Mattsapundit suspends Houston operations

Here's the skinny on Hurricane Rita, who's turning out to be a real bitch:

• 175 mph sustained winds, gusting to 215
• Central pressure of 897 millibars (third lowest Atlantic storm ever)
• Up to 15 inches of rain

Doesn't sound like too much fun. Accordingly, your humble correspondent will be packing up and heading out to the Mattsapundit Emergency Operations Center outside of Sheridan, Texas, some 70 miles west of my beloved Bayou City. My dad and sister are already out there, with the rest of the family to follow. I cannot stress this enough: GET THE HELL OUT OF HOUSTON. In 175 mph winds, ordinarily docile objects like stop signs do extraordinary things, like dice people into chunky salsa. I'll keep y'all posted, but I don't know how many full-fledged blog posts I'll be able to sling up. Odds are it'll mostly be via Audioblogger. Stay tuned, folks. A prayer would help, too.