Did you hate the Hurricane Rita traffic?

Here's an opportunity to let the county government know about your experiences during Katrina and Rita. Go to County Judge Robert Eckels' web site and click on "I want to take the Katrina/Rita survey."

Here's the purpose, per Eckels' website:

"We need to document and learn from the incredible story that unfolded in Harris County," said Judge Eckels. "Working together, we had an enormous impact on the lives of the people of Louisiana who were driven from their homes by Hurricane Katrina. Then between 2 to 3 million people fled Brazoria, Galveston, and parts of Harris counties seeking safety from Hurricane Rita. There are lessons to be learned from both operations and we don't want to leave any stone unturned."

I took the survey, and it's mainly a census of who evacuated, from where, and how long it took. This kind of polling has already been done, in a more scientific way, by the Houston Chronicle and other outlets.

Therefore the real opportunity here is to directly communicate your thoughts and suggestions for how county officials can better deal with future hurricanes. Here's hoping those officials and their staffs take the time to read them and publish some kind of response.