Hurricane Rita Live Thread, Part VIII

www.freerepublic.com | September 24, 2005

[Howlin]

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:

Hurricane Rita Freeper CHECK IN THREAD

FReeper Sign In Thread (LOCKED) 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 VII
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

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

Blanco has been over-playing a weak hand all week. IMO, this is one reason why Bush has dropped in. Notice his comment to that idiot reporter today, something to the effect: "I'm here to observe the interaction of state and local authorities".

[onyx]

I hope you're still awake and here.

I have replied in FR mail.

[Howlin]

Every official in that state better pray that there is NOT an investigation?

Now I just heard on TV that the people in Texas are ignoring the governor's pleas not to return home?

I suppose they will go back and then whine because they have no power, wate, etc?

What is the world coming to.

[onyx]

My weakness == anything red glass. You ought to see the red glass & fancy crystal lamps I bought. We call them my whore lamps, but they're gorgeous. I light them every night...lol. :)

[Howlin]

I guess we now know why some folks refer to her as Blanco Dubois.

[Spktyr]

I saw two Houston evacuee vehicles heading west from Dallas towards Ft. Worth today. They sure weren't heading for Houston.

http://www.dallasdrivers.org/albums/album88/IM002272.jpg
http://www.dallasdrivers.org/albums/album88/IM002273.jpg

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

My guess is that the folks with roots and business interests will return and rebuild. The losers will probably drift from shelters into new digs, probably heavily subsidized for life by the government.

[Howlin]

In North Carolina, some people lived in FEMA trailers for years after Hurricane Floyd in 1999.

[Colorado Doug]

She is also upset I do believe that she is losing federal dollers.

Every time I see Blanco she pitching one angle or another for money. She's beginning to sound like kofi annan.

[onyx]

I believe you! I loved Bullock's Wilshire and Bullock's Pasadena. My mother would take me shopping at those two stores at Christmas time EVERY year. It was such a treat.
We'd get dressed up -- she even made me wear white gloves and patten leather, Mary Jane shoes and a hat. Oh what wonderful memories.

I gave the family's dinner china (Havilland) to my daughter years ago... I am watching the auction for an old set - 12 place settings --- no particular brand or pattern. If I like it, I'll bid on it, but so many of the offered for auction china are missing way too many pieces and buying the pieces separately gets expensive fast.

[Howlin]

In Raleigh, the evacuees went right to the head of the list for public housing.

Needless to say, the poor in this area are NOT happy about it.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

She is on Geraldo saying that her evacuation plan -- planned a year in advance -- was executed as planned? It was grand and she watched it from helicopters?

The Big Lie commeth.

[onyx]

I need to follow my own advice...lol. I do not have pics of my stuff yet either.

[jeffers]

I think you're right, but I can't say that Nagin is an innocent genius cast wrongly by the evil governor, which I think she is, but he's just not quite Mensa material on his own, now is he?

From my distant vantage point, I'm willing to guess that Blanco and Landrieu didn't just make this one massive screw-up to compensate for a lifetime of superior performance, yes?

Shaking the catsup bottle half an hour before removing the cap is a regular thing, hmm?

Okay, well, then here's an easy way to play it all out, without even dividing the country any worse than it already is.

Give her a couple tens of millions to play with and just sit back and watch.

She'll obey her native leopard spots and hand us a reason for federalization in due time, and the same media that's carrying her now will be the prime movers screaming for her head.

Dunno if you locals can stand living under federal jurisdiction for a while, but we will give Iraq back when it'ssafe to do so and they have a lot more oil than Louisiana does.

Your options are kind of thin otherwise.

New casinoes and Fantasy Island out in the Lake, shiny new levees that fold up like accordions in a 90 mph wind and a five foot surge, and a whole bunch of missing money, red ink and fingerpointing if she stays. You know it, we know it, the media knows it, they just like bashing Bush.

But it pretty much is going to be up to the people who live there.

Nobody is going to stand for federal troops roughing you all up, nightsticking rioters who just want their favorite governor back.

So what's it going to be?

Which does the average New Orleans-ander want more.

Blanco?

Or New Orleans?

[Colorado Doug]

I think NO spends most of it's levee money on "studies".

[Spktyr]

Can I fudge the 50kb limit now? I've got some ~60K images that I'd like to share.

[Spktyr]

Studying their new jet, studying their new casino, studying Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and studying their new personal cars, right?

[Torie]

Ya, the trailer park idea is horrific, and I had visions of that when Bush mentioned that homestead act, using federal land, whereever it is. That idea was a real clunker IMO. Fema is building trailer parks. I guess the idea of housing vouchers to be used in places with available housing is too radical. By the way, I once visited Carville, Lousiana (I made a point of it), a rather run down horrific trailer type place, where no doubt a 20 dollar bill would go far. Carville knew of what he spoke.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

If George Bush lets her decide ANYTHING about this money, he is a fool. The only reason she wants HER "commission" to handle it "inside the state" is to cover up the corruption.

Roger that.

[jeffers]

I like that. That looks real nice.

Thanks.