Rita now Cat 5

Sheee*t...165mph winds. Please Texans...get the heck out of the way...

Courtney, you're far enough away!! You'll be fine

Word is Saturday's Double Century here is cancelled. Thunderstorms and 40mph winds were too daunting, I guess. Hope they really mean "postponed" or at least "$50 entry fee paid just last Thursday to be refunded." Heard Meat Pie Tri in Nachitoches also is cancelled/postponed.

August 31, I was looking at doing 6 events in eight weeks. Scaled back, chose Cajunman (my "A" triathlon, the double century, state senior olympics time trials, and a duathlon in early October. The first three have already been cancelled.

Nothing, of course, compared to the hardships suffered by others, but sux just the same.

courtney_leone - 2005-09-21 7:05 PM
That's why we're staying! I'm just a little nervous because all that's on down here is hurricane info and they put The Woodlands in the realm of 'hurricane force winds.' But we'll be okay! Thanks

Courtney...were you in Houston during Allison? How'd you do if you were? Any flooding?

courtney_leone - 2005-09-21 6:34 PM Well now I feel stupid, as I sit here in HOUSTON! We are going to tough it out...we're 70 miles from the coast so we should be okay Its getting scary down here, I had to wait almost 20 minutes for gas (and I was lucky) and they're saying its taking people 12 hours to get from Galveston to Dallas....the grocery stores are insane. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Courtney, if the authorities are telling you to get out, GET OUT.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed towns 150 miles from the coast. 70 miles is nothing. I hope you are making the best possible decision. If you stay, please make sure you are well prepared and have followed your Hurricane Disaster Preparedness instructions.

We'll be thinking about you Curtney, and hoping for the best. We lived in Seabrook during Allison and we had about 4 inches of water in the house. I'm glad we're not there, now. And even more so after I saw Jim Cantore in Seabrook last night on the Weather Channel. All rational people should leave town immediately when that guy shows up...

courtney_leone - 2005-09-22 9:17 AM I didn't live here during Allison, I was away at college near Austin. Our main problem was that our pool flooded, which it definitely will this time And Renee, they are going to make all traffic northbound, probably today, I hope. They are saying it takes people three hours to drive three miles, its miserable. We are as prepared as we can be. Today will be busy, we have A LOT to do. Just keep everyone in the hurricane's path in your prayers and we should be okay

So I know Galveston is officially in the crosshairs, but I've been looking at this:

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/float-vis-loop.html

and the storm seems to be moving a lot more northerly that they have forecasted, and if it turns more to the north, like they are forecasting, it's looking more like central LA, or even...NOLA. Holy crap...I hope I'm wrong.

While I don't encourage anyone to freak out, I think it's great that people are taking this very seriously. Even the inlanders.

Be prepared for the winds to be as high as 60mph or more. The winds will depend on where the eye makes landfall. Last year, after Frances made landfall in Palm Beach County and cut 200 miles in a NE direction across the state, it exited north of us. We experienced 65 mph wind gusts in my neighborhood, 200 miles and hours after the eyewall made landfall - and we weren't even in the direct path. Frances was a category 2 when it made landfall. We had howling winds and rain for about 18 hours and our power was out for only 24 hours. We were LUCKY.