Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VIII

www.freerepublic.com | September 24, 2005

[Howlin]

Hurricane Rita landfall is anticipated within the next few hours. Strong winds and heavy rains are battering southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.

MSM news crews are shouting over the howling winds as they foolishly describe blowing rain, swaying trees, and crashing waves through rain splattered camera lenses. It's a hurricane. We know these things already.

An 18 wheeler rig reportedly overturned on an I-10 bridge. The fate of the truck driver is unknown at this time. Reports of widespread power outages in Lake Charles. KPLC-TV Lake Charles local news has remarkably improvised their reporting from a remote location. They are taking calls from residents, NWS, and public utility representatives, and alerting residents to local conditions.

On the flip side, CNN announced to the world that law enforcement officers had evacuated from Port Arthur TX with the rest of the population. Engraved looter invitations would have been more elegant.

Godspeed to all those in the path of this storm.

The following links are self-updating:

Public Advisory Currently published every 3 hours 5A, 8A, 11A, 2P, etc. ET
NHC Discussion Published every six hours 6A, 11A, 6P, 11P
Three Day Forecast Track
Five Day Forecast Track

Rita Forecast Track Archive
Forecast Models
Buoy Data Western Gulf of Mexico
Houston/Galveston/Beaumont/Lake Charles Wx Watches/Warnings
Jefferson Co TX NWS Weather
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana
Hi Res Houston Flood Zone Map Slow load, great detail

Images:

Lake Charles Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Houston/Galveston Long Range Radar Still image, with loop link
Lake Charles Experimental Radar Outages and Delays May Occur

Storm Floater IR Loop
GOM WV Loop
GOM IR Still Image
Visible Storm Floater Still (only visible during daylight hours)
Color Enhanced Atlantic Loop

Streaming Video: (coverage may be intermittent)

KHOU-TV/DT Houston
KPRC-TV/DT Houston
KTRK-TV/DT Houston
KTRH-AM Houston
KPLC-TV/DT Lake Charles/Lafayette
KSLA-TV/DT Shreveport

Additional Resources:

Hurricane Rita Freeper CHECK IN THREAD

FReeper Sign In Thread (LOCKED) Check in to let us know whether you are staying, going, and when you get there
FReepers Offering Lodging To Rita Evacuees People and/or Pet Friendly FReepers Offering Shelter
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
KPLC Lake Charles Evac Routes, news
KFDM Beaumont/Port Arthur News, evac info
Hurricane City
Wxnation Houston
Galveston Webcams
Golden Triangle Weather Page Provides Galveston Weather, Warnings, Radar, etc.

Category	Wind Speed	Barometric Pressure	Storm Surge	Damage Potential
Tropical Depression	< 39 mph < 34 kts			Minimal
Tropical Storm	39 - 73 mph 34 - 63 kts			Minimal
Hurricane 1 (Weak)	74 - 95 mph 64 - 82 kts	28.94" or more 980.02 mb or more	4.0' - 5.0' 1.2 m - 1.5 m	Minimal damage to vegetation
Hurricane 2 (Moderate)	96 - 110 mph 83 - 95 kts	28.50" - 28.93" 965.12 mb - 979.68 mb	6.0' - 8.0' 1.8 m - 2.4 m	Moderate damage to houses
Hurricane 3 (Strong)	111 - 130 mph 96 - 112 kts	27.91" - 28.49" 945.14 mb - 964.78 mb	9.0' - 12.0' 2.7 m - 3.7 m	Extensive damage to small buildings
Hurricane 4 (Very strong)	131 - 155 mph 113 - 135 kts	27.17" - 27.90" 920.08 mb - 944.80 mb	13.0' - 18.0' 3.9 m - 5.5 m	Extreme structural damage
Hurricane 5 (Devastating)	Greater than 155 mph Greater than 135 kts	Less than 27.17" Less than 920.08 mb	Greater than 18.0' Greater than 5.5m	Catastrophic building failures possible

Previous Threads:
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VII
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VI
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part V
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part IV
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part III
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18

[BlessedByLiberty]

Blanco's trying to steal bush's thunder, he proposed setting up temporary homes, mobile homes. She is trying to get her hands on the federal funds. Hope the President responds with: open the books for inspection to find all of the money the feds sent there for decades.

[jeffers]

Ok...trying to get folks here to see the scope of this...basically everything on a line from Lake Charles to Houma is underwater. Not slow flooding like we saw in New Orleans, but surge, like we saw from Slidell to Mobile.

[Miss Marple]

Allen ssaying he is in charge of federal recovery effort in Louisiana. Sounds to me like President Bush isn't being fooled.

[YaYa123]

Blank O! She's an idiot!!!

Our people have been offered so much help, they're confused, so I'm forming a Recovery Corps...trained Louisianians who can help our people find the help they neeed. No matter whwere those Louisianians live, the Recovery Corps will be available to help them.

YOU GUYS GOT IT???? This idiot governor has tried to come up with some way to entice the people who are living somewhere else to go back.

I can't believe how inept this woman is!!!

[CFC__VRWC]

There were a few places out of gas around here (central Fla.) last night, but nothing like after Katrina, where almost everyone was out for a couple of days. I didn't see near as much panic buying this time around either. After Katrina I saw people filling up can after can after can with gasoline, to the point where I was worrying that they were endangering themselves trying to store all that fuel in their homes.

We'll see how it goes in the next few days.

[Rumierules]

Any picture links?

[jeffers]

You got it. Once water finds a way through, even a trickle....well I don't know of any cases where the engineers stopped it before the water equalized on both sides.

[nwctwx]

Katrina changed the SE LA landscape too much to rebuild the city at the same location in my opinion. They can try to build 'cat 5 levees,' but the Gulf will take back any land it wishes... whenever it so chooses. Numerous land bridges and natural levees were lost in the area... the city is in more danger now than before.

[RDTF]

I just started this thread but thought I'd give a link here -
-Forbes business today predicts that gas will go up to $7 a gallon in some places shortly due to the strain on the refineries.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1490652/posts

[jeffers]

Thx, keep 'em coming.

[golas1964]

Blanco's 'Family Plan' is most likely another rip-off.

[nwctwx]

Houma is underwater? That's like the whole southern LA coastline... I know elevations are very low throughout, but that seems extreme.

[tarheelswamprat]

OK, I'll finally bite: I take it a sand boil is water percolating up, and producing visible sand?????? I have been wanting to ask that since yesterday. What exactly are sand boils? TIA

"New Orleans' levee system has been key to survival"

Wednesday, August 31, 2005 By Ann Carrns and Betsy McKay, The Wall Street Journal

It is rare for floodwaters to "overtop" levees, as they usually succumb first to "under seepage," in which water seeps underneath from the river side and emerges on the land side. Sometimes the severe pressure causes soil within the levee to liquefy in a phenomenon known as "sand boils," which often precede structural failure.

[Miss Marple]

Bingo, Yaya! That is what I think. She didn't think of this idea with her pea brain; I bet it came from her buddy James Lee Witt. It sounds like a Clintonian idea, doesn't it?

They are trying to find ways to locate those people who fled New Orleans and get them home. At the very least, they will demand their absentee votes.

I despise these people. And I sincerely hope that those people who fledNew Orleans find new and better lives somewhere else!

[golas1964]

She (Blanco) hasn't talked directly to the President? Why not? What's she waiting for?

[BlessedByLiberty]

I would give money to see him look at her and say "there's no crying in a crises woman!"

I think Allen is a good strong leader and like Honore he isn't going to be pushed around by the LA hoods or the MSM.

Did Shep say he's interviewing Nagin? Get the popcorn!

[RDTF]

Heh he's probably blowin her off

[benjaminjjones]

Blanco-stein is on live now. Very scary!

Nagin due up next. Darn, this is going to cut into my Red Sox pregame show.

[Miss Marple]

I had a friend IM me asking if I was watching the Purdue game. Then she said.."oh, I forgot, you don't follow NCAA football."

Dang straight I don't! I am following this; it is much more interesting than a college football game. PLUS, I get to make comments!

[SE Mom]

http://www.rtis.com/reg/lakes/livingst.htm

Info about Lake Livingston