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.
Terrence Monroe of Port Arthur, Texas, eyes miles of traffic standing still ahead of him as he stands next to the open door of his car on U.S. 96 near Silsbee, Texas, Thursday. Photo By The Associated Press
