Roof Damage in Lafayette

My mom called me one hour ago at 5:00 AM to tell me that the tree that fell before 12:30 AM had caused some roof damage to the house. Garrett had discovered a leak in the roof that is allowing one to two cups of water per minute to flow into the house between the walls of Travis' room and my room. He and Nicole have moved everything of value (i.e., family pictures and his computer) to the front of the house.

I have spoken to Garrett a couple of times now and we have coordinated shutting off the power to all the bedrooms to reduce the risk of an electrical fire. Although they still have electricity, he moved all of his computer equipment out of his room and has not reconnected. They also no longer have cable TV so they are without news information. I'm not sure how long he and Nicole have been moving things, but he was unaware that Rita has made landfall. From our discussion though, it seems like the worst of it may indeed be over for Lafayette however just as last night's tornado watch was expiring, a new watch was issued through this evening. So that will be the biggest concern over the next several hours.

Garrett plans to survey the damage and take pictures as soon as there is enough daylight and the wind has calmed enough to avoid flying debris. I'm not sure when me family will get to see the pictures seeing as how internet service will be interrupted until cable TV is restored. My mom and dad seem adamant about driving to Lafayette as soon as the "all clear" is given in a day or so. And honestly, it might be better for them to head east for a few days rather than fight more gridlock as 2 million people return to the Houston area later this weekend.