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[SlaveNoMore]

Replaced_Texan
Evacuated. Unbelievably happy my brother and I had the "what to do when aliens/terrorists/hurrianes attack" conversation in July, because our discussion of the back roads turned a potential 14 hour car ride into a 4 and a half hour one (usually an hour and a half).

Am at the Austin Bergstrom airport taking advantage of wifi while waiting for balt to get here for ACL. Have seen a lot of guitars come through and a lot of hipster kids. ACL has a booth downstairs with volunteers handing out schedule grids. I was glad to take one because I forgot to print mine out when I left yesterday. I remembered my home owners insurance policy, so I guess that's something.

We passed the highways a few times last night, and I was stuck on one briefly this afternoon when driving to Austin. I got here three hours early because I had no idea how long the normally 45 minute trip would take. It took three hours. Going four miles an hour sucks under normal circumstances, but going four miles an hour when you have no idea if you'll ever crest 10 is nearly unbearable. I had to do it for about ten miles today. Ugh.

Lots of cars on the side of the road. Nearly every gas station has at least 20 cars waiting to fill up. People creating lanes and using the shoulders to drive on. No real testiness that I could tell, but I didn't have to endure it for too long.

Having a personal on-star system in the form of a lawyer in chicago with access to google maps detailing the backroads, rocks. Even if cell service was sort of spotty.

At one point, I turned off my A/C because I was slightly concerned about when I'd next get gas. It was 100 degrees today. That sucked.

From what I hear, it looks like my house will be ok, though I'm still not sure about the pecan tree. We're supposed to check in on Sunday to see if there's work on Monday. Heh. I'll get there if I get there.

So does this make the Drive-bys vs. Widespread coinflip moot?

• Latest News on Hurricane Rita & ACL
  
  The show is on. Thank you for hanging in there with us while we've watched the progress of Hurricane Rita. The meteorologists we have consulted with advised us to wait until 48 hours before expected landfall in order to get the most accurate look at the storm's track. As you may have already heard, the latest report from the National Weather Service shows Rita shifting further east than originally predicted, placing Austin outside the range of severe weather related to the hurricane. Therefore, we are planning to go forward with the Festival as originally planned.
  
  The forecast now calls for mostly sunny weather on Friday with a high near 100. A 20 to 30 percent chance of rain is predicted for Saturday and Sunday with winds around 15 to 20 mph and overall cooler temperatures.
  
  Regardless of the nice weather we are now expecting, we are continuing to monitor the hurricane very closely. The safety of our fans, the musicians and our crew is our top priority, and we are working with the city to make sure we are prepared for every contingency. Should anything change, we will post updates on our web site and coordinate with the media to disseminate information as quickly as possible.
  
  In addition to the weather, many of you have been wondering about ticket refunds, hotel availability, artist cancellations, etc. Thank you for your patience while we wade through the pile of emails. In the meantime, we will be posting replies to the most frequently asked questions on our web site on Friday morning.