Mark asked,
> Does anyone wish to speculate on the potential political effect of
> Rita?
A lot will depend on where this mofo lands and how much damage is done, but a severe or even mild blow to the petrochem refineries will send gas prices back up, and Bush and his administration, collectively, is the national whipping boy (and this is not a complaint!) for anyone having to pay more at the pump.
So far, the evacuations have gone as planned down here, with the notable and sizeable exception that there is total, absolute gridlock on the major interstates leading out of the Houston metroplex. People are sitting out in 100 degree heat in their cars with the windows rolled down, trying to conserve gas (becasue there isn't any), and moving about 20-30 miles in 11 hours, with little water. They are now converting the highways to both sides in one direction - out - but there are few places for people to go, shelters are filling up and time is of the essence if they don't want thousands of people still on the road when conditions start to deteriorate.
Evacuating folks from storm surge in this area has been good, considering how many people are involved in all of these counties. Bush has just announced this an "incident of national significance" and appointed a manager under the Stafford act, and all the local and state leaders, largely Republican, have been in concert with each other most of the way, so I anticipate some "let us show you how it's done" pontification to follow as a way to deflect responsibility for the NOLA scene back solely on the Louisiana locals.
But let's see what awaits us as this thing unfolds.
- Deborah (west Houston)