Storm trooper: Elise McCarthy has already filled her bath with water, stockpiled crackers, tinned food and soup and boarded up the windows of her Houston apartment.
Now the anthropology student from Clonakilty, Co Cork, can only sit and wait for Hurricane Rita to come ashore.
"I'm feeling a little nervous but also curious, although I know people who have been through hurricanes say that once is enough for them," she said.
Ms McCarthy (32) has chosen to stay at her home in a relatively safe part of Houston rather than join the hundreds of thousands who have jammed the highways. Many have left for Dallas or farther north to escape the storm.
Filling the bath ensures a water supply to flush toilets and bathe if utilities go down once the storm hits.
Local authorities have told those staying to acquire food and water for at least three days.
