Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VI

NHC - NOAA ^ | 23 September 2005 | NHC - NOAA

[NautiNurse]

Dangerous Hurricane Rita is expected to make landfall in the northeast Gulf of Mexico within 24 hours. Tornados have spawned in Louisiana. Water is filling the Ninth Ward of New Orleans again. A bus carrying elderly evacuees was gutted by fire this morning outside Dallas, with multiple fatalities. Television crews have positioned their hurricane reporters throughout the region to attain maximum drama effects. Whoooooa.

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:

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
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 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

[Colofornian]

Fox just said President Bush is going to the command center in Colorado instead of going to Texas. See! He can't decide what to do or where to go!

What? Bush isn't going to Port Arthur to pull out the very first victims in the surge? He's not going to get behind a steering wheel of a bus and keep it on the highest ridge in the midst of the storm? He's not going to personally evacuate hospitals and nursing homes? He's actually going to claim intelligence by not staying in harm's way? No way, Garth!

He needs to don that cape now, or else SuperPrez will be cut up by the libs & MSM alike!

[Aggie Mama]

I have my hubby and 3 kids. 70% of our neighbors are still at their hours too.

[greene66]

Thanks for the prayers. I know it will probably get a bit rough. My plot of land here in Nederland actually has a fairly decent elevation compared to much that surrounds me. They've turned the water off here, but I filled the bathtub, so I'd have water for the toilets to work, when needed.

Have hardly gotten any rain at all, but the wind is really whooshing the oak trees around. It will probably get pretty spooky here at night, with the electricity off, and the winds howling. But, I'm not too faint-hearted.

[bonfire]

Welcome and stay in touch with us.

[NautiNurse]

She being a first-class airhead, maybe she has super powers..

Blanco is talking to hurricanes today...haul out the "weegee bored"
;o)

[oceanview]

no. we lost that political battle unfortunately.

[Eaker]

Eaker, if you get more than a few dozen or so looters, send some my way. I want my share too.

Shelia Jack$on Lee is already diverting traffic away from our house!

Good luck hunting!

[Wneighbor]

I'm about ready to suggest that the other 49 states think about suing LA for voting this incompetent into office, and making the rest of us pay through the nose for their foolishness.

That's the best idea I've heard all day. Somebody get a lawyer!

[Revel]

"You get to high ground OK?"


I don't think Eaker has to worry about this hurricane at least. I think he can Shoot his way out.

[bwteim]

I hope that is not true.

[Fritzy]

Greene66.... One thought.. have you called your local authorities to let them know you are at home with your Grandmother?.. Someone should know you are there.. just in case.. do you have neighbors who have not left?

Stay safe and let us know...

[babaloo]

I get it now. He will go there later aftr the storm passes. In the meantime he will be in Colorado keeping an eye on things.

[CharlesWayneCT]

We aren't worried about them, but about those who might see the picture. Or maybe we are worried about them, but they can do what they want.

Everybody has a perfect safety record until the first time an accident happens.

If a gun is never pointed at someone, it will never shoot someone. It probably won't shoot someone anyway, this is true, and some people never shoot anybody they point at.

But virtually EVERY gun accident in which people are shot start with a gun being pointed at someone.

[hummingbird]

Good explanation...if only you were a reporter...sigh....

[PAR35]

No, you don't know Eaker and his family, those of us that do know it was done in a safe manner, back off.

There is no such thing as pointing a gun at someone 'in a safe manner'. Anyone who thinks there is isn't old enough to play with guns yet.

[Rightly Biased]

Thanks I knew about that one.

We have a plant in Columbus Tx just west of Houston 'bout 70 miles hope its gets spared I don't wanna work Sunday.

[mewzilla]

In all seriousness, what can be done when we taxpayers have to cough up dollars to keep an incompetent/corrupt government going? Does the law/constitution offer us any redress?

Darned if I know, but if LA wants the Feds to pay for freaking everything, I say we nationalize the bloody state. They don't deserve statehood.

[Zacs Mom]

lol - I'll they don't weigh that much more than my purse!

My neighbor's (the cop) wife and I are signed up to take our "permit to carry" classes .... truth be known, we are both very well trained firearms and we've both 'carried' for years. We just got to talking about it and decided we needed to get ourselves "straight" with the laws.

[Brad’s Gramma]

Shelia Jackson Lee is already diverting traffic away from our house!

LOL!!! Well, there you have it! ;)

Eaker, you stay safe, OK???

[twigs]

You'll be making life-time memories with the children. Hope that they'll turn out to be good ones. Even in crisis, loving families can turn events into good, teaching and even fun times.