PAUL SANCYA
A pedestrian walks between traffic with a tool box trying to locate a motorist on northbound Interstate 45 in Houston on Thursday. Traffic throughout the Houston area was very heavy as residents left town before Hurricane Rita arrived. Photo By The Assoc
A band of drizzling rain started falling from Baton Rouge’s gray skies around 5 p.m. Thursday and reminded area residents that Hurricane Rita was on her way.
Motorists along major thoroughfares such as U.S. I-10 and I-45 gritted teeth while they drove in gridlock. One motorist complained it took her 16 hours to get from Houston to central Louisiana, a drive that usually takes four hours.
Rita is expected to make landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border coastline early Saturday morning.