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
Drop the tude, and we can discuss making confusing early reports and try to make sense of them.
Otherwise, shoo.
No time here for BS.
Sorry, that's just the way it is.
I love your attitude...enjoy antiquing!!!
There was a report last night from the NHC, in the discussion, that mentioned Rita's convection really firing up again after she hit land. She might have been stronger after landfall for awhile than she was before landfall.
Great point...I hadn't noticed it until you mentioned it. Wonder why?
____________________________________________
Usually, shelters and damage assessments can be reported in the same county. (i.e., damage at the coast, then cut to shelter 10-20 miles inland). In this case, people evacuated big time not to local shelters.
http://ninebreaker.deviantart.com/journal/6572263/
When news first reached me that Hurrican Rita was going to collide head-on with Houston, TX, I was perplexed (as I'm sure many of you were). Why would George W. Bush summon a hurricane and aim it at his own state? What purpose could destroying his own people, the citizens of Texas possibly serve?
However, as I contemplated the possible strategies that this diabolical head-of-state could have in mind, two eventualities surfaced: First of all, Bush could have created this new hurricane in order to prove that he's on top of his emergency-relief game. How you say? Simple! By creating another Katrina-like disaster, Bush would be able to prepare beforehand this time around, greatly decreasing the amount of time first-responders take to rush the scene of the aftermath. Thus proving that he can indeed handle disaster-relief and therefore quelling the talk that he's a dunder-head. AND he'll look GOOD because NOW he sends Rita towards primarily WHITE Houston! So he saves the day AND proves that he's not racist all at the same time...or so I thought.
Immediately, however, I began hearing people whining about how prepared the federal government appeared for Rita, that the upped efficency was unfair to victims of Katrina. Almost right away I heard accusations of racism. Bush was only responding fast this time BECAUSE Houston is mostly white. He STILL hates black people and now he loses politically because his faster response time only PROVES that he fumbled the Katrina disaster. So I concluded that Bush probably wasn't sending Rita towards Houston in order to create a way to make up for Katrina...but what could possibly be the reason?
Then I got to thinking some more... What did we all recently find out George Bush hates? That's right, black people. So at first I was confused...why not just send Rita back to New Orleans and finish the place off? Then it dawned on me: New Orleans is empty because Bush ALREADY destroyed the city with Katrina. But WAIT!!! The plot thickens! WHERE did all the black people that SURVIVED Katrina go? That's right! HOUSTON! SO! I figured out that Hurricane Rita is being sent to Houston by George Bush in order to finish OFF all the black people that he MISSED with Katrina! What a sadist! What an evil master-mind! It's diabolical and yet so simple!
So there you have it folks. Rita is only FURTHER proof that Bush is nothing but an evil, war-mongering black-hater bent on global environmental destruction and complete and utter chaos.
Now please excuse me. I need to call Dan Rather. I'm sure he'll want to buy this information off of me...
*snort*
Does anyone know what the heck Mark Furhman is doing with Geraldo in Texas?
I havent seen any evacuee interviews. It's not like there weren't any shelters set up. Wonder what the spin on that is.
Probably wishing he was with someone else...
That's what I'm wondering. Some of the reports just aren't fitting with others, and a strengthening after landfall helps them fit better. My gut doesn't like that as a solution though, but I'm not really sure why. I do remember the storm seemed to stay at "cat-2" for a long time after landfall, but what feels more likely is some kind of isolated events, like spin-ups around Lufkin, or funneling effects in some places and not others.
The old saw about the simplest solution being the best is one I tend to agree with.
LOL....thanks for the laugh Sunshine!!!
I would love to know myself.
Uh Oh - Geraldo wants to return to Galvaston some time to "enjoy a cocktail and watch the sun set over the water". Problem is, the sun doesn't set in the east, which is where the gulf is.
LOL, none of the models show her coming back (for now). Guess I'll "uncover" tomorrow.
LOL! Hildy can vouch for me. On the Sunday before Rita hit on Monday, she called me on my cell DURING the auction ...lol. Everyone else was scurrying around preparing for the hurricane. I got GREAT bargains that day.
A little off the subject of antiquing, but I went and checked the house I'm buying, and it's still there and the oak trees in back didn't fall on it. So in a few weeks *I'll* be able to enjoy antiquing too, if I want, which I do.
No time here for BS.
That was my point.
Hey, he finally learned how to say SaBEAN correctly. Maybe he will learn where the sunsets.
I think I will rest on all this a while. I am getting bug eyed looking at all this stuff. Time for a break, a little supper, then a nap. Later.
Initial sample didn't Bush bash so no story?
Yup, I'll vouch for my girl...damn the torpedoes...I'm going to the auction!
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