Galveston county Daily News, May 31, 2007 GALVESTON - Helen R. Smith has ridden through a lot of hurricanes in her 54 years as a Galveston resident. She's never evacuated. She and her family slept through Hurricane Carla, and she missed the Hurricane Rita exodus by coincidentally being out of the country when the storm made landfall. But Smith doesn't expect to be so lucky next time, and she's planning to take the advice officials handed out at Wednesday's hurricane preparedness town hall meeting. Smith was one of about 300 Galvestonians who turned out for the city's annual pre-hurricane season event. This year, local leaders highlighted the lessons learned after Hurricane Rita and the changes to the regional evacuation plan they hope will make the journey more pleasant and, most importantly, shorter. The city of Austin has agreed to shelter up to 4,000 island evacuees with special medical needs. University of Texas Medical Branch personnel will accompany residents on the chartered buses that will carry them to safety.