Thread: Rita Strengthens, Heads Toward Texas Coast

Looks like it is going to be another big one if it hits the United States. Two devasting hurricanes hitting the United States in under a month. How much more can we take?

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Rita Strengthens, Heads Toward Texas Coast
Storm Carries Winds Of 175 MPH; Hurricane Watch Issued

UPDATED: 9:47 pm PDT September 21, 2005

HOUSTON -- Hurricane Rita is now a top-of-the-scale, "potentially catastrophic" Category 5 storm, packing winds of 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters said the storm could be the most intense hurricane on record to ever hit Texas. There's also concern that Rita, still about two days away from the Gulf Coast, could turn out to be one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the U.S. mainland.

Currently it's the third strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.

A hurricane watch has been issued from Port Mansfield, Texas, to Cameron, La., and a tropical storm watch has been issued for east of Cameron to Grand Isle, La., and from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville, Texas. A tropical storm watch is also in effect for the northeast coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward.

Mandatory evacuation orders currently cover all of Galveston, Texas, low-lying sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly empty New Orleans. In all, about 1 million people along the Gulf Coast have been told to get moving.

In Galveston, buses bound for inland shelters began transporting the elderly and others needing help on Wednesday morning.

The hurricane is expected to make landfall along the central Texas coast sometime Saturday, but even a slight turn to the right could deal a devastating blow to New Orleans.

At 10 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, the eye of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 24.6 north, longitude 87.2 west or about 570 miles east-southeast of Galveston, Texas, and about 670 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas. Rita is moving toward the west near 13 mph, and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours.

Some fluctuations in the storm's intensity are likely during the next 24 hours.

The Army Corps of Engineers is racing to shore up the levee system in New Orleans. There are concerns that additional rain could swamp the walls that have just been built back up, and the city could flood again.

Galveston's mayor said Wednesday morning's evacuations went smoothly. She said people have been calm, and there's been enough room for them to take "their dog crates, their cat crates, their shopping carts."

Public housing residents are among those being bused, and Galveston officials promise none will be left behind. The city manager counts plenty of buses, and vows to keep them ready for all who need them until "the bitter end."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said, "There's no need to panic," but people should start getting out of Hurricane Rita's path.

He's urging people in vulnerable areas to follow warnings and get out even in areas where there's no mandatory evacuation order. He says people along the coast should leave Wednesday, because Thursday may be too late.

"Homes and businesses can be rebuilt -- lives cannot," Perry said.

Houston Mayor Bill White said people living in areas prone to flooding or threatened by a storm surge should plan to leave. He also urged evacuation for people in mobile homes or other buildings that "common sense" would indicate are too weak for the storm.

White said businesses and schools should plan to be closed Thursday and Friday to enable people to leave.

The mayor said the government doesn't have the capacity to evacuate everyone, so people should help one another. He added that "neighbor caring for neighbor" is the first line of defense.

White said anyone who doesn't have a car or way to get out should reach out to friends, family or neighbors, and added anyone who still can't find a ride should contact the government for help.

Texas officials have asked New Mexico's Office of Homeland Security to take hundreds, perhaps even 1,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, as the Gulf region braces for Rita's potential landfall.

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT ... -loop.html

Yet some of these idiots are choosing to remain in the area instead of evacuating. Unbelieveable and they will be the same people to b--ch about how the government is doing nothing to help them out. Some people learn nothing from nothing. I guess they were living under a rock when Katrina hit. Well if these people are dumb enough to remain in the area after all of the Katrina coverage then I say they will get what they deserve and I don't feel sorry for them one bit. I will not complain about the Bush administration doing nothing this time. I'm sorry, but you can't rely on the federal government to do everything including your thinking for you. You can't rely on them for every hand out in the book and for them to hold your hand on every little thing. Take some freaking responsibility for your own actions you stupid sheeple. I'm not defending the incompetent Bush, but you can't blame him for the stupidity of some really dumb people who are just begging to become eligible for the Darwin award.

Yeah stay in the area of a Cat 5 people, but I don't want to hear you morons complain one damn bit when the inevitable happens. You stay, you deserve to pay the consquences.

Right, Dman1200. The mental attitude of waiting for the government to "save them" is going to result in many deaths. People have to learn the meaning of the words "mandatory evacuation" if they want to stay alive, and the meaning of the words board up and prepare if you are not in an evacuation area. Prepare for several days of being on your own.

Once when we were told to evacuate for a pretty minimal hurricane, my husband and I were discussing the fact that we felt pretty sure that it would be okay for us to stay. Our children asked, "well, if you think it's okay for us to stay, why are we leaving?" We said, "because of you kids."
We told them to stay with kids could be considered "negligence" if something bad were to happen. I don't really think it would happen, but maybe it should when adults fail to evacuate when there are children involved.

I saw a couple last week who evacuted the Keys for Rita. They were staying in their car. Probably couldn't find a hotel. They were nibbling on their hurricane food and parked at a grocery store. It was obvious because of the county on their licence plate, and the back of the car was filled with belongings. But I thought, "good for them, they got out". They seemed pretty happy too. EVEN if you have to sleep in a car the goal is to get out of the path of the core of the hurricane. I was proud of them, and decided if it were necessary that's what we will do. It can be hard to find hotels, last year we could only get a hotel in NE Alabama all the way from south Florida. So a car could in some cases be the only choice. It beats drowning.

It appears people are trying to evacuate but the big problem preventing it are the huge traffic jams. Also they are starting to have fuel shortages making the situation even worse. Some may be forced to ride out the storm simply because they couldn't leave the area.

http://www.10news.com

Rita Evacuees Jam Texas Highways
Storm Carries Winds Of 165 MPH; Hurricane Watch Issued

UPDATED: 9:05 am PDT September 22, 2005

GALVESTON, Texas -- Highways are jammed for up to 100 miles in the Houston area as residents in the path of Hurricane Rita stream away from the Gulf Coast.

Forecasters said the storm could be the most intense hurricane on record to ever hit Texas, and there's also concern that Rita, still about two days away from the Gulf Coast, could turn out to be one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the U.S. mainland. It's currently the third strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has ordered southbound traffic on Interstate 45 shut down and all eight lanes redirected north for 125 miles. Texas officials said that's a first.

One Houston resident tried to evacuate Thursday morning, but turned back after moving only six miles in two hours and 45 minutes.

Trazanna Moreno said she's heard radio reports of people running out of gas on the highway, and she didn't want to be stuck in the storm in her SUV "in the middle of nowhere." Instead, she headed back to her southwest Houston neighborhood that doesn't expect any flooding.

Near the upper Texas coast, there's more of the same. It's been a sea of brake lights heading away from the area, which includes Galveston. Galveston's mayor said the island city is running short of evacuation buses and warns that stragglers may be on their own.

The Category 5 storm and its 165-mph winds are expected to slam into the Gulf Coast Saturday.

The U.S. mainland has been hit by Category 5 hurricanes only three times in recorded history. The most recent one was Andrew, which crashed into South Florida in 1992. And the United States has never been hit by both a Category 5 and a Category 4 hurricane in the same Atlantic storm season.

Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi, was a Category 4 when it struck at the end of August.

Meanwhile, Texas interstates are nearly at a standstill and gasoline shortages are already being reported as hundreds of thousands of people try to escape Hurricane Rita.

Near Houston, the traffic jam is reported to be up to 100 miles long. Gov. Rick Perry has ordered southbound traffic on Interstate 45 shut down and all eight lanes redirected north for 125 miles. Texas officials said that's a first.

Houston Mayor Bill White said decisions will be made later on east-west interstates, and local officials said people who don't attempt to get out won't be rescued.

Near the upper Texas coast, there's more of the same. It's been a sea of brake lights heading away from the area, which includes Galveston. Galveston's mayor said the island city is running short of evacuation buses and warns that stragglers may be on their own.

At 10 a.m. CDT, the eye of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 25.4 north, longitude 88.7 west or about 460 miles southeast of Galveston and about 445 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas. Rita is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph, and a gradual turn to the northwest is expected during the next 24 to 36 hours.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 165 mph, with higher gusts. Some slight weakening is forecast during the next 24 hours, but Rita is expected to remain an extremely dangerous hurricane. Heavy rain from Rita should be hitting the western and central Gulf Coast by Thursday night, with eventual accumulations of a foot or more.

Coastal storm surge flooding of 15 to 20 feet above normal tide levels, along with large and dangerous battering waves, can be expected near and to the right of where the center makes landfall. Tides are currently running about 1 foot above normal along the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts in the areas affected by Katrina. Tides in those areas will increase up to 3 to 4 feet and be accompanied by large waves, and residents there could experience some coastal flooding.

Rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches with isolated maximum 15 inch total are possible along the path of Rita, particularly over southeast Texas and western Louisiana. In addition, rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches are possible over southeastern Louisiana, including New Orleans. Based on the forecast track, rainfall totals in excess of 25 inches are possible after Rita moves inland.

The Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, hammered by Hurricane Katrina, could be in for more flooding, but Texas should get the worst of it.

A hurricane warning has been issued from Port O'Connor, Texas, to Morgan City, La., and a tropical storm warning has been issued from south of Port O'Connor to Port Mansfield, Texas. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the southeastern coast of Louisiana, east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Mississippi River.

A tropical storm watch has been issued from north of the mouth of the Mississippi River to the mouth of the Pearl River, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain. A tropical storm watch remains in effect from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville, Texas, and for the northeastern coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward to the Rio Grande.

Mandatory evacuation orders currently cover all of Galveston, Texas, low-lying sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly empty New Orleans. In all, about 1 million people along the Gulf Coast have been told to get moving.

The Army Corps of Engineers is racing to shore up the levee system in New Orleans. There are concerns that additional rain could swamp the walls that have just been built back up, and the city could flood again.

Houston Mayor Bill White said people living in areas prone to flooding or threatened by a storm surge should plan to leave. He also urged evacuation for people in mobile homes or other buildings that "common sense" would indicate are too weak for the storm.

White said businesses and schools should plan to be closed Thursday and Friday to enable people to leave.

The mayor said the government doesn't have the capacity to evacuate everyone, so people should help one another. He added that "neighbor caring for neighbor" is the first line of defense.

White said anyone who doesn't have a car or way to get out should reach out to friends, family or neighbors, and added anyone who still can't find a ride should contact the government for help.

Texas officials have asked New Mexico's Office of Homeland Security to take hundreds, perhaps even 1,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, as the Gulf region braces for Rita's potential landfall.

Rita Gives Gov't Second Chance To Get It Right

The Bush administration is vowing to be more prepared for Hurricane Rita than it was for Hurricane Katrina.

Politicians are reading from their pre-Hurricane Katrina scripts as they brace for Rita -- and an unwelcome second chance to get it right.

President George W. Bush is getting constant updates on the latest storm and on federal efforts to get ready.

The Homeland Security Department has declared it an "incident of national significance," clearing the way for a quick and massive federal response.

The government is already rushing rescue teams, evacuation buses and hospital beds to the region.

Federal, state and city officials pledge not to repeat lethal errors made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Disaster-relief experts cite three reasons for hope:

Stung by Katrina, the Bush administration is more deeply engaged in preparations for Rita than it was for the earlier storm
State officials in Texas have more assets than their Gulf Coast counterparts
And Katrina has taught every level of government lessons in disaster management.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan says the federal government would be better prepared and in better position to respond to Hurricane Rita.

The Associated Press reports government officials hope not to repeat the following errors:

Food and other supplies trickled into the Gulf Coast for Katrina. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff says helicopters are standing by to ship in relief this time.
Lawlessness broke out in New Orleans.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has 5,000 National Guard troops and 1,000 Department of Safety troopers positioned.
The Bush administration was reluctant to use its authority to deploy federal troops into the Gulf Coast. It may be quicker on the draw this time.
There was a leadership gap. While deep systemic problems contributed to the problem, the administration's FEMA disaster chief, Michael Brown, took the fall and resigned after Katrina.
Scores of people failed to heed evacuation warnings in New Orleans, either because they had no transportation or they didn't want to leave.
Galveston began evacuation days before Rita was set to hit this weekend.

Should Algiers Section Of N.O. Evacuate?
Residents of the Algiers section of New Orleans are for the most part still there.

They came home when city officials gave the green light this week, but now may have to get out again because of Hurricane Rita pushing through the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, the Category 5 storm is aiming at Texas, with landfall expected by the weekend.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has yet to formally direct Algiers residents to get out, but many who stayed through Katrina now say they're ready to pack up and leave as soon as the order comes. They say emotionally, they just can't handle the hit from another big storm

Looks like Rita is changing course and may miss Galveston. However it may hit a bunch of refineries, which only means gas prices skyrocketing again.


www.10news.com

Rita Makes Sharp Right Turn
Hurricane May Spare Houston, Galveston Direct Hit

UPDATED: 8:39 pm PDT September 22, 2005

HOUSTON -- Hurricane Rita is throwing a bit of a curve.

The huge storm has made a sharper-than-expected right turn. It's now on a course that could spare Houston and nearby Galveston, Texas, a direct hit.

Forecasters predict it will come ashore late Friday or early Saturday somewhere along a 350-mile stretch of the Texas and Louisiana coast. The area is marked by Port Arthur, Texas, near the midpoint.

At last report, Rita was about 350 miles southeast of Galveston and was moving at near 10 mph. Its winds were near 145 mph, 30 mph weaker than earlier Thursday.

Rita's course is taking it toward the country's biggest concentration of oil refineries, and closer to New Orleans, which is still devastated by Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is under a tropical storm warning.

Rita is still off shore but New Orleans is already flooding again, and the first casualties occurred trying to flee the approaching storm. It appears the situation is only going to get much worse in the next 24 hours.

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National Guard: Worst Fears Come True As N.O. Floods
Mass Evacuation From Texas Coast Continues

UPDATED: 8:57 am PDT September 23, 2005

HOUSTON -- BUS FULL OF EVACUEES EXPLODES: Click here for full story.


The water is pouring back into a neighborhood of New Orleans, as the city receives wind and rain from Hurricane Rita.

Dozens of blocks in the city's impoverished Ninth Ward are under water as a waterfall at least 30 feet wide pours over a dike. It had been used to patch breaks in the Industrial Canal levee.

Water is waist deep and rising fast on the street that runs next to the canal.

A Georgia National Guardsman said, "Our worst fears came true." He said if it keeps up, the levee will breach, and he said it "will fill the area that was flooded earlier."

The area was one that was hard-hit by floodwaters from Katrina. It had finally been pumped dry before Rita struck. The renewed flooding comes amid wind and rain from Hurricane Rita, now nearing the Gulf Coast. On a street running parallel to the Industrial Canal, the water is waist-deep, and rising fast.

Officials believe the neighborhood has been completely cleared of residents as water pours back in.

An aide to Mayor Ray Nagin said, "I wouldn't imagine there's one person down there."

The aide said law enforcement officials are being notified of the rising water, but it's not clear whether the workers will be asked to leave.

Earlier in the city, resident Glynn Stevenson said, "You can't do nothin' about it." He's from New Orleans and he's evacuating again.

After Hurricane Katrina, Stevenson had to swim out of his house with some belongings taped to his body. Now with rain falling from Hurricane Rita, he's bailed out of his Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer in New Iberia, La.

Officials are pleading with people still in New Orleans to pack up and leave. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said anyone who stays in threatened parts of the state should maybe "write their Social Security numbers on their arms with indelible ink."

The Crescent City could be soaked with three to fives inches of rain from Rita. The Army Corps of Engineers said that's about the tipping point for levees that are still holding, but were weakened by Katrina. The Corps said it would take only about a-half foot of rain to flood through them again.

At 10 a.m. CDT, the center of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 27.4 north, longitude 91.9 west or about 220 miles southeast of Galveston, and about 210 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas. Rita is moving toward the northwest near 10 mph, and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours. On this track, Rita will make landfall near the southwest Louisiana and upper Texas coasts early Saturday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 135 mph, with higher gusts. Rita is at the border of Category 4 and 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Slight weakening is possible before landfall, but Rita is expected to come ashore as a major hurricane.


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Bus Bursts Into Flames, Killing Up To 24
Passengers Were Elderly Hurricane Evacuees

POSTED: 5:06 am PDT September 23, 2005
UPDATED: 8:58 am PDT September 23, 2005

DALLAS -- A fire in a chartered bus filled with elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees, including some who used oxygen, killed 24 people and injuring at least one near Dallas Friday.

Authorities said the bus apparently caught fire due to a mechanical problem, and that oxygen tanks then started exploding on gridlocked Interstate 45.


Dallas County Sheriff's Sgt. Don Peritz said deputies couldn't get everyone off the flaming bus. It carried about 45 people from a nursing home in Bellaire, a separate city within Houston. They had been on the road since Thursday and were headed for facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

He said the brakes may have been on fire, leading to the explosion.

Burn victims were sent to Parkland, and at least two victims were sent to Baylor Medical Center. The extent of their injuries is unknown.

One woman suffered significant smoke inhalation injuries, Parkland Emergency Services Director Dr. Paul Pepe said.

Northbound lanes on I-45 were reopened late Friday morning. State officials said traffic was being diverted off I-45 onto U.S. Highway 287 at Ennis, about 30 miles southeast of Dallas.

Peritz said permission was given to remove the charred hulk of the bus from the northbound lane with the bodies still on board, shrouded by tarps. The crowded interstate is a primary Hurricane Rita evacuation route.


The bus, surrounded by police cars and ambulances, was engulfed with flames and later reduced to a blackened, burned-out shell with large blue tarps covering many seats.

Peritz said the driver and arriving deputies tried to rescue as many passengers from the bus as possible but couldn't save everybody. He said the driver survived.

"It's my understanding he went back on the bus several times to try to evacuate people," he said.

The fire caused a 17-mile backup on a freeway that was already heavily congested with evacuees from the Gulf Coast.

State officials said northbound traffic was diverted off I-45 onto U.S. Highway 287 at Ennis, about 30 miles southeast of Dallas.

I-45 stretches more than 250 miles from Galveston through Houston to Dallas.

Nurse Saw Fire, Explosion

A nurse who was driving behind the bus said she saw it start to smoke, and then pull to the side of the road.

Tina Jones said, "I saw the smoke, and then there was an explosion."

She pulled over and helped treat minor injuries. And she said she saw at least six bodies.

After witnessing the horror, Jones said she'll "probably go home and have a good cry."