Rita: The day BEFORE

I was thinking about waiting until after Rita struck to begin what I'm sure will be an endless stream of comparisons between her and Katrina. I decided not to wait after seeing this post on Michelle Malkin's blog this morning.

As I enter this, I am awaiting Rita's arrival. I live in the latest storm tracker forecast's direct path...just east-south east of Austin, TX. I have been inundated with all Rita, all the time on tv, the radio, in the printed media. I have seen (and joined) the masses at the local Wal-Marts around the Capitol City. I have bought the gas, stocked the shelves, drawn and stored the extra water. I am as prepared and apprised as I can possibly be. I ask myself this; what the hell was it like in New Orleans before Katrina? Could it REALLY be that George Bush (who hasn't come to Texas as far as I know, unless it was to check his flashlight and battery supply at the ranch) is already at fault if anyone dies or doesn't evacuate the affected area?

My Governor, my Mayor(s), and my community radio stations have gone out of their way to communicate, lead, plan, and organize. School buses are already OUT of the forecasted areas, and were loaded with local citizens who couldn't get out on their own.

I accept that Katrina is fresh enough that Texas was able to immediately apply the lessons learned, but I don't see any federal troops here. I don't see any military helicopters. AND, I don't see ANY lootings, shootings, or rapes going on with the folks who opted not to evacuate. Why is that, I wonder? We shall see, I suppose, in the immediate aftermath. For now, I am living first hand everything right about disaster planning, while a few short weeks ago I witnessed everything wrong in New Orleans. From my vantage point, all around me I see continued proof that this is a state matter, and Louisiana failed its people while Texas has not.