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Locked on 09/23/2005 9:43:13 AM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
Part VI: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1490045/posts |
Posted on 09/22/2005 5:44:09 PM PDT by NautiNurse
Extremely dangerous Category Four Hurricane Rita continues to move toward landfall along the northwest Gulf of Mexico shoreline. Mandatory and voluntary evacuations continue across Texas and Louisiana coastal areas. Lake Charles LA is providing evacuations by bus for residents who have no transportation.
Traffic gridlock in the greater Houston area was compounded by gasoline stations without fuel, long lines at those stations still carrying fuel, and record breaking temperatures on the first day of autumn.
Offshore drilling platforms and rigs, as well as oil refineries, petrochemical and natural gas plants are in the path of the storm. Wave heights recorded by buoy have exceeded 38 feet. The refineries threatened by Hurricane Rita are on higher ground than those affected by flooding from Katrina. As a result, speculation abounds regarding future prices for winter heating fuel and gasoline.
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
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:
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)
KPRC-TV/DT Houston - KPRC-TV/DT Houston - http://mfile.akamai.com/12944/live/reflector:38616.asx
KPLC-TV Lake Charles KPLC Streaming
KHOU-TV/DT Houston: mms://beloint.wm.llnwd.net/beloint_khou
WWLTV NOLA
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
Coastal TX Evacuation Maps
Beaumont TX evac Routes
Lake Charles/Southwest LA Evacuation Map
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 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
I guess it's not so bad...
y'all seem so, uh, normal.
Compassion - or lack thereof - is not a liberal vs. conservative thing. It crosses all political boundaries, it crosses all class boundaries, it crosses all race boundaries, it crosses every boundary that we can perceive or invent.
Maybe Dr. Seuss had it right -- some people are just born with a heart that is a little too small.
As with Katrina, Tyler is full of people smart enough to get out of the way. All of the hotels are full here, and gas has been a little bit difficult to get today.
My boss today told me that we will stay open for business and not shut down if things get bad here. He said he has a good chance to make money with all of the people in town. What a guy!! /sarcasm
Rock salt loaded in a 12 gauge is a favorite for that sort of thing. :)
As the synapses go, routine becomes more important, and if the routine is broken, the disorientation can be the final straw. My grandfather when his wife died, went absolutely nuts in a hurry into senile dementia. The symptoms under stress rapidly overtook him.
That is correct, I have stopped listening just about everything except my own brain, I feel much better about things now that I have realized that I am on my own, I have friends, we will see one another thru this storm and we will farfe better then those stuck on the side of the road.
Also I will be able to provide yall with really good reports of contition on Galveston bay, news media is at clear lake Hilton, wimps, the real action we be at Galveston Island and Galveston Bay. But I will bail out of my house and go to a more secure location if/when things get really bad.
I was in Osan from late 75 to 85. Sorry I don't recall
On that note, it's time to call it a night.
"First death among Rita evacuees stranded in traffic. It was the grandmother of a driver. No more details right now."
OMG! What would you do in a case like that? I just can't imagine.
Oh. We're normal alright. Oh yeah.
Should be able to find some. After Abilene, the towns get small and further apart, but there are several large truck stops in Abilene. If someone fills up in Abilene, they can make it to Midland/Odessa, west on I20 or north west to Lubbock. Should not have any problem finding gas.
Steve for the average person what are the winds speeds.
Is that being publicized?
The trucks were and are prepositioned. The problem is that more people tried to get out earlier than was planned and the resulting traffic jam resulted in too many people getting stuck and running out of gas before they could get to the truck positions.
G'Nite, Thanks for all the info.
Gonna be a long weekend for all FRom the Gulf Coast to the nation's Capitol.. and Dover too.
Since you've said ya'll have some shelter there I may send a few people that way tomorrow. My uncle is the emergency coordinator here and I was up at city hall and all around town trying to help him with his work today. I was surprised at the number of people who stopped in our little town saying they'd been told there was not anything open in north Texas or Oklahoma and asking if we knew where they could go. Several of them had decided it was time to "vacation" in New Mexico. Some just wanted a place to sit this out. If we get more tomorrow I'll mention Odessa.
There's a roadside park on the side of Hwy 6 about a mile out of town. This morning there were a dozen cars parked there with folks sleeping there for the night. They'd just got tired of looking for motels.
BTW, was in Odessa twice last month! Next time, I'll wave out the window from I-20... LOL... at least I'll know somebody there.
Uh oh...that one puts it back SW of the 2300 track....by 1,479.47 feet.
Just a little hipfake.
Where is Spring Steubner? It does not pop on mapquest.
I suspect other Home Depots in the area will do the same.
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