Thanks to those who have inquired about the situation here in Austin in relation to the impending hurricane. The way things look this morning, it appears that Austin and Dallas will perhaps get some rain and wind on Saturday, but nothing out of the ordinary--both cites will be too far from the center of the storm. Houston is unlikely, it seems, to get the full force of the hurricane, though they will get far more serious rain and wind, with risks of flooding in some of the lower lying parts of that sprawling city. (There may be more risk right now to Houstonians who are part of the horribly disorganized evacuation of parts of the city.) The hurricane appears set to hit in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area of far eastern Texas, near the Louisiana border. We may hope that it will decline in force to a Category 3 hurricane before it makes landfall--I gather from this morning's reports that there is some chance of that, which will make an enormous difference for the communities likely to be at the center of the storm. Meanwhile, the main effect of the impending hurricane in Austin is an influx of evacuees from Houston who are looking for a safe place to be until the storm passes. Right now, it looks like Austin will be such a place.
I've opened comments for readers in the affected areas to post pertinent information.
