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Thread VIII: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1490587/posts |
Posted on 09/23/2005 8:01:35 PM PDT by NautiNurse
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:
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
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 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
11:25 WWL-TV Reporter Shauna Sanford: There are reports of several hundred power outages in Lafayette.
11:05 P.M. - Dr. Marc Levitan - LSU Hurricane Center: Models show us that almost all of Cameron Parish will be under some water.
11:00 P.M. - Levitan: My guess is the jog east will not have much of an effect on New Orleans since Rita is so close to shore.
10:55 P.M. - Levitan: We're only just past the halfway mark of the hurricane season, but the potential is there for more storms since the sea surface temperature in the Gulf is above normal.
10:42 P.M. - BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) -- Meteorologists know that Hurricane Rita has caused flooding to return to New Orleans, but their attention is moving west.
Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center said, "That's where people are going to die."
Hurricane Rita is expected to come ashore early tomorrow on a course that could spare Houston and Galveston but slam the oil refining towns of Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas. Lake Charles joins the communities that could get a 20-foot storm surge, towering waves and up to 25 inches of rain. Mayfield said, "All these areas are just going to get absolutely clobbered by the storm surge."
10:10 P.M. - GALVESTON, Texas (AP) -- At least three buildings have caught fire in the historic Strand District of Galveston, Texas.
At least one of the buildings was engulfed by flames whipped higher by strong winds from Hurricane Rita. A fallen electric pole was lying on one of the buildings and was burning.
One of the buildings that caught fire was built in 1905, just after the hurricane that destroyed most of Galveston and killed at least 6,000people.
8:08 P.M. - HOUSTON (AP) -- The plan envisioned by Texas officials to ensure an orderly evacuation to avoid scenes of Hurricane Katrina from their cities has left thousands stranded on highways.
Drivers seem to be off the roads by tonight, but their abandoned cars marked with police tape litter the roadside.
Motorists clogged roadways on evacuation orders to get away from Houston. They were stranded, running out of gas and in extreme heat.
Gas trucks rumored to be on the way never came. Neither did buses.
Why is he so obsessed with wearing a cap anyway?
(rolling eyes)
That's rather silly. And even if that were possible, the winds moving over New Orleans and Lake P. rotate around to Lufkin, nowhere close to Dallas.
What you are smelling is just a local condition.
per scanner
Houston FD strike team cannot reach Galveston due to high winds over the Causeway.
Not looters... Guerilla consumers man...
Stay safe.
Actually, I saw one of those tri-sided billboards by a Walmart and thought, "Hm - that would be a perfect blind to hunt looters from."
Nite Eeeeeeker. YOU listen to your wife, OK? ;)
Take care...be safe...we're all praying for you.
I will my dear, sweet friend girl. This wind is worrisome because of the power outages in this old historic area. Dammit, dammit, dammit....lol.
Well you missed it...there were three things reported
1. Roof off the Wal Mart
2. Damage to a Dairy Queen
3. Looting
Good night, and take care.
Do you know when high tide is at Sabine Pass? I know Lake Charles just went through high tide in the last hour.
Typical Aged Poop. They weren't paying attention the previous 24 hours.
Las Vegas.
Give me a moment to try to find it.
I donno. Rita has been quite a trooper!
Yeah...those older areas of any towns are a shame to lose, aren't they?
Go. Git to bed. You'll have power tomorrow...I'm sure of it.
:)
It's all really starting to hit the fan now. This is when we lose communication with all the worst hit areas. Probably won't start to fully comprehend until Sunday.
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