Now that Hurricane Rita has passed and life in Galveston County is creeping back to normal, The Daily News wants to know which memories you’ll take from the storm.
We, like you, have our own stories. And we’d like to share a few with you.
We remember the onslaught of fear that came with the reality that a monster storm was rumbling toward us. We remember the terrifying prospect of losing our homes, our families, our friends.
We remember taking hours-long treks to different parts of the state, being split from our colleagues and desperately trying to balance the need to make sure our loved ones were OK with the need to publish a newspaper and fulfill our obligations to keep you informed.
We watched in sadness as some of our favorite places to eat, gather with friends and shop were damaged by the storm.
We remember, too, the disconcerting feeling of returning to our homes on vacant streets and boarded-up storefronts.
But there are other memories as well.
We remember the ear-splitting cacophony of several cell phones ringing at the same time, bringing us updates from our colleagues in Galveston County and across the state.
We remember working with our reporters, copy editors, pressmen and IT staff in New Braunfels, Seguin, Houston and Galveston County, as well as those at our sister papers, to make sure the newspaper got published.
We remember searching for an Internet connection, and setting up The Daily News’ copy desk in our publisher’s dining room, laying out pages and proofreading pages without a functioning printer.
Mostly, though, we remember a feeling of family and togetherness that comes from being united — even while we were scattered across Texas — in an effort to bring you the news against all odds.
Those are our stories. Now we want to hear yours.
Readers who’d like to submit one may do so by writing ritastories@ galvnews.com.
Photographs may be submitted in JPEG format.
The deadline is noon Sunday.
The Daily News will publish a selection of these stories in a special section that will be published Oct. 8.
Share your stories and your pictures with us and other readers. That sharing is what makes us a community.
