It may sound outrageous, but based on the latest data NOLA does need to be alarmed. Besides the fact that Rita has moved eastward, (I think) those levees were just given a band-aid fix and may not continue to hold up with more storm surge and rain.
Breaking.... here... 2000 people are about to land in Lubbock via Military aircraft. From Beaumont... and Houston.
you are correct. if they get 3-5 inches of rain, they're under water again, regardless of levees.
Yes. Any more to the east and, as it goes inland (remember, they were saying something about it going into Oklahoma before), and New Orleans will get much more than they can handle. It only has to pass nearby.
Where are you getting that Rita has moved eastward?
Oh, I agree, the slower the forward speed of Rita is, the more potential it has to shift eastward; it's just that NOLA should not have had returnees in vulnerable areas yet anyway. We can thank Nagin and his "reinsertion" plan.
If the Gulf was a perfect circle, with Rita currently in the middle of it, then at its current rate of turn, it would indeed hit New Orleans head on.
But the Gulf isn't, Rita isn't, and it can't get there from here unless it starts turning faster.
Much faster.
Or slower.
If it stalls, landfall time and location is anyone's guess. Keep an eye on those forward speeds.
Most everyone else thought it was going closer to Houston or close by..
Looks like you're right....it's heading more Louisiana than Texas now.
Those levees are not going to hold.
It could finish off NOLA.