As posted previously, I evacuated from Houston on Wed. before the main exodus and nightmarish traffic snarls started (but feel free to call me a “Rita Refugee”; I won’t be offended). A friend who was trapped there finally got out this morning; the road to Waco was finally clear, as of early this a.m., he said. Apparently in the meantime there is some variant of martial law being imposed, as a relative still in Houston told me that even though the roads are now open people are not permitted to leave their homes–it seems to be a type of martial law called “shelter in place”. If you hit the Interstate now you get arrested. Makes sense–as soon as the roads clear up, you can’t leave–with over 12 hours until the storm hits.Addendum: Linda Schrock Taylor wrote me–

That term “shelter in place” seems to be a new Homeland Security fad. The middle school where I teach had to do it a week ago. A pretend accident ‘happened’ down the road with a tanker truck full of bad chemicals. The pretend gases were being blown by pretend winds to the school. We had to take the kids into the halls and pretend to tape up every opening in the school to keep bad air from entering. No one asked what would happen once hundreds of kids used up available oxygen and were breathing only carbon dioxide….

I wonder if the Feds expect the people left in Houston to tape all openings against water and wind, then sit in hallways as we had to do?

Damn stupid to force them to stay there and possibly die when they could very well be on the roads.

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