Whew Dodged That Bullett

Never thought my family and I would be refugees (oh yeah that is not politically correct we are evacuees) from a hurricane but we were from Rita. After what we saw from Katrina, we decided to leave Katy, Tx (outside of Houston) and head north to Shreveport, La. As it turned Rita went in at Sabine Pass east of Houston about 100 miles. If Rita had made a hit on Houston it would have been a disaster.

We were fortunate and we made the trip to Shreveport (280 miles) in 6 hours by staying on county and state roads. Most people that were caught out on the roads traveling 10 or 30 miles in 10 or 20 hours were using the main freeways.

Because the storm moved east of Houston much of the country's refining capacity was spared. In preparation for the storm most companies brought the refineries down. It will takes about a week to bring them back up. So expect to see gas price to move up over $3.00 for a brief period of time. Some news reports have said that gas prices may reach $5.00 but I seriously doubt that prediction will come true.

I believe Texas and Texans did themselves proud by the way they handled the evacuation and showing a great deal of patience in trying circumstances.