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An Ode to H-Town
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Sep. 22nd, 2005 | 04:47 pm
I'm not going to write in prose, so don't worry. I'm supposed to be in Houston tonight. Continental has not canceled the flight yet, but I ain't going. Stacey's PhD defense was scheduled for tomorrow, but that's not happening. The professors left in anticipation of the storm. Many of my friends in Houston have already left for higher ground. Katrina has taught us all to be proactive. I'm usually pretty laid back and optimistic, but today I say: paranoia works!
And so, three months shy of my departure from Space City, I am proactively heartbroken about my beloved city. I admit, it wasn't that beloved all the time, but it's been great to me and to Stacey, we just started to appreciate it in the last year. And now, sitting there, flat as a pancake, more helpless than a fly caught in the cobwebs of a menacing beast, it calmly waits.
It hardly seems fair that Houston should be hit by such a terrible storm. Just as Katrina has exposed weaknesses in government and disgusting behavior by certain individuals on every level, Houston's adoption of Katrina's evacuees has only demonstrated utter compassion and unconditional kindness, a perfect example of Southern hospitality. It's almost unconscionable that Houston should have to face such turmoil.
For some strange reason I feel extremely proud of Houston. I've been listening to live streaming audio from KTRH for the past two days, and the proactive regional response to Rita is just unbelievable. It seems as though some officials took a 3-week crash course in effective emergency management skills. Mayor Bill White, who I had the pleasure of meeting on a random bike ride, has really stepped up to the plate, and has really taken control of the situation. He's a lot less helpless than Nagin, who should be sharing part of the blame for the post-Katrina fiasco.
But the storm will pass. There is no doubt Houston will endure. There will be some damage, but hey, Houston never had a shortage of ongoing construction projects. We'll reschedule our visit, Stacey will get her PhD, I'll get to ride with my buddies. Motorists will still not know how to drive, the bayous will still smell, they'll never finish the Southwest Freeway I-610W interchange, and they will still serve frozen 'ritas, although they might just call them something less evocative.
And so, three months shy of my departure from Space City, I am proactively heartbroken about my beloved city. I admit, it wasn't that beloved all the time, but it's been great to me and to Stacey, we just started to appreciate it in the last year. And now, sitting there, flat as a pancake, more helpless than a fly caught in the cobwebs of a menacing beast, it calmly waits.
It hardly seems fair that Houston should be hit by such a terrible storm. Just as Katrina has exposed weaknesses in government and disgusting behavior by certain individuals on every level, Houston's adoption of Katrina's evacuees has only demonstrated utter compassion and unconditional kindness, a perfect example of Southern hospitality. It's almost unconscionable that Houston should have to face such turmoil.
For some strange reason I feel extremely proud of Houston. I've been listening to live streaming audio from KTRH for the past two days, and the proactive regional response to Rita is just unbelievable. It seems as though some officials took a 3-week crash course in effective emergency management skills. Mayor Bill White, who I had the pleasure of meeting on a random bike ride, has really stepped up to the plate, and has really taken control of the situation. He's a lot less helpless than Nagin, who should be sharing part of the blame for the post-Katrina fiasco.
But the storm will pass. There is no doubt Houston will endure. There will be some damage, but hey, Houston never had a shortage of ongoing construction projects. We'll reschedule our visit, Stacey will get her PhD, I'll get to ride with my buddies. Motorists will still not know how to drive, the bayous will still smell, they'll never finish the Southwest Freeway I-610W interchange, and they will still serve frozen 'ritas, although they might just call them something less evocative.
