I work for "da phone co" We have a board where we can share info about Rita and Katrina. We sent technicians from all other states and they working 12 hour days restoring the network, one tech took the time to write:

"I traveled in a company truck today. Every Telephone office that is working, is running on back up generators. I traveled to Silsbee, Lumberton, Beaumont, Nederland Port Arthur, Bridge City, Orange Field.

The wind damage was all north wind or north east wind. Lousianna got it worse than we did, and we got it bad.

Brookshire Brothers in Silsbee heavily damaged.

Small transmission lines down in Lumberton and Beaumont.

Major (big metal tower) transmission lines down in Nederland.

Port Arthur just torn up bad. Under pass flooded at Memorial

Hwy 73 east bound flooded west of the Orange bridge.

Leaving Bridge City on 1442 almost every tree was down across the road.

At least three major downed power lines. I doubt that the Sabine power plant can deliver power to anyone.

Most of the oaks in my yard are down. One hit the house. It broke through my son's room. I wonder how Allstate will fix it. That is pretty good considering the whole house could have been crushed.

I saw pines, big ones snapped off twenty feet in the air, a few pushed over at ground level. I was taught that could not happen because of the tap root.

Wrong!

Do not return. There is no water in any city. Many of the power lines hang down across the road. There are trees across the road, and I am hungery and getting tired of cooking my own meals.

However, I think I'll cook a steak with bell peppers and onions and Tony's

Cheers gotta eat"

so T&P for our TE Rita area members.