My folks live northeast of Houston, about 60 miles inland. I’m naturally anxious that Rita is heading in that direction. When I called, I could hear the TV news on in the background alternating between how crowded the freeways are and the storm’s upgrade to category five. My parents are planning to stay, not that they’d be able to get out with the traffic as it’s been. They’ve been clearing the yard of potential debris and have also extended an invitation to their friends living closer to the coast and Houston ship channel to hang out a few days until the storm blows over.
Update: September 25, 6:30am: Electricity, phones, cell , cable, etc service is out. No serious damage, though they are considering retrofitting their place with something heavier/more solid.