Made it to Huntsville and it only took 15 freaking hours!!!!!!!! I was going to try and make it to Tyler but gave up after my wife has a seizure and rams the back of my 7 in bumper to bumper traffic in NEW CANEY. That was scarey, I guess all the stress, no sleep, little food, etc, etc, etc will bring it out. I've been married to her for five years never had a clue she had ever had one (apparently she had them when she was very young). I'm freaking out, after having to run, catch the car, sling open the door and step on the brake. Here's my wife, her mom's trying to stop the car (unsucessfully) and not let her bite her tongue off, my wife is convulsing, my kids are in the back freaking, the dog is barking and I'm trying to get through to 911 on a phone that can't get a line 75% of the time because everyone is discussing how slow the traffic is. Man, what a night!!! This "evacuation" is the damndest thing I've ever seen. That was crazy. People are breaking down left and right, running out of gas, most businesses are closed, no gas (not surprised by that). Everyone is safe for now and we are riding it out in Huntsville.

 

OMG!!! ...wow man...im so sorry you had a rough trip...make sure you wife is getting the rest she needs...i'm glad you guys are in a safe place now.....take care and God bless!

 

man, I hope everything is better now.
We decided to stay home because of the traffic.

 

Hurricane Rita Advisory Number 22
Nws Tpc/national Hurricane Center Miami Fl
10 Pm Cdt Thu Sep 22 2005

...extremely Dangerous Category Four Hurricane Rita Continues
West-northwestward Toward The Southwestern Louisiana And Upper
Texas Coasts...

A Hurricane Warning Is In Effect From Port O'connor Texas To Morgan
City Louisiana. A Hurricane Warning Means That Hurricane Conditions
Are Expected Within The Warning Area Within The Next 24 Hours.
Preparations To Protect Life And Property Should Be Rushed To
Completion.

A Tropical Storm Warning Is In Effect For The Southeastern Coast Of
Louisiana East Of Morgan City To The Mouth Of The Pearl River
Including Metropolitan New Orleans And Lake Pontchartrain....and
From South Of Port O'connor To Port Mansfield Texas. A Tropical
Storm Warning Means That Tropical Storm Conditions Are Expected
Within The Warning Area Within The Next 24 Hours.

A Tropical Storm Watch Remains In Effect From South Of Port
Mansfield To Brownsville Texas...and For The Northeastern Coast Of
Mexico From Rio San Fernando Northward To The Rio Grande.
A Tropical Storm Watch Means That Tropical Storm Conditions Are
Possible Within The Watch Area...generally Within 36 Hours.

For Storm Information Specific To Your Area...including Possible
Inland Watches And Warnings...please Monitor Products Issued
By Your Local Weather Office.

At 10 Pm Cdt...0300z...the Center Of Hurricane Rita Was Located Near
Latitude 26.2 North... Longitude 90.3 West Or About 350 Miles...
560 Km... Southeast Of Galveston Texas And About 310 Miles... 495
Km...southeast Of Cameron Louisiana.

Rita Is Moving Toward The West-northwest Near 10 Mph...17 Km/hr. A
Gradual Turn Toward The Northwest Is Expected During The Next 24
Hours. On This Track...the Core Of Rita Will Be Approaching The
Southwest Louisiana And Upper Texas Coasts Late Friday.

Maximum Sustained Winds Are Near 140 Mph...220 Km/hr...with Higher
Gusts. Rita Is An Extremely Dangerous Category Four Hurricane On
The Saffir-simpson Scale. Some Fluctuations In Strength Are
Expected During The Next 24 Hours.

Hurricane Force Winds Extend Outward Up To 80 Miles...130 Km...
From The Center...and Tropical Storm Force Winds Extend Outward Up
To 205 Miles...335 Km. Any Tropical Storm Force Winds In The New
Orleans Area Are Expected To Be Confined To A Few Squalls
Associated With Quickly Moving Rainbands.

The Latest Minimum Central Pressure Reported By An Air Force
Hurricane Hunter Aircraft Was 917 Mb...27.08 Inches.

Coastal Storm Surge Flooding Of 15 To 20 Feet Above Normal Tide
Levels...along With Large And Dangerous Battering Waves...can Be
Expected Near And To The East Of Where The Center Makes Landfall.
Tides Are Currently Running About 2 Feet Above Normal Along The
Louisiana...mississippi And Alabama Coasts In The Areas Affected By
Katrina. Tides In Those Areas Will Increase To 3 To 5 Feet And Be
Accompanied By Large Waves...and Residents There Could Experience
Coastal Flooding.

Rita Is Expected To Produce Rainfall Accumulations Of 8 To 12
Inches...with Isolated Maximum Amounts Of 15 Inches Over
Southeastern Texas And Southwestern Louisiana As It Moves Inland.
Since Rita Is Expected To Slow Down Significantly After Making
Landfall...total Accumulations In Excess Of 25 Inches Are
Possible Over The Next Several Days Over Eastern Texas And Western
Louisiana. In Addition...rainfall Amounts Of 3 To 5 Inches Are
Possible Over Southeastern Louisiana Including Metropolitan New
Orleans.

Repeating The 10 Pm Cdt Position...26.2 N... 90.3 W. Movement
Toward...west-northwest Near 10 Mph. Maximum Sustained
Winds...140 Mph. Minimum Central Pressure... 917 Mb.

An Intermediate Advisory Will Be Issued By The National Hurricane
Center At 1 Am Cdt Followed By The Next Complete Advisory At 4 Am
Cdt.

 

Well, i made it to austin in just about 7 hours. Even though its going to lose strength as it moves inland, i wouldnt want to be in the spring/n. houston area for the next few days. I guess the storm is supposed to be gone by monday, but who knows how much flooding there is going to be. I can only just watch the news and hope that i dont lose everything.

But from what i hear, its pretty much too late to get out of houston cuz, the traffic is so bad and there isnt enough gasoline. I heard from the radio that they setup some contra-flow action on the 45 to get people out and it failed. As a matter of fact, in the city of Hearne, we saw about 20+ state troopers speed past us.

But some guy on the radio was talkin about sending lots of trucks down there with gas, food, and water.

 

btw, if you are going to austin, then take 2920 through brenham and then you can take the 6 up to bryan, then the 79 to the 183 and austin. 290 was helacious, the 6 moved pretty fast.
Good Luck

 

Congrats on what appears to be a record breaking trip time!!!

BTW- Does Kyle have anyone looking after the shop.... what's up over there? I have a freind who lives right around the corner, I can try to get some status updates if you need them.

 

Kyle doesnt work with us anymore. But we will have someone looking after the shop.

 

btw, if you have a car at our shop or know someone who does, let them know that all the cars are inside, and unless the walls fail they will be o.k.

 

Here is a picture (in motion) of the skiies at 5:20 PM.

 

Hurricane Rita Intermediate Advisory Number 25a
Nws Tpc/national Hurricane Center Miami Fl
6 Pm Cdt Fri Sep 23 2005

...tropical Storm Force Winds Spreading Over Southwest Louisiana And
Southeast Texas As Dangerous Hurricane Rita Approaches...

A Hurricane Warning Is In Effect From Sargent Texas To Morgan City
Louisiana. A Hurricane Warning Means That Hurricane Conditions Are
Expected Within The Warning Area Within The Next 24 Hours.
Preparations To Protect Life And Property Should Have Already Been
Completed.

A Tropical Storm Warning Is In Effect For The Southeastern Coast Of
Louisiana From East Of Morgan City To The Mouth Of The Pearl
River...including Metropolitan New Orleans And Lake Pontchartrain
...and From South Of Sargent Texas To Port Aransas Texas. A
Tropical Storm Warning Means That Tropical Storm Conditions Are
Expected Within The Warning Area Within The Next 24 Hours.

For Storm Information Specific To Your Area...including Possible
Inland Watches And Warnings...please Monitor Products Issued
By Your Local Weather Office.

At 6 Pm Cdt...2300z...the Center Of Hurricane Rita Was Located Near
Latitude 28.5 North...longitude 92.9 West Or About 100 Miles
Southeast Of Sabine Pass Along The Coast At The Border Between
Texas And Louisiana.

Rita Is Moving Toward The Northwest Near 13 Mph. A Gradual Turn
Toward The North-northwest Is Expected During The Next 24 Hours.
On This Track...the Core Of Hurricane Rita Will Make Landfall Along
The Southwest Louisiana And Upper Texas Coasts Near Daybreak
Saturday.

Maximum Sustained Winds Are Near 125 Mph...205 Km/hr...with Higher
Gusts. Rita Is A Strong Category Three Hurricane On The
Saffir-simpson Scale. Some Fluctuations In Intensity Are Possible
Before Landfall... But Rita Is Still Expected To Come Ashore As A
Dangerous Category Three Hurricane.

Hurricane Force Winds Extend Outward Up To 85 Miles... 140 Km...
From The Center...and Tropical Storm Force Winds Extend Outward Up
To 205 Miles...335 Km. Hurricane Force Winds Are Expected To Spread
Inland As Far As 100 Miles Near The Path Of Rita. A Noaa Buoy At
Calcasieu Pass Louisiana... On The Coast Near Cameron Louisiana...
Recently Reported Sustained Winds Of 49 Mph With A Gust To 62 Mph.
Sustained Winds Of 37 Mph With Gusts To 54 Mph Were Recently
Reported At Galveston Texas.

The Estimated Minimum Central Pressure Is 931 Mb...27.49 Inches.

Coastal Storm Surge Flooding Of 15 Feet Above Normal Tide Levels...
Locally Up To 20 Feet At Head Of Bays And Nearby Rivers...with
Large And Dangerous Battering Waves...can Be Expected Near And To
The East Of Where The Center Makes Landfall. Tides Are Currently
Running About 2 Feet Above Normal Along The Louisiana...mississippi
And Alabama Coasts In The Areas Affected By Katrina. Tides In Those
Areas Will Increase To 4 To 6 Feet And Be Accompanied By Large
Waves... And Residents There Could Experience Coastal Flooding.
Large Swells Generated By Rita Will Likely Affect Most Portions Of
The Gulf Coast.

Rita Is Expected To Produce Rainfall Accumulations Of 8 To 12
Inches... With Isolated Maximum Amounts Of 20 Inches Over
Southeastern Texas And Southwestern Louisiana As It Moves Inland.
Rainfall Amounts Of 3 To 5 Inches Are Possible Over Southeastern
Louisiana... Including Metropolitan New Orleans With Isolated
Heavier Amounts Possible. Since Rita Is Forecast To Slow Down
Significantly After Making Landfall...total Accumulations Locally
In Excess Of 25 Inches Are Possible Over The Next Several Days
Across Eastern Texas Into Western Louisiana.

Isolated Tornadoes Are Possible Tonight And Saturday Morning Over
Portions Of Southeastern Texas...southern Louisiana Including
Southern Mississippi And Alabama.

Repeating The 6 Pm Cdt Position...28.5 N... 92.9 W. Movement
Toward...northwest Near 13 Mph. Maximum Sustained Winds...125 Mph.
Minimum Central Pressure... 931 Mb.

An Intermediate Advisory Will Be Issued By The National Hurricane
Center At 8 Pm Cdt Followed By The Next Complete Advisory At 10 Pm
Cdt.

 

Hurricane Rita (before the storm) picture gallery : http://www.justpiecesofme.com/strang...angehurricane/

 

Videos too:

Video 1

Video 2

 

so where are you at drkilljoy? how is the wind right now?
not to bad in the Woodlands.

 

My buddy and I stood outside for about two hours earlier just feeling the ~40-50 mph winds that were blowing. It didn't rain while we were out there, with the exception of about 2 5 minute sprinkles.

We were once again extraordinarily lucky.

Good luck, Houstonians.

 

This are pretty clear on the SW side.


Good luck to anyone East of Baytown...

 

We finally made it to San Antonio!!!

We are extremely lucky. We drove 16 HOURS!!!

We started at I-10 W at downtown. Waited 4 HOURS AND WENT 3 MILES!!! We figured were not going to wait anymore like everyone else. We took the Duram exit, headed north as far as possible. Went west on Mounument. Then to 249, then we heard on the radio that I-10 has jsut opend counterflow lanes at HWY 6. South on HWY 6 to I-10.

6 HOURS SO FAR!!!

Once we got on I-10, we averaged a good 60 mph in some spots. Traffic began to build up at Seguin. We got off of I-10 and headed to 123 North, to San Marcos.

At San Marcos we fueled up again, and around 11:30 PM we left San Marcos to Floresville, (a satelite community).

We arrived at 1:30 AM.

SOME 16 HOURS OF DRIVING!!!

We experienced a few problems.

1. RX-7 10th AE came loose from the dolly at about 4 mph. No damage.

2. 84 Ford Bronco master cylinder starts leaking. Kept adding fluid every so often,

3. 2000 Dogde stratus began to heat up. (WTF new car!!!)

4. 2002 Dogde 1500 heats up a bit. (We had some Redline Water Wetter in a tote)

5. RX-7 came loose again, this time at 35 mph during braking. (slight door damage, very fixable)

6. The Integra, in our 6 car caravan, had some body damage entering the counterflow lanes. (Had to jump a curb)

7. While entering the counterflow lanes, some ***** hit our trailer and broke a tail-light. (He jsut drove away too)

8. Off of I-35, during fueling at a station, there were people trying to cut line for fuel. Some guy gets out of his car and wants to block our car that was in line. (We had a shotgun, he let us fuel up first!!!)

After all this, we made it.

We are grateful, safe, and clean.

GL to any still one the road.

 

after all that.....we are now on the clean side of the storm.
they say the traffic might as bad coming back to Houston, so you might want to stay there for a few days.

 

We are going to stay here for a bit.

I am an avid believer in the BETTER-SAFE-THAN-SORRY idea.

We are here, some 300 miles away. My family, friends, and my beloved 10th AE are all in one piece.

We also live in a possible flooding zone. During tropical storm Allison,
we had 18" (EIGHTEN INCHES) of water.

We could have very well chanced-it. But why take the chance if we have the ability to avoid it?

 

I'm with you on the better safe than sorry.
I didn't want to leave my 10th Ann. but I would of if we decided to leave.
I didn't have a way to move it.

 

they are talkin about 12-24 inches of rain since the storm is going to linger over texas for a few days, ive heard that we wont be able to get back in town till thurs. anyone heard somethin like this from the mayor's office?

 

We're starting to get some heavy rain in Shreveport, LA...it's changed paths to come right up our alley, people here freaked out after Katrina but I mean come on, it'll be a tropical storm by the time it hits here...I parked my car away from all trees go me!

 

You know, we've seen some of the best in a lot of people during trying times like this, but you always have a few that have to screw up the score board. Saw a lady try to cut via the shoulder, but did so a few spots back from a motorcycle cop. Wish he gave her more then a tongue lashing though. Things like that, and how some are leaving an absolute litter mess at places they stop at, really disappoint.

Anyways, we're back and hunkering down in the SW area. Looks like we're (Houston) going to get off really easy, thank God. Prayers and thoughts to the people out east of us.

 

Might be a bit early, haven't really heard anything definite anyways. I've been streaming KPRC and KHOU alternately to my computer for the last day. All the coverage is on Galveston and east Texas. If you're out by Austin, you should have it a little easier then those that evac-ed out towards Lufkin.

Still early of course, but nothing more then very very light, intermittent drizzle and light winds in SW Houston (Sugar Land) as of now (1am Sat).

 

Yeah, from what we have heard in spring (when we can get throgh) its not much yet. But like you said, its still too early. Hopefully, i will have a house thats not too damaged (as well as an fc) when i get home.

We are having a hurricane party up here and im quite drunk, so i'll watch the news and hook up with you guys tomorrow.