Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VII

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

[NautiNurse]

Hurricane Rita landfall is anticipated within the next few hours. Strong winds and heavy rains are battering southern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.

MSM news crews are shouting over the howling winds as they foolishly describe blowing rain, swaying trees, and crashing waves through rain splattered camera lenses. It's a hurricane. We know these things already.

An 18 wheeler rig reportedly overturned on an I-10 bridge. The fate of the truck driver is unknown at this time. Reports of widespread power outages in Lake Charles. KPLC-TV Lake Charles local news has remarkably improvised their reporting from a remote location. They are taking calls from residents, NWS, and public utility representatives, and alerting residents to local conditions.

On the flip side, CNN announced to the world that law enforcement officers had evacuated from Port Arthur TX with the rest of the population. Engraved looter invitations would have been more elegant.

Godspeed to all those in the path of this storm.

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 VI
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

[NautiNurse]

Thank you for the links to the prayer threads

[mtbopfuyn]

Coffee not doing it, so calling it a night. I'll check in in the morning to see if Shep made it without getting impaled with a sign.Stay safe, all.

[Swampmarine]

Me too. But he did have one bad night on the bridge.

[conservative in nyc]

oh man..I hope that the overwhelming majority have already left!

KPLC is getting calls from people in MOBILE HOMES. One had the roof ripped off. He was calling from his neighbor's house.

[Howlin]

Alex Jones who said that the FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina may have been deliberately inadequate so the agency can acquire more funding and power.

I think he posts on FR.

[LA Woman3]

I like Shep...


I do too.....
Sad that I had to post this at midnight....(Shhh!)

[Dolphy]

Alex Jones who said that the FEMA response to Hurricane Katrina may have been deliberately inadequate so the agency can acquire more funding and power.

I think it would be more accurate, particularly given the political philosophies involved, to say that Blanco and company were deliberately incompetent.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Did you see the video on MSN yesterday about the ghosts in NOLA and how they are freaking out the National Guard members there???

[A Citizen Reporter]

I was thinking about that today. That's it for me. There is only one who has never disappointed.

[silentknight]

Hurricane Audrey, the first hurricane of 1957, claimed more lives than any other natural disaster in nearly 20 years. The hurricane struck the extreme west coast of Louisiana and part of eastern Texas on June 27 and 28. It killed 534 persons and left about 40,000 homeless. Cameron, Creole, and Grand Chenier, all in Louisiana, were the most heavily damaged communities. Cameron was also flooded by a tidal wave.

Cat 4 Hurricane

[flutters]

Shep says hurricanes are bad at night, because he can't see the stuff blowing at him in the dark.

I'm really worried about him right now, he's not holding on to the pole.

[WoodstockCat]

check out MSNBC occasionally..they are running KPRC coverage..pretty decent.

Had a cool pic a minute ago of the winds pushing a ferris wheel by itself.

[samantha]

I wish I was artistic and demented, I would create good old "Loosiana" Voodoo dolls for Blanco,Nagin and Landrieu and stick them on a roof in 100 degree weather.

[glock rocks]

The Chair is Against the Wall.. The Chair is against the wall...John has a long moustache. Fifty points and a new George Foreman grill if you can tell me what movie that came from.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre?

Moustache? We don't need no moustache.

[LibertyRocks]

LOLOL
Oh thank you! I needed that! (o:

[kenth]

I guess it didn't help having Gov. Blanko chiding us for ignoring their levees all these years?

[steveegg]

Good night mtbopfuyn. You were only 2-3 hours from landfall.

[hummingbird]

I am so glad that you are still with us!

Me, too! Had some short brownouts and didn't want to "compromise" the computer so we shut everything down. That lasted for about 15 minutes....but had to get away from "STUCK ON STUPID" reporters and thinking about the storm, so Mr. h and I just snapped at each other for awhile (we don't do "cabin fever" very well). After we got tired of that, he went to sleep and I thought I'd check in. Had a couple of more brownouts since logging back on so I think I'll be on my merry way. Thanks for your post, ruoflaw, and thanks to all prayer warriors and well wishers!

Also, thanks to Geraldo and Shep, who only need one more stooge to be as funny as the first Three Stooges. Haven't learned a darn thing from either of them except they don't seem to be bright enough to come in from the 'cane!

***Sheesh***

BBL!

[mediawatcher44]

i wonder,is there a special food that isint "ethnic"?or perhaps food made by people with no ethnicity?

[Eaker]

"Not much risk of me showing up there. You should invite Eddie for dinner, however."

Tijeras,

Would you handle this one for me?

Please show the pup how to use hyperlinks too.

My link works.