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

[nerdgirl]

If this were Survivor, I think A.C.R. would be voted OFF this thread, by those of us who perfectly understand that there are certainly times where DUDE is a perfect word to use!

[cgk]

Welcome... I've been bouncing around the local blogs and kept hitting that one as it was still updating. Plus, BIG plus, it's conservative.

http://texasrainmaker.blogspot.com/

[Brad’s Gramma]

They did not impede your progress one bit. You are not being logical.

Um. What progress did TheMom make?

[cgk]

They are one of millions who work away from computers all day and only catch the half-hour news each day. Something we should all be a little scared about.

Yep. Some of them, in my own extended family, refuse to watch any news.

[bd476]

"...they just announced a barge had come loose and was heading towards the 210 Bridge..."

Yikes! That's scary, a barge can take a bridge out.

The reporters outside serve very little positive purpose other than giving people a sense of what it's like to be outside and as a warning of what not to do.

[Arizona Carolyn]

Are these fires they are showing new fires or re-runs?

[Spktyr]

In the case of Texas, the goverment simply set the scenario, gave the people direction, stood out of the way and tried to help as much as possible as people got themselves out - but the government made it very, very clear that people were to try to get themselves out as it was going to be busy trying to get those out who *couldn't* leave on their own.

As it was, it worked out pretty well. Several million Texans used their own personal responsibility to get the h*ll out of the way and we emptied the fourth largest city in the United States, plus Galveston and half of the entire Texas Coastal region in under 72 hours.

[Shortstop7]

Thanks a bunch! Off to check it out.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Nassau Bay is the SE suburb of Houston. Just beyond the beltway. Map Here

[Arizona Carolyn]

Isn't that what happened two years ago on I-40 in Oklahoma? A barge?

[conservative in nyc]

KPLC - In parking garage outside hospital from where they are broadcasting. Trees snapping. Stop signs flying down street. Power lines down. Extremely dangerous. Very, very windy.

[cgk]

And as I've said a few times today and will say again, God Bless Texas and Texans. I'm reading elsewhere that locals who were stuck DID GET THEIR GAS and DID GET OUT and stragglers were helped, even by strangers.

[glock rocks]

The sometimes thin veneer of civil society is held together by men like your husband. We've all been irrevocably changed by these events. I've been praying more in the last few weeks than in all the years of my life.

[Brad’s Gramma]

I think they're reruns...or fires still burning.

Karl?

[Arizona Carolyn]

When I read Letters to Editor the idea these people vote is another scare. Seeing a lot of "form" letters lately (if you get my drift).

[dandelion]

Thank you. I'm staying up tonight so I can help plot his route. It looks like 1-10 to Baton Rouge via Lake Charles is OUT...

Prayers for all, indeed.

[BurbankKarl]

Which fires? Galveston, an art gallery went up killing lady keeping watch tonight. A house and another building burned down also.

[LibertyRocks]

Reporters on KPLC stating they are getting scared now...

[johnmecainrino]

CNN had Dr Gupta in Lake Charles, would it be too much to see what it is like out there. If they can't get connection at least say so.