"Houston" - Dean Martin, 1965

"...goin' back to Houston, Houston, Houston..."

I couldn't help but recall Dino's old song as I thought about all of those Houstonians having to face their returns to the Bayou City, after evacuating for Rita a few days ago.

Although I haven't heard from all my Houston-area friends yet, I believe they should all be ok. My friend Krista, in Sugarland (southwest of Houston), remained "hunkered down" at home with her family. We've already heard from her, as they didn't even lose their electricity during the storm! She reports that gasoline is very hard to find, though, and they were happy to be well-stocked with enough food and water to carry them through until stores reopen . Bill & Carole drove from their home north of Houston to the Texas Hill Country, to avoid Rita, and we haven't heard from them yet. Melanie & Brian and family were heading from the west side of Houston up to Dallas, and we haven't heard from them yet either. I assume they'll all be home by early this coming week. And my "big sis" Claudia was hosting quite a few of her Beaumont family and friends at her home well north of Houston. I suspect they may have lost power, as we haven't heard from her since Rita came onshore on Saturday. But I trust they'll be all right, too, given where her home is located.

It could have been SO much worse. A direct hit on Galveston would have left that interesting city completely under water. And Houston would have been badly damaged, even though it's about 50 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. But I have to wonder how the residents and businesses in the area between Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange (in Texas) and Lake Charles (in Louisiana) are faring today. It can't be easy for them. Rita, although only a Cat 3 hurricane when she came onshore, came in right on top of them.

We must not ever underestimate the power of "Mother Nature"...

Janet