Update: 11:00am CST; Thursday September 22.

COMMON GROUND IS PREPARING FOR EMERGENCY RELIEF OPERATIONS.

With many cars running out of gas before arriving at their destinations, evacuation presents a risk of being stranded on the side of the road during tropical storm conditions. The counterflow lane-reversals may provide some relief, but is being done exceedingly cautiously and slowly.

Projections show Hurricane Rita making landfall between Port O'Conner and Freeport on the morning of Saturday September 24. The storm has strengthened to a category 5 storm, but may weaken slightly before reaching the Texas coast. A mandatory evacuation has been issued for Galveston and flood-prone areas of Houston (download Houston evacuation zones map) | Read a press release form Mayor White. Most local schools and universities have closed until the end of the weekend. If you want government assistance to evacuate call 311 or (713) 837-0311.

If you have information to share about what people in downtown (not an evacuation area) have to contend with in order to make their decision about leaving, please add a comment here.

City of Houston Website

Lets keep each other informed! Please publish reports to Houston IMC if you are able.
To offer or search for evacuee housing, check here.

The south-bound lanes of I-45 have been opened to north-bound traffic as of Thursday morning.

On September 20, after Vinny and I visited the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, we headed over to the Reliant Arena to find out more information about Katrina survivors being transfered from the Arena to Fort Chaffee, a military base in Arkansas.

On September 20, Vinny and I returned to the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston to find out what was happening with the Katrina survivors since the Convention Center was closing it's doors as a shelter. An "Exit Only" sign on the doors made it clear that Katrina survivors were no longer welcome at the Convention Center. According to Anna Holly, Onsite Public Information Officer, it was time to "get back to business, back to conventions."

IMMIGRANTS SECOND TO PETS IN USA


---USA Gives More Attention To Pets Than To
Immigrants, During Katrina Catastrophe---