Monthly Archives: September 2005

Guest blogger Matt here – I just got off the phone with Tiffany, and all four Kuffners (including Harry) are on I-45 near Centerville (about 115 miles north of Houston), the traffic is clear, and they have enough gas to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

We hope to be on the road within the next hour. Traffic on I-45 North in the area is moving at between 5 and 10 MPH right now, which is to say slower than Rita is. At least we’ve got … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Having taken Jay’s excellent advice to photograph everything in the house, I first had to download the existing pix off the digicam. This one was from last weekend at the in-laws. Bedtime comes early at that age, you know? I … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just finished moving all of our outside stuff into the garage. There really ought to be a law against 95 degree weather in the days preceding a hurricane. I’m a “non-essential personnel” person at work, so I’m officially off till … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In declaring Texas a disaster area as part of the preparation for Hurricane Rita, Rick Perry’s spokeswoman Kathy Walt said: “FEMA has already been part of this. They have offered whatever support we need,” Walt said. “Texas is not Louisiana. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

SciGuy: If today began with a glimmer of hope for Houston, it has ended rather poorly. The evening’s last update for Hurricane Rita shows a powerful category-4 hurricane, with 145 mph winds, coming ashore between Matagorda and Freeport. If anything, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Up to a million people might need to evacuate from the city of Houston, says Mayor White. For point of reference, that’s about half the population of Houston. “I’d like to ask all Houstonians to begin thinking about their own … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The voluntary evacuation of Galveston, which was announced yesterday, is in full swing. Galveston may no longer be the most likely target for Hurricane Rita, but the island remains well within the danger zone and the city has begun a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The forecast for where soon-to-be-Hurricane Rita will hit the Gulf Coast has – for now – shifted westward. Keep packing that suitcase and hold off on a sigh of relief, but the National Hurricane Center’s latest official forecast names the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This is what I call not taking any chances. Activating its emergency management plan this afternoon, Galveston asked residents to voluntarily leave in preparation of Rita, which is a tropical storm now but is expected to strengthen into a hurricane … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Great. This is just what we need. Rita, which strengthened Sunday into a tropical storm, had sustained wind of 65 mph by late morning, up from 60 mph earlier in the day, and could be a Category 1 hurricane by … Continue reading → Continue reading →

McGonegel’s Mucky Duck will be having a benefit concert for Katrina relief on Sunday, October 2: Join us at the Mucky Duck on Sunday, October 2nd for an evening of great music, great art, great food and drink — all … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There were many shocking photographs taken during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Chron had three that generated a large response from its readership. The readers wanted to know what happened to the people in those pictures. Here’s what they … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s a fine line between self-promotion and shamelessness. I’ve read this story several times now and I still can’t decide which side of the line Bob McNair falls on. Texans owner Bob McNair hopes Houston’s response to the Hurricane Katrina … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This story about the director of Covenant House in New Orleans bringing her kids to Covenant House in Houston is a good one. Note especially how the kids are handling it. Soon the majority of the New Orleans people had … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I had the opportunity yesterday (thanks to Melissa Noriega) to get a tour of the evacuee shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center. I met with Terence Fontaine, who is on Mayor White’s Executive Staff as Deputy Chief of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Texas officials are getting good poll reviews for their efforts in dealing with Katrina evacuees, with Houston Mayor Bill White leading the way. The poll of 501 Harris County residents was conducted Friday-Sunday. The sampling error is plus or minus … Continue reading → Continue reading →