Rita Watch: Advisory 1

Hurricane Rita is in the Gulf of Mexico taking aim on Texas. Even though we’re basking under sunny skies today, the future portends to be cloudy. I’ll be making notes in the next few days on what happens regarding Rita here in the Austin area. Austin lies about 200 miles inland from the Gulf Coast. Rita’s forecasted track will pass directly between Houston and Austin. If that forecast holds Austin will be on the western side of the storm which is the safest side. If she veers a little to the south before making landfall, we'll be in deep shit.

Activity here at TWC has been steady but purposeful. We have been in emergency mode since Katrina, because we are coordinating the telephone calls for Louisiana’s unemployment claims and disaster unemployment claims. Some meetings about our emergency response to Rita have taken place, and some measures to secure the telephone switch in Houston have been implemented. We have heard that officials in Galveston and Houston have strongly urged everyone to evacuate.

If Rita does not change course by Friday, my sister-in-law, her husband, and four dogs will be coming to our house. That will make an equal number of dogs and people at home: six of each. Oh my!