Coastal Texans Stay Safe and Take Care

Reading on Time magazine how some people are scared for the city of Houston as Ike nears the Texas coast, and all I can think about are those Texans whom I know and those who I don't from this site. I'm not exactly certain how much hurricane preparedness is ingrained into the fabric of Texas Gulf Coast life, but if it's anything like South Florida, you should all be aware about the storm shutters and the masking tape and the water and the batteries and all the rest of the things you need to do to prepare for a storm and its aftermath. And I certainly hope that any and all of my friends here affected are going to take these steps, no matter what last minute changes in direction Ike might take. Wilma in 2005 didn't do all that much damage to my area, but it still knocked out power for three weeks, and though the National Guard stepped in with ice and water, you;'d better believe I was glad I made the preparations. And of course I still remember Andrew in the early '90's, when South Florida after being spared for nearly 30 years, was caught somewhat complacent as the Cat 5 storm came ashore. Anyway, just wanted to say to those Astrofans here who even MIGHT be affected: please make the preparations necessary for this storm, and please stay safe.