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

[BurbankKarl]

There was a female victim in that Galveston fire...has this been posted...

[Daralundy]

sort of like lutefisk?

[Howlin]

Shep Smith does an excellent job reporting for Fox News and has been doing so since he joined the network.

Are you under the impression that if you keep posting that perhaps it will actually be true?

[CindyDawg]

Lake Charles reporter said a Harrah's gambling barge had broken from its moorings and was floating down the river.

Are they all gone now? My mamma is going to be so mad at me.

[swmobuffalo]

"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. 8-)"

The Longest Day. Of which I have had the good fortune NOT to have had to watch THIS month Yet! (It's virtually assured that my husband will watch it at least once a month.)

[Squantos]

We'll have to break out the "toys" someday and test all these exspurt's !........hic !

[Spktyr]

Um, no, that's not it.

[RDTF]

I like him too, but you won't be too popular with that view here. It's very strange.

[RummyChick]

more on the ghost face - scroll down. It has many texas ghosts.
http://www.freewebs.com/shadowhuntersgroup/othertexashauntings.htm

[A Citizen Reporter]

ICK!

[Palladin]

Yes. I amtrying to figure out where she was and why she was still there. One report said she was in a boarding house; another said Art Gallery.

[glock rocks]

Their father was home, he was the one taking the pic.

Oh.

And excellent pics they were :o)

[mediawatcher44]

Red Dawn of course :)

Avenge me!

[ruoflaw]

I had to mute the music because it scared the two dogs... the little cowards.

[steveegg]

Allow me to ReWrite™ that -

MSNBC should lose their FCC license for showing video of Cosby in wet clothes from behind on general principles.........

[BurbankKarl]

There is an oil rig adrift 50 mi south of Grand Isle, La....

[Dustbunny]

Shep Smith does an excellent job reporting for Fox News and has been doing so since he joined the network.

We have always thought that Shep did a good job. Can't say the same for Colmes, Greta or our personal favorite Whorealdo, cannot stand any of them.

[conservative in nyc]

11:00 PM - Sea Rim State Park, along the coast south of Beaumont, just gusted to hurricane force (66 knots/76 mph)

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lch/temp/ritablog.htm

[Spktyr]

My cat is indoor only, and other FReepers are noting the smell as well.

[justa-hairyape]

This smell is a lot different.

According to local (so cal) rescue workers that were in New Orleans after Katrina, the smell of the flooded areas in New Orleans were very powerful. Very overwhelming. They could smell them in the helicopter at 800 feet. A weird kind of smell they would never forget.