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Locked on 09/22/2005 3:40:46 AM PDT by Jim Robinson, reason:
New thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1489163/posts |
Posted on 09/21/2005 4:19:11 PM PDT by NautiNurse
Extremely dangerous and large Category Five Hurricane Rita is churning westward across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. Air Force Reconnaissance indicated the central pressure has dropped to 904mb, making Rita the fifth most intense hurricane ever in the Atlantic Basin.
Hurricane and Tropical Storm Watches have been issued from Northern Mexico through the South Louisiana coastline. Galveston TX used school buses to evacuate residents. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations are in effect along the Texas coastline.
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
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Texas
Current Weather Warnings and Watches for Louisiana
Images:
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: mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_khou
WWLTV NOLA
Additional Resources:
FReeper Sign In Thread 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
Coastal TX Evacuation Maps
KHOU Houston
KTRK ABC News Houston
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 II
Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part I
Tropical Storm Rita
Tropical Depression 18
RITA PREDICTION FROM THE U.S. NAVY
http://tinyurl.com/8rgr8
Whenn you say "East Texas," does that mean east of Houston? Or?
(Sorry, nonTexan here but praying for you guys.)
The last really bad hurricane to hit our area was "the great hurricane of 1898"-- and it was so called because besides being a guesstimated Cat 3, it stalled offshore for several days and just pounded the coast mercilessly. Not to be too gruesome, but stories I've heard told of bodies being found up in trees for months afterwards.
"I'd rather Hurricane Rita (Cosby) veer right toward NOLA. It can't destroy what's already gone."
Not to wish Rita on anyone, but your right, that's the best scenario right now.
Again, thanks- copied & saved.
Yes. But also including Houston. Basically the swath of Texas east of a line roughly from Houston to Dallas. Also, it looks to me as if several more of the computer models are now showing Rita stalling and rotating. That includes the highly reliable BAMD in addition to GFS.
Based on what they're showing, western Louisiana would also get the heavy rains (i.e., flooding). Most of the models showing a rotation have a tight loop or swerve along the TX-LA border region, but the BAMD has Rita going as far as the Mississippi river and then looping back over Louisiana.
Texas Officaisl "EVERYONE from Corpus Christi to Beaumont should "get out now"
Freeway situation in Houston area not good, per KHOU.
Perry urges evacuation to duck Rita
Corpus Christi Caller Times, TX - 28 minutes ago
... press conference at the governor's mansion. "If you're on the coast between Beaumont and Corpus Christi, now's the time to leave.". ...
You're either up REALLY late or REALLY early and I can't figure out which...
When they ordered the mandatory evacuation of Charleston County, SC for Floyd, it took some people 12 hours to make the 110 miles up I-26 from Charleston to Columbia because they didn't contraflow the highway and tried to literally evacuate 300,000+ people off the Charleston peninsula up two lanes of Interstate and a couple of two-lane highways. And I vividly remember what it did to traffic even up in Columbia that afternoon rush hour. I can't even imagine what Houston must be like right now, considering the traffic down there is nightmarish on normal days.
}:-)4
Coastal Bend evacuation is mandatory for first time
Corpus Christi Caller Times, TX - 30 minutes ago
... emergency management officials spent the day watching Rita grow into a Category 5 hurricane that threatened the Texas coast from Beaumont to Corpus Christi. ...
Monster in the Gulf
Corpus Christi Caller Times, TX - 30 minutes ago
... emergency management officials spent the day watching Rita grow into a Category 5 hurricane that threatened the Texas coast from Beaumont to Corpus Christi. ...
Gulf Oil Refineries, Rigs Hunker Down
Brenham Banner Press, United States - 32 minutes ago
... said it would assess the situation in Baytown and refineries in Beaumont and Baton Rouge ... refineries in Texas City and Houston and operating in Corpus Christi...
Yes. It is bad. People are trying to evacuate and then burning all their gas in the traffic jams, and then there is no gas to be had on the freeways. It's all gone. I'm afraid this is going to turn into our balls-up. We've always known our freeways are our weak spot. We just can't move enough people.
A stalled out Rita would truly be the worst possible scenario. That's usually the one good thing about major hurricanes - they blow on by. It's the weaker Cat 1s or the tropical storms that hang out and dump a foot or two of rain. So, Rita might pack the winds of Camille, the surge of Katrina, and the rainfall of Floyd. A triple whammy.. "Get out now!" is very good advice.
Wish the news was better! I know someone who's staying home in Kingwood with his dog in a house with a LOT of glass.
Prayers for all!
http://tinyurl.com/afwn6
snip
The governor warned residents that it takes 33 hours to evacuate the coastal region and that those told by their mayors to leave should start packing immediately.
"Homes and businesses can be rebuilt. Lives cannot. If you're on the coast between Beaumont and Corpus Christi, now is the time to leave," he said.
State officials are scrambling to direct evacuation traffic; move hospital and nursing home patients; deploy security, aid and rescue teams; coordinate communications; and line up needed supplies.
To facilitate the aid and response, President Bush on Wednesday declared Texas a disaster area at the governor's behest.
Mr. McCraw said many evacuees would stay in hotels or with friends and family. If the need for shelter is greater, some people could be sent to cities not originally envisioned for coastal evacuations, such as Lubbock, El Paso and Amarillo, he said.
Mr. McCraw said hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and state schools were being evacuated and the people moved to other facilities around the state.
For instance, at Texas A&M University in College Station, a hospital for large animals with the veterinary medicine school was reconfigured to make room for 250 evacuated patients, including children suffering from serious burns or physical disabilities, and elderly patients with special needs.
Dr. H. Richard Adams said the hospital, built in 1992, has oxygen service, diesel generators and the space to accommodate the patients, family and their caregivers.
By Thursday afternoon, the state expected 4,000 Guardsmen, 1,000 state troopers and massive supplies of water, ice and nonperishable food to be deployed near target areas.
Of the state's 20,000 Guardsmen, about 6,300 are on active duty and unavailable to help respond to the storm. About 4,000 of those are on duty in Iraq.
Eleven helicopters have been secured for search and rescue duty, and the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Texas State Guard are poised to move rapidly into any area that is hit.
Dr. David McIntyre, director of Texas A&M's Integrative Center for Homeland Security, said state and local officials are working well together and have long planned for mass evacuations and other scenarios.
"I think things are really moving in the right direction," he said.
Mr. Perry said Texas was one of the best-prepared states in the nation to deal with a disaster. And he said the state must prepare for the worst.
"It is quite likely that it will be a devastating storm when it reaches Texas," Mr. Perry said.
Hey,
Well, hard to believe we'd see one worse than Katrina, but this looks to be.
I was listening to Fox and Friends and they were talking about how people were running out of gas, or trying to evac and gas stations being without gas. Hope they find a solution for that. Our (Pinellas/Hillsborough/Manatee) staggered evacs seem like a good idea, wonder why more cities/states don't use them, or maybe they do and we're just not hearing it reported, but the traffic jams suggest otherwise.
UPDATE
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/085837.shtml?5day
Wow that is a MAJOR shift in the forecast.
Damn. Houston's going to get this thing right in the face?
And considering that the track is sliding eastward, how much effect will this have on New Orleans, vulnerable as they are now to heavy rain?
}:-)4
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