[Miss Marple]

I know why you stayed, but I sure wish you hadn't. I will continue prayers for your safety and that of your wife. I can't offer any helpful advice, because I don't live in hurricane country. Be as careful as you can!

[Dog Gone]

I'm going to be fine in all likelihood, Miss Marple. We've got plenty of gas to get to the safe shelter if things turn sour. On her current track, Rita will give me far weaker winds from the north. My office is on the south side of the house, so even though I'm about four feet from a large window at the moment, debris won't be coming in that way.

For me, I think the biggest story will be the aftermath. There's not a drop of gasoline in the city, and it's unlikely that any significant amount will arrive in the next week. All the refineries have shut down. And without power, no gasoline can be pumped anyhow, so the city will be paralyzed for quite some time. Employees will be unable to get to work because they don't have gasoline, even if power is quickly restored.

It's going to be a mess getting back to normal even without widespread devastation in the Houston area.