Rita coming, Indians flee Houston

For the last two weeks, Dhiraj Rathi has been assisting Hurricane Katrina victims from neighboring New Orleans and other cities at various &...

For the last two weeks, Dhiraj Rathi has been assisting Hurricane Katrina victims from neighboring New Orleans and other cities at various ‘evacuee’ centres here.

On Wednesday night, the chief coordinator volunteer among Indians for Katrina relief operation in Houston was awake again—this time, packing his bags and stuffing them in his car. He was readying to become an evacuee himself. ‘‘I will drive as far and as fast as possible to escape Hurricane Rita,’’ Rathi told The Indian Express.

This is the story of the Indian community in Houston. Be it Randhir Sinha, an eminent neurosurgeon at Lake City or Kamlesh Lulla at NASA headquarters and students at the University of Houston, almost every Indian has left the city or is preparing to leave.

Some were lucky to have friends and relatives in other parts of the US, but a majority left for unknown destinations facing an ‘‘uncertain future’’. Even the Indian Consulate in Houston is readying to relocate to a safer city after the announcement that Rita is the third most intensive hurricane in US history.

‘‘We have prepared a contingency plan,’’ Consul General S M Gavai told The Indian Express. The Consulate has requested Houston city to provide it two buses to evacuate 50 families to either Dallas or Austin—Texas cities where they have identified shelters. ‘‘From a good host to unwilling guest,’’ says S Kannappan. An active community leader who took part in the Katrina relief mission, he packed his bag on Wednesday night for College Station, 164 miles away to stay with his son.

A Houston resident for over 30 years, Kannappan says it’s not safe to stay in the city, where Hurricane Rita is expected to hit at a devastating 160 miles an hour anytime after Friday evening. ‘‘It is going to be catastrophic,’’ he said. ‘‘Simply run away, as far as you can,’’ is his advice to the community through his popular e-news letter. Kannappan says the community leadership decided to give $500 per family to Indians who had no resources to escape Rita. ‘‘The money was collected for victims of Katrina. Now, it is being used to help ourselves.’’