Sitting here in Houston watching the traffic go by

[dogday]

What a mess. We live right off I-10 and we saw the mess and chose to stay. The more the hurricane kept going east, the more we decided we could hang it there.

They are not telling about the deaths on the highways the past couple of days. People are dying from Heat Exposure and Carbine Monoxide Poisoning. These people are scared. It is unbelievable how scared everyone is.

I will keep in touch, already have lost power and had it restored and we haven't gotten a drop. We got a few pictures of a rainbow, I will post later.

Keep us in your thoughts, 2 families together hunkering down in Houston.....

[fooj]

1. Take good care!

Let us know how you are doing when it's over, ok?

Peace.

[brokensymmetry]

2. Best of luck.

I think, given the situation, that I would have done the same...

[Stephanie]

3. wow

recommending

post more when you can

[AirmensMom]

4. Stay safe!

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Take care. Find out what you can about the highway deaths. We need to

keep on top of that. *hugs and prayers*

[mtnsnake]

6. Take care and stick together. Good luck!

Don't let anyone get separated from the rest of you if it gets crazy.

Let us know how you make out. Good vibes to you......

[Sydnie]

7. Stay safe and write it all down as soon as it happens if you can

First hand reports will be so valuable to figuring out what was really happening later. I will be looking forward to your posts when things settle back down.

:hug:

[Blue_Roses]

8. hang in there!

:hug:

[merbex]

9. Fingers crossed for you in MA! Good Luck n/t

[Rainscents]

10. Take care and we'll be thinking of all of our DUer's who is in path

of Rita. :hug:

[Cleita]

11. So sorry you have to tough it out.

Be safe and let us know how you make out if you can.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. Good luck and I hope you stay safe!

[sickinohio]

13. Stay safe

My thoughts are with you all.

[hlthe2b]

14. I'm not so sure I wouldn't have done the same...

depending on what kind of housing I had or could go to... Got your dogs/other pets with you?

To this day, I can not believe those NOLA evacuees (those that drove out early) that LEFT their pets. Good God, I could NEVER have done that....What a source of comfort they are.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

16. Our 3 cats

have been a godsend to us today.

[dogday]

17. We have two

and I was not going to leave them behind. I love my cats...

[Geoff R. Casavant]

15. I hadn't even considered CO poisoning

each passing moment convinces me we did the right thing staying put. The rain has just started here.

[BobMorr]

18. stay safe together

Keep your families together and stay safe. Write us back as soon afterwards as possible. Good luck!!

[Geoff R. Casavant]

30. Thanks Bob

It's Saturday now, and we came through unscathed. Still have power, water, phone, and only a few small branches in our yard from the neighbor's tree.

[dogday]

32. Glad to hear it

we were the same way. We can get some serious storms in Houston in the summertime.

[txindy]

19. All the best, dogday. Stay safe and dry.

I can hardly believe what I'm seeing on-line and on TV. The traffic and suffering caused by it are unreal.

Take care. Keep us updated when possible.

[Booster]

20. Take care and know we are pulling for you.

:grouphug:

[roguevalley]

21. God bless you, darlin'. God bless all of us here in this mess. I will

keep you in my thoughts.

[all.of.me]

22. wow. good luck and please give us those real reports when you can!

thanks!!

[Nothing Without Hope]

23. ***Absolutely DO NOT MISS this thread by another Houston holdout***

He is an expert on hurricanes, been watching and analyzing them for 20 years, and it really shows in his posts. This thread - getting very long now for a dialup - chronicles the growth, movements, effects, and projected impact of Rita with a host of satellite images and local data and his own clear analysis. He lives and is staying in Houston, and he owns property in Galveston.

This thread is the BEST PLACE ON THE WEB to get the real deal on the storm. He'll be starting 'Part II" of the thread in a few more hours, around the time of landfall. He plans to continue to keep updating as long as he can.

Here's the thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4846706
Thread title: HURRICANE RITA: Galveston/Houston "On the Ground" Reports

It's a literally blow-by-blow description. His discussions of the craziness of the sudden changes in this storm, which repeatedly have junked all the projections, are helpful, as are his explanations of why this storm is more dangerous than the numbers alone suggest.

I'm a proud native Texan myself, though I currently live in New England. Y'all be well, now, hear? :grouphug:

[Auntie Bush]

24. It's 12:40....How"s the traffic now? Are people still

stuck on the highway or is it thinning out now as people finally reach their destination?

[texanwitch]

25. Hi, another person in Houston riding out Rita. I also live off of I -10

and I wasn't about to be on the road in that mess.

We haven't lost power once, and we have had some rain and wind but nothing really strong.

My old house is 75 years old and I wasn't worried about staying and riding out the hurricane. I have been though several hurricanes.

:hi:

[Pirate Smile]

27. Is the local news giving you guys a lot of info on the evacuees?

Are a lot of people stranded?

[Roxy66]

26. I am praying for you right now...I know you will be o.k.

We are here for you.:grouphug:

[texanwitch]

29. Thanks Roxy66 for the hugs.

There are 12 humans here, several cats and dogs.

I couldn't believe the mess this state made in dealing with this large group of people leaving as they were asked to.

I wonder now our many people are going to leave the next time.

My friend was stuck in a car for almost 12 hours before finally getting to her cousin's house. She had two cats and a dog with her.

I am glad I stayed home.

[Nothing Without Hope]

28. CHECK OUT THESE GHOST-TOWN HOUSTON HIGHWAY SHOTS, 6:30 PM CST

Part of Post #200 from the other thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4846706&mesg_id=4867511

[dogday]

31. Everything looking good here on my side of Houston

we barely got rain, got some breezy wind but that was it. Was embarrassed cuz we had our windows boarded. Everyone thought we were stupid to stay, but I think we were smart. We had evacuation plans, but really felt this hurricane was going east and would not hit us.

I have to say there is a fear factor here that is denying people their common sense. Hurricanes are not precise but the News seems to really build these stories up. My Step Mother thought we would have to be chopping our way through our roof. Too many people were scared, they should of waited and listened and watched. Yesterday would of been a great day to get out of town, the roads were clear, but felt like there was really no definitive reason to leave.