So it begins again...the Houston Hurricane dance...

As one born and raised in hurricane territory, I lived through two category three storms and a couple of 2s and 1s, mostly when I was a little kid. I tried to write a children's book about the Galveston storm of 1900 back in '99, so I've read a lot about it. In the 90's I even worked on a failed script treatment about a category 5 storm slamming into Houston...and in the realm of make-believe and in the abstract, hurricanes are fascinating.

Category 4 (down from 5 thankfully) Rita is hardly abstract...

As I write this my parents are under mandatory evacuation, sitting in their car somewhere between Houston and Austin where they will stay with friends in Georgetown. They had about a half day to gather together everything for which they don't want to have to make an insurance claim. Their minivan is filled to the gills with photos, home videos, some clothes, their wedding silver, tax returns, medicines and prescriptions, and other important documents. And though they have 2 cell phones, there is no way at all to get through to them--"all circuits are busy; please try your call again."

There are two more useless phones just ahead of them...My sister, who had a hysterectomy just 10 days ago, her husband, and my 4 year old nephew are caravanning with them. Sis isn't supposed to sit up for long periods of time yet, so I don't know what they are doing...they left before 6 this morning, but the roads were already completely packed...so far they aren't in Austin yet or I'd have been called...at least I can get through to that number.

One little family story...and there are probably a million like it across Texas...joined with the millions affected in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Carolinas...

A new friend from the Twin Cities asked me the other day..."Why do people live down there when they konw that this can happen?" I suppose they might ask the same of someone who lives in a place that gets over 100 inches of snow every year....someone who lives in LA or San Francisco where the big one is sure to happen some day.

But really, what causes us to intentially confront the forces of nature, to double dog dare nature to have a go at us? Is it hubris? Is it the cost of living near abundant natural resources? Is it just part of being human?

Whatever...right now I'm looking at a map of projected landfall...the Eastern edge is close to Lafayette, where my cousin and his fiance live and where I am supposed to perform their marriage in 4 weeks...the Western edge is Bay city, where my great aunt and her family stand to lose 3 homes and a way of life...then there's East Texas with a dozen cousins....then there's Houston/Galveston with so many more family and friends...a no win hurricane for the ChicagoRev family....and millions more.

So here's the bottom line, Rita....go the hell away.