Burnt Orange Report

Galveston Prepares for Evacuation

By Phillip Martin

The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Galveston's mayor will call for a 2pm voluntary evacuation of its citizens on Tuesday if Hurricane Rita continues on its path towards the Texas gulf coast. From the article:

More than 80 city and Galveston school district buses are ready to evacuate people who lack transportation beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Thomas said.

Galveston County Judge Jim Yarbrough urged caution during a news conference Monday. "We've been down these roads before," he said. "There's no reason to panic."

But state officials, mindful of criticism that government faltering cost lives in Hurricane Katrina, hurried to assure Texans the state is prepared if Rita hits the coast.

"With the potential of another major hurricane forming in the Gulf of Mexico and threatening the Texas coast, the time is now to begin mobilizing our resources and implementing our plan to ensure an orderly response before Texas is hit," Perry said.