The Rice University Neologisms Database

Referring to the mass evacuation (exodus) of Eastern Texas, especially the Houston area, before Hurricane Rita struck in September 2005. Having a single word to describe the events occuring in Texas before Hurricane Rita struck is certainly convenient. The word exodus carries connotations of a large-scale, almost epic, sort of migration - descriptive of the millions of Texans which decided to flee the Houston/Galveston area to escape possible injury from the hurricane. Exoduses are also thought of being painful and burdensome - fitting for what happened before the hurricane struck, with thousands stuck in long traffic jams, shortages of essential items like water, and astronomically-high gas prices. The shared 'ex' allows the blended word to flow naturally. Phonetically, the only difference between exodus and Texodus is the beginning t, which doesn’t make the word any harder to pronounce than exodus.