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

[oceanview]

Clark was pontificating about how any mother who loses a son in the military deserves this respect. OReilly was giving some of her quotes - said she hated the US (he was quite blunt). It was a good exchange.

[76834]

Something interesting about Port Arthur is how it got it's name:

Check this out:
http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/SS/fst58.html

The road he built with "OPM" still runs.
Now they call it the Kansas City Southern

[BurbankKarl]

Several reports of looting in Downtown Houston.

[BurbankKarl]

FEMA convoy on KPRC

[cake_crumb]

The sad part is that for the shor term (first rewrite of history) Texas will be shown to the public as an example that the evil Bush favors his homw state over any other Southern state. In the LONG TERM, however, history will be corrected to reveal Texas as an example of exactly how to function in an emergency situation, while New Orleans will be an example of exactly what NOT to do in an emergency situation.

Is it too early to start NO voter jokes yet? "We Texans are not stuck on stupid" was SUCH a great line!

[johnb838]

Ninth Ward underwater: It's because of the Decadence Parade.

[Double Tap]

No, they are not considered a game species in Texas. Kill all you want. No limit, no season.

[RDTF]

i.e. a Texas-Style looter branding, that is.

[Spktyr]

Great! The first Texas looter season in years that actually has looters available for the citizens!

[BurbankKarl]

FEMA convoy at 610 West Loop at Bellaire...heading to staging at Astrodome.

[jacquej]

Hey, I understand the breed, having a rescue in my house. When he first came to us, he wouldn't trust my husband at all. It took us 6 months of hard work to get him to go to DH for a treat.

I know how to re-train dogs, and also know how to "read" them. Poor DH didn't grow up with dogs, so just didn't have the proper "senses" about how to read them.

Anyway, after 2 years, DH finally figured out that when our "rescue" wanted to go out and protect us from "dem da#m hawks, that he had to position himself in a certain way at the door not to get a bruising nip on the leg...

It is all in the body language between you and the dog... ya have to be a team, and read each other properly... Anyway, if you have small children, who are apt to scream and run, a rescue Belgian probably isn't a good idea. The ones worth rescueing have a strong prey drive, and that isn't a good mix with li'l kids, unless you are very dog experienced.

These are not laid-back retriever type dogs... But, since I live in potential "looter" territory, I get the benefits of dogs who lick and love me the way labs do, but who would take a bullet for me any day... They give me time to get the rifle from the closet, as they really know how to do the "tag-team" thing.

Once when I went out on the patio, late at night, they gave me a good demonstration of that technique, and chased off a hungry coyote. They were poetry in motion, believe me. The guy did the "agressive" routine, the bitch stayed close to me, but had her back hair up, gave all the guttural sounds, but only left my side when the guy told her it was "time to intimidate" the rest of the lurking pack...

[fishntex]

ahh or a looter brand??

The brand would almost have to be a big L on their forehead.

[Carolinamom]

I wouldn't put it past Geraldo to have already stashed some poor soul to bring out later when Rita is upon them to prove the plight of one poor soul who was left behind. Another DRAMATIC scoop for the one and only.

[steveegg]

Thanks for telling me who NOT to go to after 11 pm :-)

[CindyDawg]

If he has made a friend of two dogs he can't be all that bad. I hope they aren't depending on Fox to get them out though.

[Spktyr]

Trafficams: 610 W Loop / Bellaire showing massive truck convoy.

[LA Woman3]

We had one surge just a few minutes ago. Had to reboot the computer.




We did too.....One of my twins (5) said, "What the hell happened?" My husband heard it and handled it... : )

Where are you?

[RDTF]

Now that's the way it should be done.

[ARealMothersSonForever]

Only if they curl up like an armadillo. You gotta roll 'em on their back and put a Lonestar longneck between their hands, so as it looks like they are drinkin' it.

[floriduh voter]

For some reason, I never forgot the Chaundra Levy music. I wonder if Gary Condit is watching CNN tonight.