Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part V

NHC - NOAA ^ | 22 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[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

[No Truce With Kings]

"I'm riding it out in the area of 290 and Barker Cypress and it made me a bit nervous that his entire neighborhood had evacuated. (Mine hasn't)"

You will be fine Sooner Girl. So will Dog Gone. Folks from Katy did not need to evacuate. They will be safe, even if the eye goes over them. (Trust me on that one. I rode out Alicia in SE Friendswood.)

Unless people are in an area that could flood, people should stay put. I left because I live in League City. Had I been in say, northern Pearland or Sugarland I would have stayed. Had my kid brother still had his apartment in Upper Kirby (just north of I-59, inside the loop) I would have evacuated there.

Too many people that do not have to evacuate are leaving, clogging roads that those that need to evacuate need, burning gas they do not need to burn, and spending a lot of money unnecessarily. But the hurricane porn that the news networks are spewing are panicking people.

I don't blame White, Perry, or Bush for the gridlock. Had only those that needed to evacuate left, then things would have been fine.

[RedWhiteBlue]

On the west side, like you, you'll be suprised how quick the sky clears up if it doesn't stall or slow down.

That sounds good to me. I've had that Delbert McClinton song going through my head -- "When Rita leaves, Rita's gone ..." You know a lot about the layout of the Houston area. Have you lived here before?

[RedWhiteBlue]

Thank you, Sooner Gal.

[dirtboy]

She could be an Ivan though, still a major event.

An Ivan at landfall.

And a hybrid of Floyd, Allison and Agnes for inland flooding.

[dixie sass]

No matter what category it is when it lands there will be massive destruction in some areas. The whole gulf coast is going to years to recover.

It will take a concerted effort by all the citizens of this country to help with the recovery.

[daybreakcoming]

Thank you for posting this. This info is what I was looking for in what little time I have to be online instead of wading thru the nitpicking. Please ping me when/if you have new/changing info. Thanks.

[SouthTexas]

This is correct. It just dosen't have the same destructive force as a "head on".

[janetjanet998]

MSNBC live phone report was cutting out but i thought he said water is 5 feet deep and rising fast

[Zacs Mom]

I keep thinking about the line from the song "Hard Hearted Hannah" about "pouring water on a drowning man" and thinking they should should have named this storm Hannah!

[steveegg]

Will try to remember. I'm just ripping the advisories and discussions off Weather Underground (they're a bit faster than the NHC in posting, and they don't use all-caps).

[OC_Steve]

Sooner Gal,

I am riding it out in Coles Crossing and most of my neighbors stayed put. Some had planned to leave yesterday morning but decided to stay after the shift in direction yesterday morning. I rode around on my bike last night and it was interesting that some houses were boarded up, but there were a lot of people around and about outside.

Stay safe.

[janetjanet998]

do you a have alink for that..(need it for another board)

[RDTF]

Gov Perry on now

[No Truce With Kings]

"MSNBC live phone report was cutting out but i thought he said water is 5 feet deep and rising fast"

Five feet where? League City? Galveston? Port Arthur?

[jslade]

Do most people who hunt dove use dogs, or not? What breed?

No. Dogs are used for hunting quail (bob white).

[kimmie7]

.

[janetjanet998]

9th ward NO...his phone connection was really bad and they finally cut it off

[Spktyr]

No, New Orleans - levee got overtopped again.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I wouldn't have stayed in Pearland too near Clear Creek, though... I agree with you. Katy is OK from storm surge. League City, Laporte, Kemah, and such, no way. Out.


Moving people in large numbers is amazingly hard.

Techniques need to be created to empty areas systematically, (for instance possibly minimizing the access people who are not evacuating have to main highways,) and to get gas to people on the road.

I hope people look and analyze this carefully. You just can't tell a million people to evacuate. You have to manage the evacuation in ways that aren't done yet.

[agrace]

Fox news email alert

LEVEE BREAKS IN NEW ORLEANS; DOZENS OF BLOCKS UNDER WATER