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

[silentknight]

Where is that pic from

[silentknight]

Sharkley County, Mississippi - possible tornado. 1:15 p.m.

[jeffers]

Look on New Orleans' Times Picayune blog, should be near the top it's not that old. Specifically said "river to Lake"

[brytlea]

Thank you for the update. I was just able to talk to my friend on the phone, she said their electricity had been off, but was back on and they were in a lull. She's been working at their local shelter there (she's a school teacher and the teachers have been taking shifts taking care of special needs evacuees from S. TX who are sheltered in the Gyms.
susie

[AFPhys]

I've seen the 360º predictions on some of those models. I simply don't believe them. My : I believe they are acting like early "computer chess" programs which, in unclear positions, randomly moved their king back and forth. The lack of strong steering currents has hold of their logic now, but the GFS seems less prone to that. For that reason, I believe the GFS since more (not all) history supports that. (I certainly had to use "I believe" a whole bunch in that paragraph, didn't I? ...LOL)

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Thanks


I don't want to make hijack this and make it a NO/ thread, but I have another question - related to Mississippi river flow. i river, but is this Bonnet Carre thing I've seen linked to related to the discussion about 're-routing' the MS? If I understand the discussion correctly and the MS left to it's own devices is trying to re-route out the Atchafalya? But for port/financial/cultural reasons we're trying to keep it flowing where it is?

[jeffers]

There were open locks, but you can't tell the difference between open and stuck open from them.

[Robert A Cook PE]

I, er wonder if those "poor homeless flooded-out" ( blacks and all others) in Port Arthur in 1915 looted, shot at rescue volunteers and demanded federal aid to recover.....

[BurbankKarl]

Robert Schumake carries the American flag as he walks past the statue marking the 1900 storm which destroyed Galveston, Texas after Hurricane Rita passed Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005 in Galveston, Texas. Galveston was not seriously damaged by Rita. Schumake carries the flag everyday to show support for the troops.

[CedarDave]

Picture is from Galveston, I believe. See the statue in the background.

[LikeLight]

Water still rising at Lake Charles . . . otherwise, a frustrating lack of info . . .

[jeffers]

LOL...I hope you're right.

[silentknight]

The sand looks pretty deep? Not sure how tall that statue was to begin with.

[laz]

That is quite a list of damage, which doesn't surprise me in the least. But the impression I get from MSM is that this pales in comparison to Katrina. It's as if they're not paying much attention to it at all. They are still stuck on stupid, worrying only about NOLA and the levees. NOLA is the center of their universe. It's as if Rita has happened in another dimension that just marginally intersects their own.

Like the effects of Katrina on Mississippi, the effects of Rita don't serve their agenda (except with regard to NOLA's levees). If it doesn't matter to the MSM, it never happened.

[BurbankKarl]

The statue marking the 1900 storm which destroyed Galveston, Texas stands after Hurricane Rita passed throught the area Saturday, Sept. 24, 2005.

[nwctwx]

The longer we are in the dark, the worse it is.

[brytlea]

I'm sorry, it's Henderson TX (altho there ARE some cajuns there!!) We had to drive to Shreveport to get cajun food when I lived there!
susie

[silentknight]

Better pic of the statue there...not so deep sand. heh

[jeffers]

I suppose I could run a 25 foot surge model for Lake Charles, but it wouldn't do much good.

At 20 feet, no land is visible anymore.

[BurbankKarl]

no, not like the end of Planet of the Apes.