Rita Heads to Texas, Louisiana; Highways Gridlocked

Rita Heads to Texas, Louisiana; Highways Gridlocked

Hurricane Rita, with winds of 140 mph, headed toward the Texas-Louisiana border as more than a million residents of coastal towns along the Gulf Coast tried to find higher ground, creating gridlock on highways inland.
Texas highways were backed up for miles and gasoline was in scarce supply as people evacuated low-lying areas of Houston and other cities. At least 24 nursing home residents were killed when their bus was destroyed by fire on Interstate 45 near Dallas.
Officials including Houston Mayor Bill White cautioned people who haven't evacuated yet to stay home because of the gridlock on area roads. He said he fears residents will be stuck on the side of the road when Rita hits. Officials are trying to get people off the roads to a safe place.
``I'm not telling people there is a safe place or a guaranteed place for their safety,'' White said. ``There are things that could pose greater risks to people in a shelter situation or those en route to shelters. We are not encouraging the general public to go on the streets looking for a shelter.''
President George W. Bush will visit San Antonio today to meet with emergency officials preparing for Rita's arrival after the government was criticized for its Katrina response.