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

[Robert A Cook PE]

Computer predictions (at this stage) with the very complex stagnant pressure/fronts conditions in that area of the storm ARE much, much more random than realistic.

Almost all of the time, strong fronts and pressure systems across the country "move" the hurricane after it hits land: with this one, the computer programs are doing the "legendary" butterfly wing flapping" of (almost) random motion as different models use different criteria.

So, the ones earlier this morning showed: stopping over Ark. and Texarkana area, stopping then going left (SW), stopping and going right (E-SE).

They don't know.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

It wants to go down the Achafalaya, at the old river lock. If it did, it would not send all the water down there, but a huge amount that would be catastrophic for those in the center of the flood. It will happen. The river is eating away at the structure, and they keep fighting it. But one year, probably in a high water year with lots of flooding, they will lose the battle.

And when it does, NO will be a back water with a much smaller river, and the rebuilt Morgan City or whatever will become the new major port...and all sorts of horrid things will happen to the economy while people are dealing with the change.

[silentknight]

Vermillion Parish - major flooding. People trapped in houses. Rescue continues...

[SouthTexas]

He sent pics, all trees still up. Hard to tell in a still what's going on. Here is his major priority at the moment:

meat has been on for 3 hours or so at low temp. put the taters,corn,onion and carrots in a little while ago with a little more water with mixed flower in it to thicken the sauce... I'll let cook for another 2 hours..

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Rumours about that since Katrina. But it's not in the news today.

[laz]

Ah, the new catch phrase. Just like the body count that is inserted into every report on Iraq, this phrase will be inserted into every article on Rita.

And they will all mouth it every chance they get, like a ventriloquist's dummy. I really no longer see members of the MSM as individual human beings. They are like the Borg on Star Trek. One mind controls them all. Each is just an individual cell in a large cancer.

[Rumierules]

They are covering this like a "typical" hurricane, I think. Too early to tell how the damage will compare to others like Ivan and Charley.

However, this was a very atypical evacuation, which will make the aftermath much different than pre-Katrina hurricanes.

[Chaguito]

The amount of air time of local officials on national TV is inversely proportional to the incompetence of said officials.

If I didn't know the name of the governor of Texas already, I probably wouldn't know it via coverage of the storm. He's just quietly doing the job.

Know what I mean?

[BurbankKarl]

Jindal on WDSU asking that unspent Katrina money be immediately available to the Rita affected areas in Lousisiana...

They are trying to bait him into attacking Blanco...but he aint biting. BluesClues is late for another of her pressconferences

[Peach]

This is the timeline the Chair of the ATRW thread did:

http://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/1485619/posts?page=7

[jeffers]

It takes a 9 foot surge to get water anywhere near Houma on my software. That would apply to NO too. West of there it would necessarily get deeper.

[Sunnyflorida]

There are two sets of gates at ANY lock. If both are open then the up level quickly runs to the low level (kind of a fluid thing). The River is much higher than any thing around the NOLA area except the Rivers own levees. If both sets of gates of the Missippi/Industrial Canal lock were open all that River water would flood into the Lake, over the canal and lake levees. and the city would flood fast. ALL of it - even the bits such as the French Quarter, which are above sea level.

[AFPhys]

Thanks for those pic links. It is clear that NOAA is not swallowing the "360º loop by Rita" scenerio, either.

[don-o]

You go Robert.

Been watching that mess in DC. What a contrast.

[Conservababe]

Thanks for the info. Things must not be too bad if cooking is going on. LOL

[76834]

There was a documentary on I beleive the Discovery Channel outling this very thing.

Also the 93 floods on the upper Mississippi deserve comment.
All the best minds said that they had the Ole Muddy under control.

NOT, the river will do what it wants to do and cannot be controlled over the long term.

[bwteim]

Howlin, Thanks for the Ping.

Condolences Err, I mean Congrats on being forced to volunteering to continue this great Thread;)

[The Mayor]

Good to see you post Lonestar!

[RDTF]

[BurbankKarl]

WDSU looked like they were showing aerial videos of some coastal houses....looked unharmed...not sure where that was.