Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VII

NHC - NOAA ^ | 23 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[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

[blam]

"...very bluntly said that people need to save as much money as they can now because the heating bills for those using natural gas could triple this winter."

The headlines in the Mobile Register, about two weeks ago, said that natural gas prices would increase by about 70% this winter. I did notice that all my logs I placed on the side of the road for FEMA pick-up disappeared almost as soon as I took them out there. Some people will be heating with wood this winter.

[TX Conservative]

I live in Spring. We didn't ever lose electricity and with the exception of a few tree limbs down, I haven't heard of any damage.

[Not A Snowbird]

Glad to hear you came through okay!

[No Blue States]

"can anyone tell me exactly where the eye came ashore this morning?"

Ritas eye slammed into the Beaumont TX/LA border area from the NW.

[agrace]

Waddell, a Republican representative for the past eight years, is known as a consensus builder who doesn't seek the political spotlight. He said he's relaying questions raised by voters in his district.

What, a politictian who is genuinely more concerned about his constituents than about furthering his own career?! Must be why I haven't heard of him. :) Good for him, sounds like a good man for the job.

[dfwgator]

He was referring to the Houston mayor as a D. Perry was a D, but now he is an R.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Noe, try to fit a 4x8 sheet of pkywood, or 4 sheets of sheetrock, or a dishwasher or lawnmower or a cardtable or set of chairs or a 48 12 foot steel 1x1 pieces of tubing it. Add a welder, 3 toolboxes, and .....

Nice for simple one-person commuting, but that all.

[SVTCobra03]

Not everyone wants an ugly, slow, thin sheet-metal car. Not everyone wants to drive a "practical" car. Some people drive SUV's or large pickups because they feel safer and some people drive high performance cars because they enjoy the experience. This is still a free country without central planning and as long as someone has the resources to purchase and maintain such vehicles, then I say more power to them.

[Howlin]

That works for me!

[McGavin999]

The town had 8 inches of rain more than two hours before the storm's landfall.

We don't get that much rain in an entire year here in Arizona!

[Aggie Mama]

Mayor Bill White = Democrat; Rick Perry = Republican
Bill White is turning out to be a fine mayor.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I wouldn't be surprised. Lake Charles took some of the stronger winds last night...Their TV station needs real congratulations for bravery in the face of wind gusts in the 130+.

Trying to find news, but it will be sparse for awhile, I know.

[Howlin]

Let me know if they say the sun is up, okay?

[ekwd]

As long as they can pay for it without complaining about "price gouging", then okay.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Good report. Thanks.

How far up are you off the local flood plain?

[luckystarmom]

Perry is a republican!

[RummyChick]

I knew there had to be a D in there somewhere for Sheila Jackson Lee to behave so well. Didn't the Mayor make the comment about how FEMA was a back up essentially slamming Nagin and Blanco.

Nagin has been pretty quiet the last couple of days.

[WestCoastGal]

Hang in there, we are also getting clobbered by wind and rain now up here now!! We have a lot of evacuees here who may have been better off in Houston. Who would have thought that?

[Howlin]

That cannot possibly be right, is it?

All those models are right over onyx's house!

[Knitting A Conundrum]

That's what I was thinking. I saw on the KHOU news site that authorities in Jasper, which is a little north of Beaumont are talking about lots of destruction.