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

[mhking]

(Adding Shreveport CBS affil)

Live streams:

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

[Zechariah_8_13]

You can use also dogs for hunting pheasants, duck, chukar & grouse. Any bird, really.

Although it's unusual for people to use dogs for dove, here in TX it's a bit more common. I've seen people use them to retrieve the birds.

[Sally'sConcerns]

Hey, I just remembered. If we lose power the garage door will remain locked. I gotta go unhook that from the electric opener and switch to manual. They woulda been a bad mistake!

Hey sis...did you think of this?

[bwteim]

Bulletin - eas activation requested
tornado warning
national weather service new orleans la
1000 am cdt fri sep 23 2005

the national weather service in new orleans has issued a

* tornado warning for...
ascension parish in southeast louisiana
this includes the city of gonzales
st. Charles parish in southeast louisiana
this includes the city of hahnville
st. James parish in southeast louisiana
st. John the baptist parish in southeast louisiana
this includes the cities of...Reserve...Laplace

* until 1030 am cdt

* at 957 am cdt...National weather service doppler radar indicated a
severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado near norco...Or
about near hahnville...Moving northwest at 55 mph.

* the tornado is expected to be near...
reserve and edgard by 1005 am cdt
garyville by 1010 am cdt
gramercy and lutcher by 1015 am cdt
sorrento by 1025 am cdt
gonzales...7 Miles southeast of prairieville and 7 miles east of
geismer by 1030 am cdt

[lainie]

All that water pumped out over the last few weeks is back again.

[bwteim]

Are Dan and Monica still on?

[LA Woman3]

Tornado warning (not watch) box now up near New Orleans.


Headed towards me!

[MamaB]

Did you see the Black lady who was talking about seeing policemen going into an apartment building and coming out with boxes of Gatorade and a microwave oven? Pathetic! They did not have any right to do that and they sure did not have an excuse.

[nbtex]

I am so glad to hear this info, I am at 1960 and Stuebner-Airline. I have been a bit nervous, but could not find a good incentive to leave the area. Sole worry is property damage, really, but this helps me calm down a bit.

[Types_with_Fist]

There's one on the ground?

[milagro]

Yup. Maybe they needed the Cads to get to Las Vegas.

[steveegg]

There's both. Tornado Watch #809 is in effect for coastal/southern Alabama, coastal/southern Mississippi, southeastern Louisiana, and adjacent coastal waters until 6 pm CDT.

[mystery-ak]

Good Lord...take cover...

[LA Woman3]

Are Dan and Monica still on?

No.
OEP briefing now...

[RDTF]

Do you have sirens there?

[milagro]

Yeah--and they showed doors that had been kicked in--no flooding but the people living there got ripped off by the very people that are SUPPOSED to serve and prtoect them. Broke my heart!

[BureaucratusMaximus]

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.

I don't know how it is in TX, but in Cook/DuPage/Lake counties in Illinois all vehicles are required to have village/town/city stickers. I'd think that state police could be deployed to interstates and coordinate people from getting on in a manner that makes some sense (i.e. people from coastal towns can get on, others will be restricted unless their is a medical reason, elderly etc.) If they can deploy for contraflow...I'd think they can do this too.

[milagro]

Prayers up!!!

[bwteim]

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KLIX/0509231500.wfus54.html