To everyone who may be in Rita's path, please...

[GreenPartyVoter]

stay safe!

We lost touch with several of DUers during Katrina. I hope we can keep in touch better through this one. You know we're a family here and we get ulcers when we can't find all of you. :grouphug:

Here's a guardian angel to keep an eye on ya. O8)

[benburch]

1. If you are in Rita's path - GET OUT

This storm will be Cat-5 and 200+ kts at landfall.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. And take your pets with you!

[benburch]

3. Amen!

If you go now you CAN take your pets. Later they might not LET YOU take them!!!

[Penndems]

38. Link to pet-friendly hotels nationwide:

http://www.bestpetfriendlyhotels.net/

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. Great link, thanks!

[Penndems]

41. A pleasure

We try to help each other when we can. :)

[GreenPartyVoter]

42. Ayuh. :^) Hopefully some folks who are trying to get out of Rita's way w/

their fuzzy babies will be able to find one of those hotels available.

[caligirl]

4. Missing DU'er question, anyone recall

the du'er who stayed in NOLA with his two kids because his wife wanted him to while she was getting medical treatment at one of the hospitals.
He said he planned to go to the second floor if needed and everyoe here pleaded with him to get out, that the storm surge was much higher.

Just wondered if he made it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. I think he was one of the DUers with LEFT in his name,. yes?

[caligirl]

6. no idea here.

[intheflow]

10. He made it out ok.

I think his name is frustratedlefty, and he posted about 5-7 days after landfall. His wife was evacuated to Baton Rouge (I think) while he and the kids went to... Texas? I'm not sure, but I remember they all made it out safely.

[GreenPartyVoter]

15. Thanks!

[caligirl]

20. Thanks too.

[Pithy Cherub]

22. frustrated lefty checked in family is ok.

al-CIAda is the one I have yet to see from Louisiana to check in. i hope he's ok!

Best wishes to everyone! :pals:

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. Is he the last of the missing? :^(

:hug:

[AuntPatsy]

33. Thats good to hear, I haven't had a chance to check in lately.

I had still been wondering about him..

[kestrel91316]

35. He evac'd to TX and was fine last I heard. Frustrated Lefty.

[Carla in Ca]

7. Yes, our thoughts are with you

stay safe, get out now. And please do take your pets.

[dogday]

8. Houston person here

We are trying to decide to leave or go to San Antonio to my parents. No mandatory evacuation or evacuation for Houston, only the low lying areas which I am on the other side of the city.

They say Galveston may end up underwater like NO....

Hold on to your seats folks, it is going to be a bumpy ride.

[GreenPartyVoter]

16. Please go and let us know where you have gone to? *hugs*

[BillZBubb]

9. I'm about 35 miles inland from Galveston.

Looks like the old homestead is going to take a hell of a hit. Still haven't decided whether to evacuate. We are supposed to be high enough to avoid the floodwaters, but the wind will be devastating.

We live near one of the major evacuation routes and it is backed up bumper to bumper for miles on end as the coastal counties empty. All the gas stations are out of fuel. The good thing is that, after Katrina, very few people aren't taking this seriously.

If it looks like a Cat 4 or 5 with landfall at Matagorda or Galveston, we'll skedaddle.

[dogday]

11. have you been told to evacuate?

if this storm brings in 19 ft of water, it will flood everything all the way up to Deer Park. Please be careful and take care.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Get out now

it is bad... this is a monster, and it is alraedy a CAT 5

[watercolors]

14. my sister is 30 miles inland

and 50 miles so of Galveston, She called me to let me know they will head up to Dallas to their daughter's home. Yes two dogs with them. She has never been thru a hurricane and has been nervous about it. I'm in Fl., she called yesterday to ask a lot of questions as to what to do. I said if they say cat 5, leave! They retired there in Columbia and have just started building their home, I hope it remains intact.

[GreenPartyVoter]

21. Oh, I hope their house makes it, although if this kind of weather is the

new normal they may not want to finish building. :(

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. Will that be enough time for you to get out?

[kestrel91316]

36. GET OUT NOW. Go to San Antonio. Head west and KEEP DRIVING.

[Penndems]

40. Friend, you need to skeedaddle NOW

This hurricane isn't something you want to ride out or play around with. It's 350 miles wide. A strong CAT 5. As of this morning, it's predicted to hit west of Galveston, which means tidal surges of up to 80 feet from Galveston Bay northwards. The forecast is for it to sit on the eastern two-thirds of Texas for *TWO DAYS*, and dump upwards of 30 inches of rain just in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area.

Get in your car, and drive westward towards San Antonio. Now's a good time to take a Vegas vacation, or see the sights of Albuquerque.
Just *DON'T* stay in East Texas.

BTW, you folks in eastern Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri might want to take precautions, as well. Once Rita makes landfall, she's predicted to hit these areas with massive flooding.

[elfin]

13. My sister lives near Houston

They have a horse boarding/classes business. They have made arrangements (paid up ahead of time of course) for places inland for the horses in case it doesn't go south of Houston as presently predicted. They can't afford this - but maybe they can recoup some from their customers. Many of the horses belong to them personally. I think they should go anyway - right now.

Nervously watching the direction here.

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Kudos to them for making those arrangements! I hope they go soon

[dave29]

19. here in Austin

we're expecting this thing to still be a hurricane when it reaches us.

Spooky.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. What category? Will you take off if its a 3 or higher?

[dave29]

25. prob only category 1

I've been through those before - and I'm not too worried being this far inland.

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. Those aren't too bad I guess. Still, be careful *hugs*

[dave29]

28. will do!

*hugs*

[Bouncy Ball]

29. Shit. In AUSTIN????

No freaking way. Damn.

I figured it would just dump a lot of rain on Austin.

[caligirl]

31. something tells me I need to get that earthquake kit together

[GreenPartyVoter]

32. Hey, anything could happen at the rate we're goin'

[Bouncy Ball]

27. Will do.

We are taking precautions.

[GreenPartyVoter]

30. Good! *hugs*

[AuntPatsy]

34. Well I am riding it out, not in a flood area so that part makes

me feel alot safer. In all my days, I have not seen the amount of goings on that I have here today. It is hard to find the right words to explain the atmosphere here in Texas, it is almost like so many are still shell shocked from Katrina and in some way, see Rita as her counterpart and themselves perhaps suffereing the same fate as so many in La, Miss and Ala...

Its just a bit surreal in so many apsects.

[GreenPartyVoter]

37. The wind is gonna be real bad though. and the tornadoes that

come with it will be gimongous. Please be really careful!