Posted on 09/24/2005 9:58:36 AM PDT by 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
Coastal Louisiana in Rita is now the MSM's post-Katrina Mississippi - "oh yeah, something real bad happened over there, but here in Houston, let's go live traffic to our traffic cams . . ."
Thanks. One of these days I must sign up somewhere for some of that online archiving space for these purposes...
Watching Cantore on TWC, and he's talking about how he tried to get down to Cameron but couldn't, too much debris blocking all access. So at least TWC is trying to see what's going on down there.
As with Mississippi after Katrina, it'll take at least a couple of days to reach all the affected areas and get a real tally of all the damage. MSM is more interested in the continued flooding of NOLA, and in showing the limited damage in Galveston as if that could maximize it and remedy their disappointment it wasn't worse.
"d, of course, Fox now back to covering useless traffic situation in Texas!"
Fox has become only marginally better than CNN and MSNBC -- For the past month (or 2 hurricanes, depending on how ya count), I've often thought that I'd sell my soul for a news source that was just FACTS.
Of course, that's what FR is for......
get us updated..for any freepers that live in MS and TN today major tornado outbreak likley...even more so then usual for a tropical system..will post more info later
I haven't looked at the weather models yet this morning, but I suspect that by the time I get a cup of coffee, they'll all have the low pressure system that was Rita in agreement that she's bookin' northeast...
• Evangeline Parish: There are heavy winds, and no damage assessment has been completed yet.
• Jefferson Davis Parish: There is flooding, extensive damage and looting in Jennings. Residents are trapped. Many downtown businesses are damaged. The police department is without power.
• Lafayette Parish: Roads are blocked by fallen trees. There are power outages in the city of Lafayette and the parish. The Vermilion River through Lafayette is running north, instead of south, due to heavy storm surge.
• Terrebonne Parish: Crews are unable to get to trapped residents. Seven to eight feet of water throughout the parish.
• Vermilion Parish: There is flooding south of Louisiana State Route 14 and downed trees and power outages. Search and rescue is underway. Eight feet of water has been reported south of Erath.
If I hear the words "not as bad as expected" or "dodged a bullet" again today I am going to lose it. Hello MSM, hello FEMA - there's a freakin' mess in Louisiana and it is way too early to be celebrating!
Keep in mind, Cameron Parish is right where the eye came ashore.
Leaving for church shortly - no updates for a while from me . . .
If I were going to be so blatent about it as to mention "Mother, Jugs and Speed", I would have also brought up Raquel's historical preformance in "One Million Years B.C." - or was it five million, too... - showing us for all time how cavemen and cave women looked.- - - wowza!
There's a lot going on down there in southern LA, from the coast to about 20 miles inland, but we're not seeing very much of it at all. It's all left to the imagination.
MSM's focus after Rita will be the Texas traffic jam and the "failure" of the evacuation. I am so sick of these loons standing on the sidelines and nitpicking absolutely everything to death. Every major city has traffic jams during rush hour, twice a day and ten times a week. What makes them think evacuating over two and half million people from the path of a hurricane would go without a single hitch?
They have lost all perspective about everything, because they aren't grounded in reality at all. That's what happens when your way of life is to lie and distort. Your own point of view gets distorted as well, and logic and reason become totally alien concepts.
Look at post 1387 and ponder what would have happened if Rita had taken a last minute jog to the left just as Katrina did to the right.
From what I've read and heard, a mandatory evacuation order in Texas is a CYA for officials. They are under no obligation to save you when it gets bad. The governor was surprised by how many people that actually followed the order to evacuate.
The Parish is gone. Why keep more than the first responders currently being used and a few others?
I don't think people think it's insignificant, just not the doomsday we thought we might have on our hands earlier in the week. I, for one, could not imagine a second major US city (4th largest even!), laid to waste.
Yeah I am really concerned about Cameron. It will be bad there.
Sounds bad in Louisiana...lot of flooding. :(
That is just flyover territory for Blanco and the MSM. I was absolutely astonished at her lack of concern during yesterday afternoon news conference. Just add it to the FEMA money list, was essentially her response..
Damned if they do, damned if they don't, evacuate their citizens.
Just saw Rick Levanthal in Lake Charles talking to a state trooper. Cameron is UNDER water.
I have to wonder why he's standing in the batter's box without a bat.
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