Houston and the immediate surrounding communities might be sorted out enough to start taking their folks back, but they are still discouraging a return to the Beaumont area because electricity is a short commodity at the moment. In fact, one report that I saw just now says that electricity won't be totally restored in the Beaumont area for another month.

Now, I understand the desire to want to go back home...to know what to expect next...to know what might be waiting for you when you return, after all I saw it all before when we volunteered for the Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina so I am not without compassion because I've seen the anguish it causes first-hand, but it is really hard to commiserate with some of the refugee reports I'm seeing coming out of the shelters here in Austin. One woman actually said, "I'd rather be set down on my couch and the rest of my sh*t floating in Galveston Bay than have to spend another night here." You're kidding me right? No fresh water, no electricity, no medical services, no shelter, no food, no toilets, and no way to clean yourself up, but plenty of mosquitos, trash, debris, and other sordid crap to wade through... but yes, set my a** down on my floating couch in the middle of Galveston Bay for God's sake so I can get out of this air-conditioned building that has all of the above. Holy cow. They honestly can have no idea what is involved in a natural disaster of this magnitude.

They will rebuild it all, in time, no doubt in my mind at all about that.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]