[backhoe]

For background, survival tips, and how the Katrina fiasco went down, look here:

 

 HURRICANE KATRINA- archive of links

[Vaquero]

"....may I inquire discreetly, when are you free to have some (Texas)tea with me"

[backhoe]

 http://www.ktrh.com Houston AM radio
http://www.950kprc.com Houston AM radio
http://www.kprc.com Houston TV
http://www.khou.com Houston TV
http://www.ktrk.com Houston TV

 

 Here is the Yahoo! Directory link to some Houston area TV stations. Haven't checked them yet to see which ones have live feeds, but one of them is bound to...

Houston-area TV Stations

 

 A reporter in Galveston just told 540am here in Orlando that the original evacuees from New Orleans DO NO MIND BEING RELOCATED BECAUSE THEY KNOW ARE BEING TAKEN TO SAFETY this time. She also points out that TX evacuees are allowed to take their pets when they evacuate and this is crucial because pets are family members too and some in NO would not leave home without them.

[backhoe]

 

Look what I found:

http://www.usnewslinks.com/tvstations/tx.html

1,548 posted on 09/21/2005 3:33:38 PM EDT by Howlin

Look what I found:

http://www.usnewslinks.com/tvstations/tx.html

[backhoe]

http://newslink.org/txtele.html

[ekwd]

Wow! Concentrated common sense.

[Vaquero]

It was a lyric from a Beatles song..... Lovely Rita meter maid May I inquire discreetly (Lovely Rita) When are you free to take some tea with me? (Lovely Rita, maid, ah) Rita! Took her out and tried to win her Had a laugh and over dinner Told her I would really like to see her again Got the bill and Rita paid it Took her home I nearly made it Sitting on the sofa with a sister or two Oh, lovely Rita meter maid Where would I be without you Give us a wink and make me think of you (Lovely Rita meter maid) Lovely Rita meter maid, Rita meter maid (Lovely Rita meter maid) Oh Lovely Rita meter meter maid (Lovely Rita meter maid) Ah da, ah da (Lovely Rita meter maid)

[backhoe]

 FReepers Offering Lodging for Rita Evacuees and/or their Pets, Sign in Here!

 

 DIMS talking points prediction after Rita strikes (Vanity)

[backhoe]

 From the top of the thread, FReepers Offering Lodging To Rita Evacuees - People and/or Pet Friendly FReepers Offering Shelter

 

 Thanks for the link. FR is on top of it, as usual.

 

 1) Link to maps of storm surge danger zones in the greater Houston area:

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx/tropical/evac_map/gifs/

(Chambers, Liberty, Harris, Galveston, Brazoria, Matagorda, Jackson counties, from east to west)


2) Map of flood danger zones(all types) in Houston:

http://www.houstontx.gov/oem/c5ss.jpg

 

 Houston worse-case scenario

 

 Here is the toy you are looking for. High is Sat AM around 7, low SAT 7 PM.

 

 OK so that's where the quote came from. Joe Bastardi did not make it up!
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3046592

Info on the New Orleans-destroying "Save Our Wetlands"

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1488707/posts?page=33#33

 

 My hubby said one of his people called in, it took them five hours to get from Houston to The Woodlands...

I just spent the last five hours out in it. Here are my observations:

All freeways are jammed and bumper-to-bumper, like the very worst of rush-hour, except that it doesn't end, not even in the middle of the night, and *all* sections of freeway are that bad, including the parts that are normally still pretty clear during normal rush-hours. The only exception are lanes heading *towards* the coast, which are about as empty as they can be -- I made record time heading down towards the NASA are. It's getting *back* that was grueling.

The feeder roads are actually better than the freeways most of the time, and at times can zip along pretty quickly, up to 50mph.

Just a block or two off the freeways, the surface roads ARE CLEAR SAILING. I found this to be consistently true all over town. If you know your way around town, AVOID THE FREEWAYS and drive the surface streets. You'll make *much* better time, even taking into consideration the traffic lights and lower speed limits. Not only are the evacuees all on the freeways and not on the surface streets, but the regular city traffic isn't out as usual either, since the whole city is battening down the hatches.

 

 A million flee wrath of Rita -- Current location

 

 

 Rita could equal $5 gas

 

[backhoe]

 I noticed several hours ago that Rita took a more abrupt turn to the northwest than the forecast track would indicate. More importantly, you can check out several of the leading models here, and they are in fact now veering toward the TX-LA border.

 

 

 Rita Hits Cat 5 Hurricane [ 1, 2, 3 ]

 

[backhoe]

IF ALL THIS WASN/T ENOUGH...GFS80 HAS CONTINUED TO SHOW A REBUILDING RIDGE ALL AROUND WEAKENING RITA...SO MUCH THAT RITA COULD ROTATE AROUND PARTS OF N E AND S TEXAS FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

[backhoe]

 Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part IV

 

 Oil nears $68, Rita threatens facilities ($67.75/bbl)

[mewzilla]

Thanks, backhoe! Again! :)

Hadn't seen that map of the rig locations before. Wow.

[backhoe]

 Today's Rita Coverage Stirs Ashes of Katrina's Racial Discord: "Afraid You Could Be Left Behind?"

 

 [Boston:] Hub evac plan useless: Traffic jams mean 'you're dead'

 

 Bus explodes carrying evacuees (drudge headline only) -- WFAA claiming ONE fatality. That sounds much better than what they were saying of FOX.  

As many as 20 reportedly dead in evacuee bus fire

 

 

 New Orleans Levee Failure Assessment

 

 MAJOR CONGESTION, THOUSANDS PARKED BY INTERSTATE DUE TO LACK OF GAS NEAR COLUMBUS, TEXAS

 

 

FNC Alert

Water gushing into NO's 9th ward

1,993 posted on 09/23/2005 9:08:21 AM EDT by Mo1

 New Orleans Levee Failure Assessment

 MAJOR CONGESTION, THOUSANDS PARKED BY INTERSTATE DUE TO LACK OF GAS NEAR COLUMBUS, TEXAS

 

FNC Alert

Water gushing into NO's 9th ward

1,993 posted on 09/23/2005 9:08:21 AM EDT by Mo1

FNC Alert

Water gushing into NO's 9th ward

[backhoe]

 Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VI

 

 The wind's picking up here now, even though she's been downgraded to CAT III. This is the latest NOAA photo.

 

 Frankly, all this coverage of watching New Orleans flood again is making me, and I'm sure lot of other people, even more convinced that the rebuilding of New Orleans cannot happen in anything close to the same way it was before.

 

New Orleans Facing More Flooding by Rita

 

 Water gushing into NO 9th Ward

 

 The current NOLA radar loop at
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge/lix_N0Z_lp.shtml

 

Well, here's a photo of what's going on with the levee:

Looks like it's well on the way to becoming a breach.

2,494 posted on 09/23/2005 11:50:02 AM EDT by dirtboy

 

 

Image #1

Image #2

301 posted on 09/23/2005 2:18:06 PM EDT by GRRRRR

 

 Groups call arms seizures 'arbitrary'

 

 ‘It really puts the fear of God in you’

 

 Fast Facts: How to Prepare

Well, here's a photo of what's going on with the levee:

Looks like it's well on the way to becoming a breach.

Image #1

Image #2

[backhoe]

 A really great IR loop...shows the re-intensifying going on right now, and enough images to show the direction:

Here

 

 

Map Room

Click to Enlarge

 

Hurricane Central

Hurricane Rita weakens still more
9/23/2005 2:00 p.m. ET

Persistent weakening has brought Hurricane Rita down to a Category 3 storm. The eye is heading for a Saturday morning rendezvous with the upper Texas or southwest Louisiana Gulf Coast.

 

Map Room

Click to Enlarge

 

Hurricane Central

Hurricane Rita weakens still more
9/23/2005 2:00 p.m. ET

Persistent weakening has brought Hurricane Rita down to a Category 3 storm. The eye is heading for a Saturday morning rendezvous with the upper Texas or southwest Louisiana Gulf Coast.

[backhoe]

 See Radar loop, refresh occasionally

http://radar.weather.gov/radar/loop/DS.p20-r/si.klix.shtml

 

 Blanco on TV now, trying to impersonate a governor.

 Blanco is giving a news conference. She said, "I've asked Rita"

I'm sure we could do our own remake of "The gods must be crazy" ...w/Katrina & Rita serving as the local gods who must be appeased. Blanco could play the high priestess who consults w/the angry god (Rita). I'm sure she'll tell us, within a message from Rita, that the taxpayer must be sacrificed.

 Blanco is giving a news conference. She said, "I've asked Rita" Instead of "I've asked FEMA"!
Now she is consulting the hurricane!

 Get this: she is asking for all sorts of money, including complete pay for police and fire from the Feds, instead of just overtime. Also she wants more money so that people of Louisiana can come home (translation...get those Rat voters back now). She also is confusung Rita and Katrina, and Rita and FEMA.

-- she is picking up where her two US Senators left off yesterday...
They called a presser to say that they are going to ask the federal govt. (you and me) to give them 250 BILLION dollars to rebuild NO...and even pay for mosquito spraying, building new homes for everyone...etc...
So, I guess NOW it is the Governor's turn...
I agree with Rush on this---not only is it despicable that they want taxpayers to pay for the repairs of a levee that HAD been financed but squandered by the locals....
BUT, it is in VERY BAD TASTE to demand this money on the eve of Texas perhaps being pounded by a hurricane...
He said they didn't wait though, because the wanted to be first in line with their hands out....
I SAY---they just screwed the pooch...I am going to tell my Congresscritters to NOT give any of my money for NO...unless it is built ABOVE sea-level and the state of LA has to pay for their share.

[backhoe]

 

I haven't gone thru all 900+ posts, but everyone should be aware of the potential massive flooding that will probably happen all over East Texas and La because the 5 Day Tracking models show Rita STALLING over North Eastern Texas for DAYS!

See:
5 Day Track Models.

The long term flooding could be as bad as Alicia was over the eastern US several years ago.

1,041 posted on 09/23/2005 4:06:12 PM EDT by auzerais

I haven't gone thru all 900+ posts, but everyone should be aware of the potential massive flooding that will probably happen all over East Texas and La because the 5 Day Tracking models show Rita STALLING over North Eastern Texas for DAYS!

See:
5 Day Track Models.

The long term flooding could be as bad as Alicia was over the eastern US several years ago.

[backhoe]

 Unfeasability of rebuilding New Orleans

Skip the obvious bias from energy producers who want the money spent on their industry instead...this has some interesting background and history of the city.

[backhoe]

 Flood Gages for SW Louisiana Parishes:

http://tinyurl.com/ey5jf

 

 

Part 3 of a Series: If Leadership were Rated Like Hurricanes

"Keeping Your Head During a Crisis": Non-Examples

• Cat 1 - Teddy "the Swimmer"
• Cat 2 - Clinton
• Cat 3 - Carter
• Cat 4 - Fubar-Nagin
• Cat 5 - Snafu-Blanco

1,334 posted on 09/23/2005 5:13:49 PM EDT by bwteim

 

 Here's the latest predicted storm track. Click on the image to pop up a full-sized view.

 

 

 

 

Part 3 of a Series: If Leadership were Rated Like Hurricanes

"Keeping Your Head During a Crisis": Non-Examples

• Cat 1 - Teddy "the Swimmer"
• Cat 2 - Clinton
• Cat 3 - Carter
• Cat 4 - Fubar-Nagin
• Cat 5 - Snafu-Blanco

[backhoe]

 Police: Looters arrested in The Heights (Houston)

 

 For those of you who take delight in other's suffering (like me), here is a video of Shep falling (about 1/3 of way through clip)...

http://homepage.mac.com/mkoldys/iblog/C168863457/E20050923224240/

 

 THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS New Orleans police can't disarm evacuees - orders weapons returned