Now that Hurricane Rita has veered east and has so far done her damage mostly in Louisiana (again) -- poor Lake Charles -- poor, poor New Orleans -- people will say, "Well! Why did we bother to evacuate! This storm got weaker at the end, and it didn't even do much in Houston, nor in Galveston." Nor in Denton, where a huge college fair and an airshow to benefit Katrina victims were cancelled due to impending bad weather. On Wednesday, NOAA predictions had the storm's path headed directly for us, with a Category One hurricane stalling over this area by tonight. We have Houston refugees here at UNT. And it's barely rained.
Now that "nothing happened," I'm afraid that people will get slack and lazy again. What if we have another hurricane next week? Will all of Houston be so quick to jump back on the highway? Bet not.
Thanks to all who prayed for my family. I talked to my sister today; the rehab facility director decided that she would NOT put her residents on a bus (thank you!) and instead boarded up and kept everyone there. My sister's home didn't even lose power; my cousins and aunt & uncle have tree limbs down.
I know the people of Lake Charles and the families of those killed in the bus explosion need our support, prayers, and help.