel highway until getting back on the freeway on the otherside of Sealy. Never did see what was causing the slowdown.

Then before reaching Columbus traffic came to a standstill again and this time I got stuck in it as there was no exit nearby. For 15 miles we moved at a snails pace. Finally we got to the cause of the slowdown. A wrecker was picking up a car that had slid off into the mud. Traffic was also backed up the other direction for another 15 miles just because of looky loos.

After that, traffic was bumper to bumper and moving about 60 mph all the way to Austin and beyond. The stores and gas stations were packed all the way. It took me 7 hours to make the 4 hour trip.

All this just because of some rain and it being a minor holiday. Think about what it's going to be like starting Wednesday morning, assuming it hasn't started already. Get out sooner than later!

God bless and take care all,
Dave

My thoughts and prayers are with my TX buggy family. Be safe, all of you!!

Sean

Gayle Woodul is putting together a list of kiters contacts that have room for kiters that have to evacuate the hurricane. Contact Gayle Woodul for the list at: region8@aka.kite.org . Gayle has said this morning (Sep 21) that she has room for a few at her house in Marble Falls, TX. I have room for a couple here in Wichita Falls, TX.

Ya'll in South Texas be safe and stay out of harms way!

still here folks and i am locked in at this point.Sounding worse momet by second 25 ft surge with 15 ft waves on top. that take it to downtown, tring to get the people out. the roads are gridlock accross 200 mile area. i am in a building built for 200mph winds so i pray a f4 or f5 does not drop on us.take care family and i will see ya on the playa in future one way or another.this is a link to my building http://www.houstontranstar.org .......aj

I just talked to Kroc. He tried to leave at 2am this morning and had to turn around and go home. He couldn't get out of Houston. He's burned up a quarter tank of gas and all the stations are closed and/or out of gas. The latest path shows it coming real close to his house, maybe just to the east of it. He's leaning towards digging in but as a last resort he may head due west. The storm surge is predicted to come very close to his home in Humble but he has a strong two story house. He's dead tired already so I told him to get some sleep and reevaluate the situation later.

Rick and Sarah had the same plan to leave at 2am this morning but they didn't return my call from noon yesterday so they may had left already . I understand they have Chris from Galveston with them. They have no cell phones so will have to wait to hear from them.

McDuffy lives near Freeport and headed west at 4am this morning. He should be in good shape. I haven't been able to get ahold of Terry or Pat.

As the projected storm path veers further east we have to become concerned about Susan. She lives near Lafayette, La and will be on the dirty side of the storm. It's Susan's birthday today but I doubt she feels much like celebrating.

Say a big prayer for all our buddies. They really need it now more than ever. My stomach has been in knots the last two days. I can only imagine how they feel. God bless them all.

hey texasans
my thoughts are with you guys. i wish there was something i can do to help you guys. i`ll be praying and thinking of you.

I just got a phone call from AJ, he's having a hard time getting online right now due to internet traffic on their servers.

Even though the press is now showing the projected path to go east of Houston/Galveston, daytime heating will actually cause the storm to speed up and will likely go straight up the ship channel, just as Katrina went up the Mississippi.

Rick and Sarah have been on the road since 11:30 last night and have only made it as far as Rosenberg, about 80 miles southwest of Houston.

Kroc, if you're reading this, AJ suggested you leave within the next 12 hours. There is less congestion on I-10 EAST to Beaumont, then North on 69 to Nacdoches. Even though this will put you on the dirty side of the storm you *must* get away from the coast. That may be tough to do in time if you try to head West. Gasoline being a factor too. I suggest you take your car since it has a full tank and gets better mileage.

Susan, AJ said you are probably in one of the safer areas where you're at, but Northern LA is always better.

Austin can expect 100mph winds.

I took the day off work. More updates as I get them.

I just got off the phone with Terry Crumpler. He's on Hwy 69 near Lufkin. It's been smooth sailing, hardly any traffic and plenty of gas. Pass this on to any friends trying to get out of the Houston - Beaumont area.

Dave

Susan, AJ just called and said you need to head Northeast. It's turning more toward you and you need to go now to avoid the rush. Better safe than sorry.

(unable to contact Susan or Kroc by phone - circuits too busy)

Dave, Many thanks for being point-man for all of our concerned buggy family. I hope and pray that all are safe and sound when this thing passes. God bless!

sean

this thing is BIG. VERY BIG.
i`ll be watching the weather channel for clips of galveston and texas city.
i can`t keep my mind on my work. thinking of my buggy family and what they must be going thur right now. i know this sounds crazy. but i wish i was there right with you guys. helping any way i can. i tried to help out in
N.O. after thier storm. but the red tape held me back. i can take a leave from work for a month or two and help out after the storm if anybody needs my help. i want to do something more than write a check.
again stay safe.

Thanks Dave. Will get the noon time update for this area. It is almost noon here. Whating for one of my brothers to arrive. Will try to get him on his cell. We are starting to pack up to leave and go north east somewhere. Not sure where yet but will try to keep you informed. Talk to you later. Tell AJ thanks for the update.

Susan
Cell # 337-344-9766 (right now I do not have it on but later this may be the only way to cantact me)

Good deal Susan. I'm getting conflicting reports. At the Governor's press converence a few minutes ago they said that the high pressure dome that's pulling the storm more eastward is expected to dissipate allowing the storm to continue westward. So it's anybodys guess right now.

Some good news. For those stuck in traffic on the interstates and running out of gas, the state has contracted with Texdot to provide gas trucks to fill those running low or out. And all lanes on I-10 will soon be converted to outbound. I-45 lanes already are I believe.

At noon the report for here in Lafayette. Winds 40 to 60 gusting higher. I think now our main concern will be flodding. The weather channel said something about the storm stalling out when in comes inland. If we stay and it starts to flood we can get on I-10 and go east and then north east towards Mississippi. I have the cell phone on now. 337-344-9766 Will keep you informed.

Susan (nice birthday present)

almost 1:00pm and the storm has droped down to a cat 4 yeah

Almost forgot. I got your check today Glenn. Putting it in a safe place till the storm passes.

Susan

ok susan
if i was you . i wouldn`t worry about the check to much.
just take care of yourself and your family.
i`m right there with you guys in sprit.
yea the models are showing it stalling out well inland over monday night and tuesday.

thinking about braking out the proto 9m phantom tommarrow for a roof session here at transtar, can you think about the press coverage!!!:singing:.......aj