[sinkspur]

However some state and local agencies have dropped the ball, and they sure as hell better hope this storm doesn't shift back west to Houston.

You're hyperventilating again, as you are prone to do.

Diddle E., you really DO need to relax sometimes.

It's not possible to move 3 million people out of a metropolitan area in 36 hours over six major arteries. Brit Hume pointed this out, strongly, to Mort Kondracke tonight, who was frantic, like you.

[cgk]

IF YOU ARE EVACUATING HOUSTON AND GALVESTON TOWARDS DALLAS, BE ADVISED THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO AVAILABLE HOTEL ROOMS.

IF YOU NEED A PLACE TO STAY, CALL 214-819-6310 (24 HOURS A DAY) AND DALLAS COUNTY WILL ATTEMPT TO CONNECT YOU WITH AN AVAILABLE HOTEL ROOM IN A NEARBY CITY.

If you are having car problems on Dallas highways (overheating, no gas, flat tire, etc.), call Courtesy Patrol at 214-320-4444 and they will try to route a Courtesy Patrol truck to you.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Whatever.

[Torie]

I am not hyper ventalating like I was with Katrina, because I don't think massive death is a real possibility, like I did with NO. But we will learn from this one too. Gulf cities need to learn how to get hundreds of thousands) millions in the case of Houston) out in 48-72 hours, and deal with the gas, etc (pre position gas tanker trucks, etc.) The whole thing needs to be war gamed like a ballet. For the next decade, this will happen again and again. They will eventually get it right.

In any event, it appears more likely than not that Houston has missed the bullet, and it instead is going for the oil refineries. It may well be that California will soon have the cheapest gas in the nation, since it must use only local refineries, due to the unique blend it uses, and this is an autarkic gas market in that sense.