| When Jade and Adam Hems moved to Texas from England five years ago, they thought they'd run into Texas barbecue and rodeos, but they never dreamed they'd face the possibility of a Category 5 hurricane roaring through their new home.
With news outlets advising residents to evacuate the area as Hurricane Rita set her sights on the east Texas coastline, the Hems took no chances, especially with two young daughters, Daisy, 8, and Jasmine, 9. The only hotel they found within 500 miles of Rosenberg was in Bartlesville, Okla., and they quickly grabbed one of the last rooms.
Wednesday night, they packed a few suitcases, purchased a three-gallon empty gas can for $20, packed up 36 bottles of water, some food and headed north. The Hems drove with the windows down in 100-degree weather to conserve gasoline, avoiding the major thoroughfares they heard were already gridlocked.
"Our only route to where we were going was the (Interstate) 45, and we decided to join it as far north as possible," said Hems. Luckily they had a laptop computer, a car charger, a copy of Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 and a GPS unit that adheres to a car window to calculate routes.
"We deliberately went through the tiniest, most pot-holed back roads around some of the most out-back corners of the city and actually managed to avoid most of the traffic, actually getting north of Houston until there were no more small roads left to join," said Hems.
When they got to Interstate 45, it was at the point where the contra flow lanes were opened, and they drove straight through to Dallas.
Along the way, the Hems saw quite a few stalled vehicles, and people waiting on the side of the road to wait for loved ones to catch up with them.
Eleven hours after leaving Rosenberg, they made it to Dallas. They stopped for hamburgers and then kept driving. Right before arriving at their hotel, Hems said he was pulled over by the police in a small town in Oklahoma.
When the police officer saw their Texas plates and their truck piled with suitcases, he immediately asked if they were escaping the storm. He asked them about the traffic on the way, and then told Hems to wait.
"A moment later, the officer returned with two soft Teddy bears, explaining they were for the girls," said Hems. "He wished us luck and safe passage to where we were going and didn't mention anything about a ticket. We were so tired, and that little bit of kindness helped us finish our trip."
At 2 a.m., they arrived in Oklahoma, tired but happy they are safe.
"We'd do it again, but the next time, we'll be better prepared and we'll leave earlier," said Hems.
The Burkes
After living in Louisiana for years, Dan and Bobbe Burke were accustomed to preparing for storms. After Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana coast, Dan Burke's sister and husband, Peg and Bill Wheatley, have been living with them as their home in New Orleans' Garden District sustained ceiling and roof damage.
As Hurricane Rita garnered strength in the Gulf of Mexico, the Burkes kept a wary eye on the storm from a vantage point in Indiana where they were visiting Bobbe's mother.
They decided to fly back a week early, and arrived at Houston's Intercontinental airport Wednesday night. The next morning, the Burkes and Wheatleys planned to head west to Schertz near San Antonio to stay with the Burke's daughter.
They prepared for the storm, gathering important documents and securing outside furniture.
At 4 a.m. Thursday, the Burkes and the Wheatleys left the Burke's home in Greatwood in separate cars, and they said Highway 59 south was already a "parking lot." They decided to drive to San Antonio by heading west on Highway 90A and then enter Interstate 10 west at the first opportunity.
"We headed north on the Grand Parkway to get to 90A, and it was moving," said Dan Burke. But they didn't get far. They exited on Highway 90A and it took them 2.5 hours to get to Rosenberg, a trip that normally takes them 15 minutes.
They headed south in Richmond and took Highway 59 South. Traffic was moving until they got to Beasley where there was a one-lane closure for approximately a tenth of a mile, said Burke.
"After we got through Beasley, it opened up," he said. They knew they needed to avoid the main arteries, so they drove through Edna and took secondary highways, including a drive through Gonzales, to their daughter's home.
"It took us eight and a half hours for a trip that normally takes us two and a half hours," he said, and they were exhausted when they arrived.
Burke said they feel they made the right decision to evacuate, especially as the storm was originally headed straight for the Houston area when they pulled out of their driveway in Greatwood.
"We couldn't be more pleased the Lord spared us," said Burke. If a similar situation occurs, Burke said they would probably leave a day sooner, but the safety of their family was their first priority.
The Richards
Amanda and Chris Richards live in Waterside Estates, minutes from the entrance to the Grand Parkway. Amanda, 27, is a native of Louisiana, and facing hurricanes is familiar for her. However, facing a Category 5 hurricane caused the Richards to pack up and head north, deciding to use the back roads instead of the congested main highways.
They packed their vehicle with some clothes, two dogs and "a screaming cat," she said, and thought by leaving at 4 a.m. Thursday, they could beat the anticipated traffic jam.
However, when they got on the Grand Parkway, they couldn't believe what they were seeing -- traffic was backed up as far as they could see. The Richards managed to get onto the Grand Parkway, but two and a half hours later, they were only at the Cinco Ranch exit, a trip that normally takes them minutes.
During those two hours, Amanda Richards said they saw quite a few instances of road rage as well as people pulling onto the shoulder of the road to keep motorists from speeding past patient motorists.
They saw people pulling boats stranded, and vehicles with the passengers standing by the car, jumper cables in hand.
Deciding they might be safer at home, they took the Cinco Ranch exit, turned south, and were back home in four minutes. Amanda Richards said they felt they were making the right decision at the time, and they are thankful the hurricane took a different direction.
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