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

[bwteim]

Could be... LOL

By the way, Fox this morning had some *ASTONISHING news on their screen crawler around 6:45am

"Hurricane may weaken when it comes ashore..."

* /s

[tomkat]

yeah, but i gotta go mow for a couple hours so y'all get to have all the fun...   

[deport]

Thanks and hi....... Nope not heading west or that I intend to unless something changes my mind. May head north to the DFW area though.

First I have to deal with the situation left by Katrina's sister and see what we have. Anyway take care and thanks for thinking.

[Dog Gone]

You still have power?

It only flickered twice during the night. It's on! Woo hoo!

My internet connection is intermittent for some reason, but seems fine at the moment.

I was prepared for some major chainsaw work this morning, but I can clean this mess up with a broom!

I may have 30 bottles of frozen water in my freezer for no good reason. Yee haw! Can you tell that I'm ecstatic at the moment? ;-)

There are about 600,000 people without power in Houston, but I'm not one of them. Now, if I can only find some gasoline...

[Dustbunny]

We lost electricity, had trees down, etc., etc. IIRC the eastern-based news channels referred to it as 'strong winds'.

Same on Virginia's Eastern Shore. We always stocked up on water, canned goods etc. right before winter as we lived in a bit of a dip and getting out once the water got high was impossible. One road out of town and one road north. We did not have them every year fortunately.

[L,TOWM]

You know, even in the filthiest bars I ever drank at, people took religious arguments into the alley.

Who ever got their _$$ kicked would go away. If the winner came back into the bar, we would ALL kick their _$$.

[dixie sass]

That was most probably in Mexico. Brownsville is practically at the border from what my friends in Houston said.

[bwteim]

A couple of hours? Better have a beer cup holder on your rider...

[AliVeritas]

Now we're getting somewhere.

[OldFriend]

LOL....and Sean really topped the cake with that idiot Joe Bastardi. He found someone as hysterical as himself.

All I heard on his radio show was that oil was going to be $4 or was it $5.......LOL..........

It's getting impossible to take the media seriously on any topic!

Pray for Brit Hume's continued good health! LOL He and Tony Snow are all we have.

[dixie sass]

One of the local stations (Charleston) had an interview with a SCANA representative yesterday evening - very bluntly said that people need to save as much money as they can now because the heating bills for those using natural gas could triple this winter.

[laz]

Did you see this?

Shreveport lawmaker wants details about governor's actions on Katrina

It'll be dismissed by the MSM as a Republican vendetta. But the only reason a Republican is doing it is because no Democrat will.

[bwteim]

"even in the *filthiest* bars I ever drank at"

I think I remember you and me stepping outside quite often ;)

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Some news from Lake Charles, off the TV station's blog: They are particularly looking for someone who will stream video for them:

8:00 am - There are still tropical storm winds and downed power lines which will prevent many SWLA from returning to their homes. There are reports of lots of tree damage in Moss Bluff and Eunice.

7:15 am - Friendships Relief Organization personnel is ready to come back to Lake Charles to begin helping residents - reporting one of their ships on the Calcasieu River is loose.

6:45 am - Caller reports cars underwater in New Iberia, LA.

6:30 am - Tornado Warning for Vernon & Rapides Parishes. Tornado watch in effect for all of SWLA & SETX until 5 PM.

6:15 am - Sulphur Fire Department reports no damage. Still waiting until winds drop below Tropical Storm strength to begin patrols.

6:00 am - Can you stream audio live on the web? If so, call us at 337-491-7753 or e-mail ritakplc@gmail.com .

[No Blue States]

Click your Texas county to find out whats up:

Lufkin tornado warning @ 7:54..

http://www.srh.weather.gov/fwd/

[dixie sass]

Friends in Houston said that lights flickered but never went totally out.

[Amelia]

I have some movies (you show them on a reel-type projector) my dad took (with one of those old home movie cameras)

Somewhat off subject but my mother got a bunch of those transferred to videotape a while back. I'm not sure how but I bet you could get them put on DVD now for a reasonable price.

[RayChuang88]

Some of the younger reporters now feel that they have to go out into the storm so that they can get the ratings - sick.

But remember a then-young reporter named Dan Rather who made a name for himself covering hurricane Carla back in 1961? I think he kind of set a pretty bad example....

[Vermonter]

but I can clean this mess up with a broom!

Great news! Sure hope others are as fortunate as you were

[Elyse]

He's asking for e-mails, memos and letters in four areas: Preparations for the hurricane; evacuations; requests for assistance from other states and the federal government; and relief planning after Katrina hit and New Orleans flooded

Blanco will send the Senator a folder with one letter in it that says, 'I was on the phone with the President and I asked him for everything he's got!'