Lots of churches, Salvation Army, RC, and some civic groups have booked blocks of hotel rooms. Anybody in the evac zone should not wait. West to San Antonio may be a good bet. Yhe RC has info tents set up on the evac routes. There are signs directing people to the info centers and shelters.
"This incredible drop of 11 mb in 105 minutes is the fastest pressure fall I can ever recall seeing in a hurricane, and exceeds the 10 mb drop in 100 minutes we saw in Hurricane Charley last year. With an eye diameter of 25 miles, an eyewall replacement cycle is not likely today, and Rita may intensify to a level close to Katrina's strongest point--902 mb."
Quote from WxNutZ on here http://www.easternuswx.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=53293
Hope he doesn't mind!