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DAY
3 | Sep 24, 21:00
After a night long of suspense, I woke up from my little sleep
to find that the world outside my window was unbelievable quiet.
Couldn't believe it was that easy to get over, I switched on
CNN to learn that Rita had indeed skimmed Houston in flavor
of the eastern part of Texas and Louisiana, and caused substantial
devastation to the counties including Lake Charles and Beaumont.
It was very sad to hear that though I had a deep breath of relief
that I was still alive. Hundreds of us here were lucky to be
on the verge of being engulfed by hurricane but barely escaped
from it at the end.
Eager to know what the ferocious wind had done to the city overnight,
I took a careful stroll around the town while keeping in mind
the possibility of the return of Rita. It was always handy to
have a professional looking camera around, I managed to get
through the police barriers in the town without being questioned.
No major damage in the city except numerous uprooted trees and
broken windows. The tallest building JPMorgan Chase was the
worst hit in the list, and my company has its nearby tower suffering
a few broken glass windows as well.
Moderate breezes and drizzling continued for the whole morning,
CNN and Local 2 channels continued to keep themselves busy reporting
the directives from different county mayors, obviously all the
tiring and frustrated evacuees out there were anxiously waiting
for the green light to return home. Around 5pm the first ray
of sunlight broke through the gloomy clouds, and not soon after
the downtown was illuminated by vivid blue sky. We were all
amazed by how speedy recovery of the weather in downtown after
the torturing storm, as if nothing had happened before. The
mysterious Rita had obviously deceived all of us here with its
unpredictable nature. Whatever it is, I survived the hurricane.
My last note will be my deep appreciation to the hotel crews
who worked day and night preparing meal and serving the hundreds
of us here without any complains. They were more and more exhausted
every time I looked at them - the same people, the same enthusiasms,
and the same smiles. Thank you for helping us to get through
the difficult and unforgettable 3 days.
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Cover
| Getting Worried + Day 1 + Day
2 + Day 3 | The End |
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SEP
13, 2008. 3 years after my first encounter
with the Rita, the Hurricane Ike has gained its momentum
to Category 2 and left many people homeless in Texas.
Borrow a picture from National
Geographic News, JPMorgan Chase, the tallest building
in the Houston downtown, can be seen severely devastated
this time around, compared to the light damage shown in
my photo. The experience must be horrifying and I'm fortunate
to have escaped such a massive natural disaster.
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| National Geographic News Picture |
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