More Heartbreak in the Gulf

DALLAS, Texas -- A fire in a chartered bus filled with elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees, including some who used oxygen, killed 24 people and injuring at least one near Dallas Friday.

Authorities said the bus apparently caught fire due to a mechanical problem, and that oxygen tanks then started exploding on gridlocked Interstate 45. Dallas County Sheriff's Sgt. Don Peritz said the brakes may have been on fire, leading to the explosion.

Peritz said deputies couldn't get everyone off the flaming bus. The bus was carrying 38 residents and six employees of the Brighton Gardens nursing home in Bellaire to Plano, according to Sunrise Senior Living, the McLean, Va., company that owns the center.

They had been on the road since Thursday.

Peritz said the driver survived. "It's my understanding he went back on the bus several times to try to evacuate people," he said.

Nine burn victims, between the ages 78 and 101, were sent to Parkland Hospital, where all except one were believed to be OK with only minor burns. One woman suffered severe smoke inhalation and was in critical condition Friday morning.

Three women and one man were sent to Baylor Medical Center, where they are listed in fair condition.



Sept. 23: Water is shown rushing through a broken levee in New Orleans.

HOUSTON, Texas -- As Texas officials warned residents to prepare for the worst as Hurricane Rita and her 125-mph winds prepare to come ashore, rainwater from the storm caused more flooding in New Orleans Friday just as the devastated city was drying up from Hurricane Katrina.

"Our worst fears came true. The levee will breach if we keep on the path we are on right now, which will fill the area that was flooded earlier," said Maj. Barry Guidry with the Georgia National Guard, noting that the water was rising about three inches a minute.

By Friday, Rita had veered slightly east Friday and was headed about 75 miles east of Houston as cars crammed with evacuees jammed major arteries leading away from the Texas coast. Around 2 p.m. EDT, it was dowgraded from a Category 4 storm to a Category 3. But there are still fears the hurricane could cripple the heart of the nation's petrochemical industry that calls Texas home.

"It's a great test for the people of our state," Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Friday. "But we're going to get through this ... Be calm, be strong, say a prayer for Texas."

In New Orleans, water spilled over a patched levee and was cascading into one of the city's lowest-lying neighborhoods. The National Guard said there are three significant breaches in the city.

Dozens of blocks in the Ninth Ward were under water as a waterfall at least 30 feet wide poured over and through a dike that had been used to patch breaks in the Industrial Canal levee. On the street that runs parallel to the canal, the water ran waist-deep and was rising fast.

All of this serves as a reminder of how fragile we are. We are so powerless, compared to the awesome forces of nature.

Tragedy after tragedy seems to be engulfing the Gulf.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said, "But we're going to get through this ... Be calm, be strong, say a prayer for Texas."

And say a prayer for the people of New Orleans, as their neighborhoods flood once again.

This first full day of autumn is beautiful where I am--sunny, clear crystal blue sky, and a light, cool breeze.

To everyone enjoying the splendor of this glorious September day and looking forward to the weekend, comfortable in their homes:

Remember how greatly some members of your American family are suffering and keep them in your prayers.

Do what you can to help them. They need you.