Rita, she's coming your way. My advice is leave if you can, Cat 4 or higher means evacuate.
Go to a safe place, don’t stay if you don’t have to and pack only those things you can not replace or will need while you are gone. Pictures, birth certificates, insurance forms, deeds, ect...............
You can not take pets to shelters. Crate them and leave. Don’t wait until the last minute to decide to leave. Leave now travel at night or very early in the morning. For some reason people wait until the last minute and then run, everyone taking the same roads out of town and trying to find hotel rooms. Go now stay with friends or relatives when it’s all over then go home. The same mess will be there regardless, the difference is you will still be safe and alive.
If you do decide to stay you will experience many hours of raw terror. I packed my travel trailer with pets and children and left for Francis. I stayed and was awed but Jeanne. I don’t remember being so scared or so memorized. I sat up with the children and listened to it rage all night. We spent several hours in the dark in the hallway listening for changes in the roar of the wind hoping I could tell if a tornado approached. Jeanne was only a Cat. 2, afterwards we surved the damage to our temperary home which thank God wasn’t much we ended up with a leak in the roof, the fence fell over again and a large tree limb fell on the travel trailer damaging it. Jeanne finished off many damaged homes that Francis had not completely destroyed, this included my own home.
NE side of Houston is probably safer than most of the city but why risk it. Even though you won’t get storm surge the flooding will be bad. The wind will take down your fence and most trees. Trees are a great buffer from the wind but I have seen so many fall onto houses. Tornadoes will spawn, roofs will come off and house will be totaled. Not pretty.
If you stay against my advice stock up. Fill your pantry with water and canned goods. Buy ice a lot of ice, batteries, portable radio and candles. Make sure you have a corded phone. Cordless phone will not work with out electricity but it is amazing how often phone lines will work when nothing else will. Walkie Talkies work well. Buy a generator now. Fill your gas tank and gas containers. Don’t forget to fill your bathtubs with water you will need it to flush if water service is turned off. Also be aware with flooding your sewer may back up and will make life very unpleasant and odorous. DO NOT CALL your Utilities or 911 if you are backed up then so is everybody else.
If you stay in your home seek shelter in an interior room like a large pantry, closet hallway or bathroom. Make sure you keep a flash light and a radio close to you. A mattress makes good cover if your roof decides to blow away and its also better than sleeping on the floor if your roof manages to stay attached to your home. Be prepared for the worse make sure you have a plan if you have to leave your shelter to seek a new one. Getting to know your neighbors is not a bad idea at this point. Give them a WT if they dont have one you can keep track of each other during the storm and help each other if you need to.
Be prepared, if Rita misses that’s OK you’re prepared for the next time or you will be very generous during can food drives. My kids loaded up the box at Thanksgiving.
Go to the FEMA site now and print anything you might need. Insurance will not cover everything but there are low interest loans that can be applied for. The Red Cross is very generous and will also help. If you have that paperwork now it will be easier later. Visit your Emergency Management web site they always have good information they will also have locations for shelter sites. Know which radio channels to listen to for information when cell phones and regular phones don’t work radio is the only way people know what is going on. People with phones will bombard 911 and Police lines with questions when they just need to listen to the radio.
If you absolutely can not leave and don’t feel safe at home, go to a shelter. If you are special needs call your Emergency Management Office Now! Do not wait until tomorrow it maybe to late. Texas has 2 maybe 3 days to move people before the storm strikes. It will take that long or longer to get these people moved into suitable shelters. Remember to bring food and water and refill your medication your Doctor will understand if you need an early refill. Let your family know where you are going. Emergency phone lines will be swamped by people looking for loved ones. Keep some cash with you. Some stores may reopen quickly but I can guarantee the banks wont.
St Lucie County had no casualties during our 2 storms. We had a few casualties afterwards; many falling from roofs or other clean up related injuries. Many older folks passed on from just the stress in general. We did have some minor looting including the incident in Port St Lucie when the Mayor ordered City workers to break into Publix for water and supplies. St Lucie Co itself had water, ice and MRE’s supplied to residents in days including the City of PSL. Ice was scarce those first 2 days but after that it was plentiful. My point is our community was prepared and even though there were a few issues they were solved as quickly as possible. We worked together as a community to overcome difficulty. Good communications between City, County, and State is a must, only then will it work between State and Federal.
I’m sure there is more I could pass on but these are just a few things I remember being so important at the time. I am praying for Galveston and Houston, praying the storm goes further south several hundred miles. Stay safe I will be watching the radar.
Kathy
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