Rita Notes

September 23
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We spent the morning of the 23rd making last minute preperations. My brother-in-law and I got a sheet of plywood, and put it up at my mom's on one last window - she had turned lack before we had to ride it out.

We were ready to return to my house where we were going to ride it out, when Susie's Mom called. Her parents had evacuated to to their son's place in Lake Charles. The shift was good for us; bad for them. So they had returned to their home here in Baytown. We got a generator over to their place, and got back to our house.

7 P.M. - Shifted more up the coast. Some wind and rain, though not heavy yet, though beginning to build.

8 P.M. - Wind and rain getting a bit harder. Hurricane force winds a bit to our east of us. Galveston getting 60 mph winds or so. Beaumont also.

9.30 P.M.

Still have power. Still have data, but cable tv is out - using radio for informaion, and one old t.v. with rabbit ears that can get the Fox UHF station. Transformers starting to pop in our area. They are lighting up the sky like fireworks. Getting power drops and operations. Unplugged the computers, but left the router for my pda; so I'm posting this from my pda. Rain picking up. Wind gusts picking up.

September 24
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1.00 a.m. - we're on CNN! Damn, lost power again...just at our moment in the national spotlight. Well, not exactly. We made the news in '83, during - much worse - hurricane Alicia.

Power going off and on. We lapsed to sleep with power going on and off, then for good around 3.30
A.M. High winds and rains continued through the morning. As it got lighter, we could see some minor carport damage; oak tree branches down. Sister in law called and said that a water plant in Baytown was on fire - that might explain the low water pressure. Sister in law had gone to San Marcos. She has 13 of the family with her - we have 7 at our place. Fired up the battery powered radio. Still no stores or gas, of course.

8 P.M. - Still no power. Getting pretty warm and muggy. Did a brief tour of our area-lots of downed trees and fences; some power lines. A lot of blown transformers that will take time to fix.

September 25
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Power coming back on, a bit at time. Not our house yet. Staying at a sister in law's. Food and gas in short supply, but we did find a Shipley's Do-nuts open. We sprung for do-nuts and kolaches for everyone; waited in line for an hour for them.

September 26
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We have power! Things are not back to normal, by any means, but much better. Emptied the refrigerator.

Good news from Susie's folk in the Lake Charles area. All got out okay. Her brother, who is a doctor, did stay, riding it out at St. Patrick's Hospital. He reported that Lake Charles was very badly damaged, but, somehow, his house, and those of his cousins', all managed to survive.