Thursday, September 22, 2005

The One with Me Freaked Out


I hardly screened any slides today at work. I was on the phone talking about Hurricane Rita all day. My family reunion that was planned for this weekend has been canceled because most of them were flying in to Houston on Friday evening and then driving north to Nac. Scratch that idea because almost ALL of Houston is driving north. My brother's family and I were going to stay with Mom, but my aunt and uncle, who live near Beaumont, and my cousin Pam and her family, who live just north of Houston, are all driving up tomorrow to escape Rita. A friend of mine who lives in Brazoria, which is only about 15 miles inland, has gone to stay with someone in Boerne while the rest of her family is going to East Texas. I called my friend Amie, who lives in Katy, to offer her my guest room, but she is staying there. Then my mom told me that my other cousin Paige, who lives in Sugarland, might need to come stay with me. Sara, from the Sea World post I did after Labor Day, had to cancel her wedding in Houston this weekend. Can you imagine? I would be devastated! Plus, our local weather reports are saying that we are expected to have sustained winds anywhere from 60-100 mph and that tornado spinoffs are likely. One report said that when Hurricane Carla moved over Austin back in the day there were 26 tornados produced in the hill country. TWENTY-SIX! All of this has me completely freaked out. Growing up in East Texas I have weathered countless tornados, and hurricanes have hit Texas before, so why am I so scared? I know that the coast is going to suffer much more damage than here, but 60-100 mph winds and tornados are nothing to scoff at. Hurricane Katrina was so recent, and I cannot get those images of whole towns with nothing left but pieces of plywood out of my mind. I'm going to the store tomorrow to stock up on bottled water and something to eat that does not require refrigeration. I'm also planning on renting a bunch of movies since I will probably be staying inside on Saturday. Ofcourse, I might not have electricity. To those on the Texas coast my thoughts are with you and please be safe.

8 comments:

Bec said...

Hi Lish, I'm here via Michele. Hope your family members find their way to temporary havens quickly and safely.
On a much more trivial matter, one of my daughters is called Katy and will be delighted to know there is a town named after her (of course!) on the other side of the world!

Anonymous said...

I'll be thinking about you and your family as I watch the weather channel this weekend! Hang in there...

kelin said...

Ooohhh...be CAREFUL. I too, being from Ohio, am used to tornadoes...but there is just something terrifying about a hurricane and all that goes with it. Hurricane winds seem more long-lasting. Be safe, best wishes to you and your friends and family!

Anonymous said...

yeah goose, andy has evacuated to san antonio, he has been on the road for 13 hours, and is still on the road.. And steve is going 45 miles north to his gf's parents... he said its's hell just trying to get gas.. and it is taking around 6 hours just to get out of houston... that is some scary shit... I hope all stays well with you in Austin...

Your Mother said...

Lish, I woke up this a.m. thinking of all things, you. Now, I'm no cyber stalker or anything but I had a horrible dream that my damn family caused me to miss my commencment next month, which woke me up in a panic and somewhat cranky. The first thought in my head as I made coffee today was you Lish. You are my only blogger pal (that I can think of) close to harms way right this minute. So, I'm glad I saw a new post this a.m. which tells me you didn't evacuate (yet) and I hope you stay safe.

The Tuckered One said...

For what it's worth, it looks like it's shifting to the east of Austin, so maybe it won't be quite so bad there after all. I don't think tornadoes usually form on the west side of a hurricane do they?

I can imagine how scary it must be for you, especially since you have friends and family scattered all around. Y'all be safe!

That would be HORRIBLE to have to cancel your wedding!!!

Lish said...

Thank you everyone for your concern for my friends and family. Craig, please keep me updated about Stevee and Andy.

Anonymous said...

Hey Lish,
I just wanted to let you know that my entire family is going to be hit directly by the storm. They thought they were escaping by heading to the other side of Beaumont to a friend of the family's home. My mother and father, brother and his family, both sisters and their families are all in one house in Kirbyville. I am going nuts because I am the only one that went west and I am not there with them. Please keep them in your thoughts and that I have a home and family to get home to.
Thanks,
Sunny