Prospector

Waiting Houston Rita

Went for a walk around uptown. Down San Felipe to Post Oak. Along Post Oak past Americas, Cafe Annie, etc to Westheimer then back to the apartment. It was around 9 PM but it looked like 3 oclock in the morning. Absolutely nothing open. There was traffic but not much. Many police cars.
Back on the side street I talked to a guy who was relaxing outside his house. His son had left for Austin this morning at 4 AM and called upon arrival at 8 PM. That's 16 hours for 150 mile, 3 hour drive.
It seems like there was a big crush of cars that is thinning out. After they opened contralanes it helped alot. There is still a problem with no gas, but that's supposed to be fixed soon.
I don't know how much you see of our mayor, Bill White, and county Judge, Robert Eckels, on national reports. They are doing a very impressive job. They focus on solutions to problems. They talk about very specific things getting done. For example, they were calling for volunteers to help deliver water and fuel to people stranded along the highways. They had the buses and supplies but needed people to help load and run it from the busses to the people. Mayor White also appealed to people's sense of charity and asked that people in cars offer a helping hand to others that were stranded on the road. I guess I'm used to politicians saying how deeply they can feel our pain rather than offering some sound solutions.
Anyway, that's the traffic update.

One more thing - people seem to be relieved but also maybe a bit disappointed that Rita may be heading to the east. All this build-up and no catastrophe?

We are still waiting.

PS - I think the motorcade that I was behind yesterday may have been the Dalia Lama. No idea why he was here.

posted by Prospector @ 8:12 PM