Are We Just Going to Replay Four Weeks Ago?

Just as is seemed to be getting safe to go back to discussing more frivolous topics, another hurricane has come barreling into the Gulf. And not to take anything away from Galveston and the threat it faces, but I'm glad the media finally took the time to remember that Houston, America's fourth largest city (and quickly moving in on Chicago for third), is just a bit inland from there. I don't want to see Galveston flattened, but Houston is the bigger story. The projected track for Hurricane Rita has been moving slightly eastward away from Houston toward Beaumont, Port Arthur, and the Louisiana border.

There's nothing to do from a distance except to keep watching. Just like a couple of news blogs from New Orleans were hugely informative during Katrina, the Houston Chronicle has started a Rita Blog so we can all keep up with what's going on. Right now it appears to be a mad rush to get out of town and further inland as freeways are jammed and cars aren't able to average more than 4 or 5 mph for hours on end. And that, of course, is for the people who have cars. It's hard to tell what kind of evacuation might be prepared for those without. And what's happening at the Astrodome? Where are all those people going, and how are they getting there? Are they still planning to settle down in Houston? Maybe Barbara Bush can at least drop by to cheer them up.

I still know a few people in Houston, so my thoughts are with them as they try to leave the area or choose to stick it out. And good luck to everyone else who's evacuated, stuck on the roads, or simply unable to leave for some reason or other.