Posted on 09/24/2005 9:58:36 AM PDT by 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
An emergency spillway is good news, but not a guarantee. If the walls of the spillway get flanked, well, as you point out, it is an earthen dam. Nothing to panic over right now, but something that needs to be watched.
I've never been to NO or LA or Texas.
But if I had to choose, I'd go to
TX. Not near the coast though. LOL
yep.
But on a good note, I saw a presser with Landrieu and Vitter. And when Mary isn't talking she is twitching. Has anyone else seen her twitch? She looks like she has Tourettes and also has a crazed look.
Worst. Governor. Ever.
Thanks for the tip re: Percy. I'll try to check that one out. (I have a two-foot high stack of books beside my bed now I'm trying to get around to reading - I can handle a few more inches!) /grin
Stay safe and well - things will get better!
Blanco Dubois better be careful what she wishes for if she tries to let the refurgees vote absentee. I know the Louisiana Elites like the Babineaux and the Landrieux think the po folks are stupid but they know when they been screwn, and they've now seen how other people are.
Mary and the Tourettes, could catch on.
Maybe this hurricane mess will get a few more of your voters to see the light.
I don't know how else you can get things right. The Landrieu family alone accounts for a big chunk of the problem.
I don't know. Those with big houses in the Uptown area are rich enough to go back. And they are tight with Nagin.
I would be surprised to see any business set up housekeeping in NO.
She was more powerful than Katrina at one point, and did come at that coastline from the same angle for many days. It sounds like the fears of cat 4+ surges were realized... I'm surprised how far east the big surge seemed to hit though.
I actually consider her lower than the savages who were shooting and raping and pillaging in NOLA. At least they weren't pretending to be refined and superior. She does, and that makes her worse.
They got it working again but pressure is low.
You need to send that to Registered. It has interesting... possibilities!
They are releasing 20k cfs now.
That is very far from the record below.
Wow 110 cfs, the ground must have been shaking then.
"Anything above 20,000 cfs can cause minimal flooding below the dam, Karr said.
The record release was 110,000 cfs in 1994."
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/storm2001/942844
I love Walker Percy.
Now reading the Corner by Simon,,immersed in the drug culture!!
"The Landrieu family alone accounts for a big chunk of the problem."
The Mafia looks to them for accounting tips.
And all that mold will never go away.
It's a health hazard.
I had to cringe when I heard some say,
"Just bleach it." HA! That only works
for the short-term. Soon the mold comes
back. Besides, who could live in a house
that reeks of bleach OR mold? Mold goes
through & through the walls, not just on
the surface.
I saw one multi-million dollar NO house
that only had the steel frame left. There
wasn't a sign of the household contents
to be seen. That was the most amazing
destroyed house I've ever seen!
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