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

[RedWhiteBlue]

I grew up in Nederland. When this is over, we'll expect you to check back in with us. Hope you end up on the western side.

[milagro]

And the ones who looted?

[cake_crumb]

Good luck. Stay safe. Even though she weakened she'll still pack a whollop.

[humblegunner]

You get to high ground OK?

Yar, we're all hunkered down.

Waiting for power loss.

I give it 13 hours more.

[twigs]

Please be safe, AM. I hope that you're with others?

[mewzilla]

Blanco on TV now, trying to impersonate a governor. Get this: she is asking for all sorts of money, including complete pay for police and fire from the Feds, instead of just overtime. Also she wants more money so that people of Louisiana can come home (translation...get those Rat voters back now). She also is confusung Rita and Katrina, and Rita and FEMA.

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.

[lainie]

You must be about the dumbest brick in the stack.

Thanks, it's nice to make your acquaintance too.

He's entitled to stage and post those pictures, and I'm entitled to an opinion on the subject. Doesn't make any difference whether we're talking about "good" or "bad" people. I'm not such a criminal myself. Get over yourself and stop calling me names.

[Revel]

Fox is saying forward speed increasing. May have landfall at 1am CDT.

[oceanview]

early saturday morning.

[Ichneumon]

Almost showtime...

[milagro]

LOL!!

[babaloo]

I thought the plan was to have him go to the Colorado Command center first from the get-go. He was supposed to go to Texas after that. At least that is what I thought I heard this morning on FOX.

[sheikdetailfeather]

Janice Dean (Fox) just said that landfall could be around 1:15am as the forward speed of the storm has INCREASED.

[tcrlaf]

Levee topped in Terrebone Parish- Mandatory Evac called...

[Txsleuth]

I didn't see the Governor...

BUT, it sounds like she is picking up where her two US Senators left off yesterday...

They called a presser to say that they are going to ask the federal govt. (you and me) to give them 250 BILLION dollars to rebuild NO...and even pay for mosquito spraying, building new homes for everyone...etc...

So, I guess NOW it is the Governor's turn...

I agree with Rush on this---not only is it despicable that they want taxpayers to pay for the repairs of a levee that HAD been financed but squandered by the locals....

BUT, it is in VERY BAD TASTE to demand this money on the eve of Texas perhaps being pounded by a hurricane...

He said they didn't wait though, because the wanted to be first in line with their hands out....

I SAY---they just screwed the pooch...I am going to tell my Congresscritters to NOT give any of my money for NO...unless it is built ABOVE sea-level and the state of LA has to pay for their share.

[geopyg]

"Flooding now in St. Bernhard from levee failure...

Levees being undercut in other places now...."


This might be for the best in the long run. Better now than after 5 years of rebuilding homes and businesses (but no real improvements to the levees).

[IamConservative]

Hope your ground is high my FRiend.

[lainie]

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

[Eaker]

I had to put them down.

I am too old to pack around 70 pounds of iron!!

My wife, kids and I had a ton of fun taking these pics.

The neighbors that are left know us and our demand for weapon safety were laughing their buns off.

Starting to rain.

Time to get serious and actually load up.

[processing please hold]

Thank you for the prayers.
The sky is turning green. I have to leave and keep my little girl close to me.
I'll be back WHEN I can. :-)