Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VIII

www.freerepublic.com | September 24, 2005

[Howlin]

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:

Hurricane Rita Freeper CHECK IN THREAD

FReeper Sign In Thread (LOCKED) 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 VII
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

[milagro]

AMEN!

[milagro]

All I have is flat silverware!

[cajungirl]

I am never getting to bed!

You can get the small freestanding wine coolers, come are very small. And you can put the frig drawer over in the regular cabinets. But if you have a small kitchen you might not want to.

My last kitchen had 12 stove burners, a restaurant hood, the fanciest food warmer I have ever seen with drawers for different temps and differnt foods. It was wasted on me but now I miss it.

[Txsleuth]

Now that I have probably totally confused you...

I think I, too, will go to bed...my granddaughter got me up at 4:00 this morning....(yawn)...

See you tomorrow...and thanks for keeping the thread "alive"...

[Colorado Doug]

it implies that you have been very busy doing volunteer work at the shelter that you haven't had time to put away the lamps.

Wow, you are good!

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Geraldo is having a bad hair day

A CAT 4 hurricane will do that to ya.

[Torie]

Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

[Cedar]

I think you must be Julia Reed in disguise... :)

[flowergirl]

Have you read "the Southern Belle Primer.or why Princess
margaret will never be a Kappa kappa gamma?" Funny, funny book!

[DrewsMum]

Did anyone just see MSNBC WEATHER report,,,they had AL and MS backwards!!!

[DrewsMum]

Has anyone heard about how I 10 is going west in lake charles and beaumont??? Does anyone know if they are closed or not??

[buickmackane]

Now that Rita's been downgraded to a Tropical Depression, I don't know how much longer this live thread will run. I just wanted to say that I'm grateful that I had kind, supportive people to talk to while this was going on, especially during the Tornado Warning for Alexandria last night. The Alexandria/Pineville area isn't entirely out of the woods, by the way. There are still high winds, severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches in Central Louisiana, but tonight I'll be able to get a much better night's sleep.

On that note, I would like to conclude with an excerpt from my favorite post of the weekend, by ClearBlueSky:

Blanko is flakier than Kelloggs.
She's a dim-witted Cajun mawmaw who couldn't run a local garden club.
To call her inept is too flattering.

Mas tarde, y'all!

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Gov. Blanco is actually BRAGGING to Geraldo about "the effective evacuation" of New Orleans before Katrina. LOL! Bragging that there were no traffic jams out of N.O....a snide dig at Houston.

When she leaves 500,000 behind, there will surely be less traffic during her non-evacuation evacuation. Typical Leftist double-speak.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

She better not head back into the gulf for a 2nd swipe at Texas!!

Blanco or the hurricane?

[Txsleuth]

You and me both, brutha!!! LOL

I don't know anything, but I enjoy the conversation!!

[Colorado Doug]

Oh man, didn't the runaway bride have Francis the I????

Okay, now look here. I do have my limits. Do I look like someone who would know what the runaway bride would have? huh? do I?

A guy just tries to be polite and try to keep up the conversation and pretty soon, he's one of the girls or a metro sexual or something, jeez,

runaway bride, indeed

[Soul Seeker]

Maybe he wants to emulate his new idol, General Honore?

Honore said the press was stuck on stupid. That they were relying on correct information being gotten out swiftly by the MSM so they should focus.

Reading your recall of Nagin's presser, it sounds like he fancies himself mimicing Honore's competance by demanding the press only listen to him to get correct info out. I know he was practically gushing about Honore when the general got those people out in 24 hours.

[DrewsMum]

Gov. Blanco is actually BRAGGING to Geraldo about "the effective evacuation" of New Orleans before Katrina. LOL! Bragging that there were no traffic jams out of N.O....a snide dig at Houston.



well, if half of houston was left sitting on top of their houses or in the astrodome,,,we would have not had as many traffic jams either,,,,,let's ask her "Um, how many fatalities did you have??? How many did Houston??? " Now, that is worth discussing,,,,,,

[Txsleuth]

I wish I could help you...the only thing I have heard is that I-10 is not in good shape...but that was earlier today.

[DrewsMum]

crud,,,,thank you,,,,i want to go home and i'm in mississippi and that dumb storm is stuck between me and home,,,,,,