I am firmly ensconced in my home in the Houston
Heights planning to ride out the storm. No doubt, we'll lose power here for
several days in Hurricane Rita's wake, so messages may be few and far between
after tomorrow evening.
I have been in contact with movie poster dealer
Marc Schooley and his wife, Linda, are planning to ride out the storm in their
Clear Lake home, though it is dangerously close to an anticipated flood area.
Roy Bonario and wife, Fran, have already exited the
city and are awaiting Rita's arrival in nearby Tomball, the same city in which
Gene Arnold lives.
I have not yet received contact from many of the
city's movie memorabilia "oldtimers" including Willie Patterson, Ken
Donnell, Glenn Kessler and Tony Smith.
The news reports you have been seeing on television
re: the traffic situation were accurate. Bumper to bumper for miles
and miles. Many families had left with a full tank and ran out in traffic after
inching along at a mile or so an hour. Hundreds of cars still dot the roadside
awaiting a ration of gas being dispensed by fuel trucks from the Texas
Department of Transportation. Efforts by the local authorities from the
governor to hundreds of volunteers on down have been commendable given the
scope and complexity of the evacuation...perhaps the largest in modern history.
In the city, the surface streets are flowing
smoothly, with little traffic. I had to take my wife to the airport earlier
at six a.m. Thursday morning. We avoided the freeways and, being native
Houstonians, made our way on surface streets. At that, it still took two hours
for the trip which usually is only a 20 minute ride.
Most folks are now awaiting the storm with
determined resolution. I stopped off at my neighborhood Lowe's for some last
minute items, and though it required an hour and a half to check out, their
staff handled the crowds efficiently and courteously. Crowded yes...but
orderly as well.
Local stations have been on around the clock with
continuing stories about the exodus, shortages, and flooding forecasts. Eagerly
awaited is each half-hour's report on Hurricane Rita's tack. New co-ordinates...
the latest position...projected path...areas of possible devastation.
It is all consuming and surreal. Every
activity for over four million people now centers on an unseen, powerful
force that represented as a glob of brightly colored swirls on our TV screens.
Its presence will known all too soon...
In fact, we're starting to see the first
scattered cloud cover. A light breeze, gusting periodically, is just
starting to animate the bushes and trees. Yesterday, the temperature was a
sizzling 100 degrees with little or no air movement. As I write this e-mail, the
temperature is hovering around 84.
Everything has been eerily quite Many
inhabitants have fled the city, though I would estimate there are still nearly a
substantial number of us remaining behind and scattered throughout the
city. It's much like one of those end of the world sci-fi flicks where the hero
wakes up to find the city emptied in advance of an invasion by robots, aliens or
whatever. Those few remaining on my street are inside watching the
developing hurricane news, the continuing stories of the traffic ordeal for
evacuees and the tragic incident of a busload of elderly evacuees from the
Houston community of Bellaire. In the distance I can still hear the whine
of a power saw as it slices through plywood. One last minute detail...another
window saved from shattering, perhaps??
As I was taking down the front porch swing a family
of four came riding by on their bicycles. A sign of the normal...the
routine...in most unusual times.
Best,
Earl Blair
CAPTAIN BIJOU
Houston TX
