Well, we are in the final stages of preparations for Hurricane Rita here in Houston. I have never seen this city in such a state of panic before. People who live in areas that don't flood and are well inland are bugging out - making things more difficult for those in the storm surge zone who DO need to evacuate.

I work for AAA, and I have been booking hotels for people who feel an urgent need to leave. By noon today, all hotels in the ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS were booked solid for the weekend. No exaggeration. This afternoon, the closest available lodging we could find was in Oklahoma City (8 hrs travel time). That's fine that they want to leave (BTW I'm sheltering in place), but they haven't thought ahead.

Here's problem #1: Traffic has already become a nightmare on every major highway leaving the Houston area. These people must be smoking something funny if they think that they can get to Dallas in the normal drive time of 4 hours.

Problem #2: Gasoline is in short supply here already. I visited three different gas stations last night before I found one that still had any gas left. The folks leaving town for points north and west haven't realized yet that the shortage along their route will be worse. Thousands of vehicles traveling the same corridor will quickly deplete the supply. They will get down to a quarter tank and start panicking. Then, when they cannot find any gas along the road, they will run out of gas. They and hundreds (thousands?) of others simply won't make it to their reserved hotels in Dallas or Wichita Falls or wherever. They'll be stuck alongside the road without any food, water, or shelter. The gasoline tanker may be days away! And here comes Category 5 Rita, right up Interstate 45 behind them.

They should have stayed at home. Bird in the hand and all that. I guess I'll find out soon enough if staying was the right decision for me, the wife and the animals. Will the hurricane straps I paid extra for when we had the house built keep the roof on? Will 35 gallons of water be enough? Do I have enough ammunition? Stay tuned!