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God’s speed……
Mark Price From: MoPo List
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Captain Bijou I am firmly ensconced in my home in the I have been in contact with movie poster dealer Marc
Schooley and his wife, Linda, are planning to ride out the storm in their 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 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
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- Re: [MOPO] This is Houston calling.... Susan Heim
- Re: [MOPO] This is Houston calling.... Steven Yafet
- Re: [MOPO] This is Houston calling.... Cindy Nemeth-Johannes
- Re: [MOPO] This is Houston calling.... Mark A. Price
