On Sept. 20, 2005, my husband, Walt, and I decided that we would move from Bridge City to Abilene.

He had a job possibility that looked good, but wasn’t hired yet. It was time to stop procrastinating; with or without a job, Abilene was the closest to what we wanted in a home.

On Sept. 22, an evacuation was ordered for the area around Bridge City for the following day. We headed back to pick up our 17-year-old cat, who was being cared for by friends; they had plans to evacuate tomorrow. We would also take anything we valued most that fit in the truck. It looked like Hurricane Rita was heading for the Golden Triangle area.

Sept. 23 through the morning of the 24th — We got into Bridge City about 10 p.m. yesterday, got to bed by 1 a.m. after setting the alarm for 6 a.m. By 10:15 a.m., we were packed, had the cat in her carrying case and were heading out of the hurricane’s path. We took only one vehicle, leaving behind our 24-foot travel trailer and my car. We took off from Bridge City going along Highway 62, then Highway 87, directed by police officers at intersections. Only one way traffic was allowed, other roads had been barricaded. It was a very slow trip that ended at 3 a.m. when we were too exhausted to drive further and slept in our truck in Center for a few hours.

After hearing there were no guest rooms in Tyler, I called a Tyler motel where we had previously stayed. After a three hour wait, we were in a clean, comfortable room with a small refrigerator and microwave. They allowed the cat with a pet fee added. It was a miracle!

Sept. 24 — The day the hurricane hit the Golden Triangle area. We watched the news almost constantly, but heard nothing about Bridge City. Beaumont was hit hard.

Sept. 26 — While waiting to return to Bridge City, we found out through phone calls that it would likely be two weeks before we would be allowed in. There were no vacant motel rooms in Abilene but we got a room at the Dyess Inn. We said, “Thank you,” to the motel owner in Tyler before leaving. The hardest thing was not knowing what had happened to many of our friends from around the Golden Triangle.

Sept. 30 — After days of looking, we found a rental home with a move-in date of Oct. 4. Our small rental house in Bridge City, plus a 12 by 24 storage building were both full of furniture. We purchased a few things as we needed to get by.

Oct. 6 — I had reached the Bridge City Police Department and heard residents were allowed back in the city between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. There was no electricity, but we could get our possessions. Kind friends and relatives agreed to help us move, knowing that the only thing working would be cold water. Walt and I would stay in our home in Bridge City.

Oct. 7 — When we opened the house door, the refrigerator was running. This meant air conditioning was available! And hot water to clean out the refrigerator after the rotten food was thrown out.

Our trailer was OK, my car had only a small dent in it and our home had come through the storm fine. The roof of the storage facility where the majority of our possessions were stored had sustained major damage and leaked in water. The water damaged items sat in 90-plus degree temperatures for close to two weeks and were beyond repair. We saved articles passed on for generations in my husband’s family we hoped to restore. Our rented U-Haul was loaded with the rest of our moldy possessions, but we had to wait until he next day to get in the city dump.

Oct. 8 — Walt and our son-in-law started for the city dump before 7 a.m. The curfew was less strict now. By 4 p.m., we had everything packed that survived Rita. My daughter and her husband took the trailer to their apartment. Thanks to Mother nature’s help in cutting down on our household goods, the move was made in one trip.

Oct. 9 — We arrived with our furniture! My husband got the job in our new hometown. Our friends around Bridge City made it through the storm OK.

Sept. 2008 — We own a home in Abilene and love the area.

Mary Smith still lives in Abilene with her husband and her cat, Seuss, who is now 20 years old.