Cars are bumper to bumper on Interstate 45 near downtown Houston on Thursday, Sept. 22
HOUSTON - Hurricane Rita roared toward the Texas and Louisiana coasts early Friday, a major Category 4 storm that spurred a traffic-snarled exodus toward higher ground and fears it could cripple the heart of the nation's petrochemical industry.
Forecasters said it appeared Houston and Galveston could avoid a direct hit as Rita veered slightly to the east, threatening its 140 mph winds at the Beaumont and Port Arthur area about 75 miles east of Houston. An 8 a.m. EDT advisory from the National Hurricane Center said the winds remained at 140 mph.
The unprecedented flight from the flood-prone Houston area left clogged highways at a near standstill, frustrating hundreds of thousands of people whose cars and tempers were overheating.
"It can't get much worse, 100 yards an hour," steamed Willie Bayer, 70, who was trying to get to Sulphur Springs in far northeast Texas. "It's frustrating...
