Rita

**MacSimoin** · 22nd September 05, 08:56 AM

Just a 'heads up' on macsim who's down in Mississippi right now helping out with the mass clean-up effort there. Please keep him in your thoughts and pray that he gets back home safely to his family in North Carolina. He should be home by this Saturday---he's been down there since Saturday last.

Go raibh maith agaibh (thank you).

**mkmound** · 22nd September 05, 10:48 AM

We're in the Dallas area, and are expected to catch heavy winds and rain two to three days after landfall (we're about 250 - 300 miles from the coast).

My parents live on the west side of Houston, in an area that's high enough that's never flooded before in previous storms or hurricanes. They're on their way up here today. I suspect that they're in for a VERY long, hot day.

Regards,
Mark

**jjoseph** · 22nd September 05, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by mkmound

We're in the Dallas area, and are expected to catch heavy winds and rain two to three days after landfall (we're about 250 - 300 miles from the coast).

My parents live on the west side of Houston, in an area that's high enough that's never flooded before in previous storms or hurricanes. They're on their way up here today. I suspect that they're in for a VERY long, hot day.

Saw the lines of cars on the news. At least they've shut down the southbound interstate so that there are 8 lanes of traffic northbound on I-45. The latest update has the big rain east of me.... that means YOU! I hear they are expecting 15-30" (up to 72 cm) !!! I lived in Dallas a while. THAT will be insane with all the extra cars fleeing your direction.

Go west young man!

**jjoseph** · 22nd September 05, 11:35 AM

Oh, a buddy of mine (music prof. in Brownsville~~that's the southern tip of the state for those unfamiliar) says they are closing roads going north and east towards Corpus. Guess anyone traveling will need to check w/ the hwy dept. or Tx D.O.T. before getting on the road.

**Sherry** · 22nd September 05, 03:58 PM

My BIL & family had to leave town, as they live at the Houston-Clear Lake line.

My DH just took off with some church friends to go be a relief driver for other friends coming up from Houston with a group of NO evacuees. They have been driving since 10 last night, going mostly about 20 mph. There are lots of wrecks with all the sleepy drivers, so this group from Dallas hopes to meet up with the north-bound group around Waco, & get them all up here safely.

Sherry

**GMan** · 22nd September 05, 07:16 PM

I have been following this closely. I just got off the phone from a friend of mine, who happens to live in Abilene, his wife just had a massive heart attack. I also had friends scheduled to arrive from Houston tomorrow, but haven't heard anything as of yet.

This coming on the tails of Katrina, where I have many friends working on the clean up and restoration of the areas hit, not only the physical needs of rebuilding, but also the physical needs of the body and soul.

**MacSimoin** · 23rd September 05, 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by GMan

...but also the physical needs of the body and soul.

Macsim managed to update me with an email last evening---I hope he doesn't mind but I'll post what he had to say:

I'm in MS right now, just taking a moment to check my mail. We're getting a lot of donations of food and clothing here in Vancleave so I would think they'd be happy to get stuff. Maybe the thing to do is to hook up with a church like this one. They are really the ones on the front lines. We're getting to people that otherwise have no help. Some of these folks literally lost everything. Looks like there will be more opportunities with Rita bearing down on us. I just hope we don't get caught in the mass exodus. Highway 10 is only 2 lanes and that's the major route out of here. We came in on back roads so I hope we'll make it okay. We're not leaving until Saturday...Thanks for the prayers. We have felt them. Things have worked out in so many ways for us down here and it has been a true blessing to be able to help out. Well, I need to run. Talk to you next week!

As with the friends of Gman who are helping out their fellow Americans during this tragedy, I feel it necessary to point out that it's the selfless nature of some of our own "Xmarkers" that keep me coming to this site. I'm proud to know Macsim and though we've yet to meet in person (he's a mod at our clann's site forums), I happily call him friend.