My Rita time line from Baytown...

[TexasSam]

First I have to say that this last week has seemed more like a month!
Sunday - Tuesday- Started watching the storm.
Wednesday - Got my food and Gas. (though the storm would pass way south of me).
Thursday - Early morning had to go to the store again because I forgot the cat food, litter. People looked all freaked out at the store.
That night in a long phone call to my sister the strom track changed to right over my house as a Cat. 5.
My sister and I looked on the internet for a hotel/motel room we found NOTHING.
Friday- Early morning got our stuff ready to go any place but here. got packed up, and got a call from the neighbors that had got 30 miles down the road, in 4 hours. At that time the storm track had changed again east. The neighbors came back from there 4 hour ride in 20 min.
At this point we decided we would have to ride this storm out.
Friday Noon. Wind started to pick up.
Friday 4PM Light rain started.
Friday 8PM High Wind Started.
Friday 10PM Power goes out.
Sat. 3AM real high winds
Sat. 6AM Winds let up.
Sat. 1PM Huge aircraft start to come in to land at Ellington.
Sat. 4PM Rain ends
Sat. 6pm Clear sky
Sat. 8PM No wind and no power. Made for a dark and hot night.
Sun. 1AM went to sleep.
Sun. 8am Woke up to Aircraft.
Sun. 9AM power people every where!
Sun. 10 - Noon. power blinks on about every half hour.
Sun. 12:30pm I have full power! the AC is working!
Sun. 2:00PM the neighbor and I find a store to get beer!
Sun. 7:00PM the house is cool, the dogs & cats are all passed out.

This has been a interesting time, but if this ever happens again I'm going to leave this place before it even gets close. I have never been so hot and tired in my life. I have never had so many bug bites in my life.
My House has some minor roof damage, and a few large tree limbs down.

[arkess7]

well have a beer on me......so glad you have power now and everyone is safe!!!!

[Javlin]

And that was the easy part Sam.I had an old man tell me one time that after Camille that there were no mosquitoes.I sat there and thought you know I think your right I was a liitle boy (9) and play outside alot do not remember any mosquitoes.So I thought have to wait for another one to see if I remembered it right.Sure enough after Katrina for two weeks no power slept outside alot on the porch me,the dog and the M1 carbine but no damn mosquitoes.I got bit twice in two weeks.There is still not that many mosquitoes might have something to do with wind for sure but maybe that saltwater surge in fresh water killing the eggs.This was one positive out of the storm to me.Gald to hear she weaken and things are fine .

[MGC]

You forget those darn flies that bite Javlin. OFF don't stop em.....MGC

[Javlin]

You ain't kiddi'n.Like normal flies and I hate to say this but they have have been eating some kind of decomposing flesh of some type and you now become game.I had a GFD guy tell me they had become so big and fat in that area you could catch them in mid-flight.