Posted on 09/21/2005 2:07:36 AM PDT by Lorianne
MIAMI (Reuters) - After lashing the Florida Keys, Hurricane Rita gained power on Wednesday and headed across the Gulf of Mexico on a course that could take it to Texas and dump more rain on Katrina-battered Louisiana.
Rita was upgraded to a Category 3 storm and the National Hurricane Center said it probably would develop into a Category 4 on Wednesday, the same classification as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama last month.
Rita had sustained winds of 115-mph (185-kph) winds on Wednesday as it headed into the Gulf. The storm hit the Florida Keys but did not get close enough to reach the vulnerable chain of islands with its most destructive forces.
Rita's most likely future track would take it to Texas by the end of the week, raising fears the sprawling storm could bring heavy rains to flooded New Orleans and threaten the recovery of oil production facilities in the Gulf of Mexico.
With Rita looming, Louisiana declared a state of emergency and New Orleans, 80 percent of which was flooded when Katrina shattered its protective levees, was taking no chances. Mayor Ray Nagin said two busloads of people had been evacuated already and 500 other buses were ready to roll.
"We're a lot smarter this time around," he said. "We've learned a lot of hard lessons."
With grim news footage of Katrina's assault still fresh in their minds, officials along the Texas Gulf Coast prepared for Rita. An evacuation was ordered for Galveston and several schools in the region planned to cancel classes.
About 1,100 Hurricane Katrina evacuees still in Houston's two mass shelters faced another evacuation as the city found itself in Rita's possible path. They were being sent to Fort Chaffee, Arkansas.
CONDITIONS SIMILAR TO KATRINA
Rita's center was about 145 miles west of Key West, Florida, at 2 a.m. EDT. The hurricane was headed west into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico at about 14 mph (22 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The hurricane center said Rita was likely to become a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale -- with sustained winds above 130 mph (210 kph) -- by Wednesday night. Continued ...
reuters reuters reuters....it's still cat 3. Not a 4 yet.
Texas officials are on the ball and doing everything the opposite of what the mayor and governor did.
I predict the media will try to blame fema for stuff in Texas but it will be much harder when you have top rate officials at the state and local levels there.
State and local officials make fema look good like last year in Florida. State and local officials make Fema look bad like this year in Louisiana. The system was set up for the mayors and other local officials and governors and other state officals to be the first responders. That is how they wanted it.
Can't let facts get in the way of a good story!
There is already a thread in Breaking News.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1488480/posts
You must be Beven the forcaster?
Reuters has been messing around with that Weegie Wedgie Ouija board...
CORRECTED - Hurricane Rita develops into Category 3 stormIn MIAMI story headlined "Hurricane Rita develops into Category 4 storm," please read headline "Hurricane Rita develops into Category 3 storm" ... correcting category.
A corrected story follows:
MIAMI, Sept 21 (Reuters) - After lashing the Florida Keys, ...
Jerry Seinfeld would call that an, "Atomic Wedgie."
Reuters still has the Cat 4 up
Reuters still has the Cat 4 up
How cool is that? FreeRepublic is right, Rooters is wrong, about a Rooters story!
It didn't take long to nail them, either--even deep middle of the night (across the US, at least), in an off [non-election] year. Things have changed, a cause for much wailing and gnashing of teeth within the MSM...
This is incredibly irresponsible for a business that splits hairs over using the term terrorist. Reminds me of the pre-written obits that occasionally get published before a celebrity dies.
this is about as un-PC as it gets but, well... that's me.... let's hope it goes a little more west, rather than northwest, and mainly just hits Mexico, and only grazes Texas if it has to.
Wow. I'm impressed. They actually found people willing to drive a bus in front of a hurricane. Wonder if it was two drivers or just one guy who's having to run back and forth??
Can we have a few more hurricanes??!?
"Mayor Ray Nagin said two busloads of people had been evacuated"
Now that's leadership! Everyone knows how hard it is to get those drivers out even on sunny days! Nice going, Mayor Nagin!
The Democrats never seemed to have a problem getting the drivers and the buses out on election day.
(sorry for the brief threadjack, but wide glide just reminded me of this)
not only did they not have a problem getting their drivers that day, but they were able to get their sons to slash the tires of GOP get out the vote vehicles in Ohio... I'm assuming we all remember this:
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050124-050601-4615r.htm
Sons of pols charged in tire slashing
Milwaukee, WI, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Five men, including the sons of two prominent black Democrats, were charged in a Milwaukee court with slashing the tires of 25 GOP vehicles on Nov. 2.
Milwaukee County prosecutors filed charges against five of seven men arrested in the election-day vandalism. Among those charged with felony criminal damage to property were Michael Pratt, 32, the son of former acting mayor Marvin Pratt, and Sowande Omokunde, 25, son of Rep. Gewn Moore, the first African-American elected to Congress from Wisconsin.
Forty tires were found slashed on 25 vans rented by the state Republican Party to take voters to the polls Nov. 2.
............. (follow above link for full story)
LOL.. That Nagin really is a piece of sh... uh, work.
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