rita quotables:

"Hundreds of thousands of people in Texas and Louisiana headed inland today as Hurricane Rita moved toward the Gulf Coast. But many weren't getting far. Houston resident Tim Conklin said he had been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic for 13 hours and made it only 48 miles. On the main road between Houston and Austin, people were pushing their cars and minivans to save gas."

"Hoping to speed the evacuation ahead of Hurricane Rita's arrival, authorities are opening the incoming lanes of three major Houston highways to outbound traffic for the first time ever: I-45 and U.S. 290 this morning and I-10 later today."

"All along the way, cars were pulled off on the shoulder with drivers sleeping. They had their doors open with one foot hanging out of the car. Traffic was so bad on 10 that people were just stopped and out walking their dogs."

"I've been calling since yesterday morning all the way up to about 1 this morning. No vacancies anywhere," he said. "I checked all the way from here to Del Rio to Eagle Pass. I called as far as Lufkin, San Marcos, San Angelo. The only place I didn't call was El Paso. By the time you reach El Paso, it's almost time to turn back."

(on 1961 hurricane carla) "What I distinctly remember is rain blowing horizontal," she said. "It soaked through the bricks. The Sheetrock got wet."

"The Galleria Shopping Mall, close to where I live, will be closing its doors before the weekend. You have to understand, the Galleria never closes."