I think I should mention a few facts about Texas for those people that aren't all that familiar with the place.
Every form of poisonous plant, venomous snake, or lethal insect in North America has some members of their species living in Texas. (Yes, including liberals and Democrats.) Most dangerous animals also live here, including feral hogs, alligators, and bears.
Texas is subject to every form of natural disaster found in North America except the avalanche and the volcanic eruption, and I'm sure that if we give nature enough time she'll figure out some way to send us those, too. We get bitterly cold (even by Canadian standards) winters up in the Panhandle; we get earthquakes in Fort Worth; we get wildfires in the central portion of the state. We have West Texas, which is second only to Death Valley and certain parts of Arizona in terms of heat and the number of people it kills.
Accordingly, disaster and danger are not unfamiliar visitors to Texas. We deal with it on a daily basis. This is life in this state, for good or ill, and it requires people that help their neighbors and band together for the common good. Failure to do so can be fatal for everyone concerned. Waiting for someone else to come bail you out can be fatal in Texas, and everyone knows it. You have to be able to deal with catastrophic problems either on your own or in company with your neighbors. You help those that can't, for whatever reason, because next time it could be you, and you know the cavalry isn't going to come in the nick of time and save the day.
This is part of why Texans are the way we are.
Amen.
My daughter is pulling at me to go to the local pumpkin patch to hunt us up a couple good 'uns ... so this will be my only post for a while...
I found the stories I wanted to see:
Oil industry escapes serious damage from Rita
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9464364/
Crude futures fall in rare Sunday trading
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5612507/
All is well ... (except in LA ...)