Galveston is toast. Everything between Galveston Island and South Houston is probably toast, too. I hate to see Galveston take such a hard hit because it's a beautiful old city (by Western U.S. standards) and has lots of wonderful historic buildings.

My friends in Missouri told me today that I was welcome to stay with them but the highways are so backed up I can't leave my house. I'd be on the road when the storm came through. People are nuts, too. I wouldn't want to be traveling alone when everyone is frantic to get out and knows you have all your valuables in the car.

The storm is supposed to be a Category 3 by the time it gets to my house, 70 miles inland from the gulf. Category 3 is still a pretty damned big storm. My friend in Austin said her family is thinking of going to stay with her--they are from South Houston and North Houston--but Austin is supposed to get 80 mph winds and flash-flooding, and Austin is pretty solidly land-locked.

The medical center library kicked everyone out at 3:00 today and closed the flood gates in the outer retaining walls. I don't go back to work until Monday, assuming the warehouse where my office is located still has a roof and I still have an archival collection to work on. Fingers crossed.