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
The over-riding concern of Louisiana politicians is losing voters. In a Wall Street Journal column yesterday, Governor Huckabee is quoted as saying half the people who evacuated there will stay, and I bet that's typical. I know evacuees here in the Atlanta area have been on tv saying they don't want to go back.
Louisiana politicians know they are going to lose House seats because of the decline in population. Besides that, their New Orleans herd of sheep just might wake up and say NO MORE DEMOCRATS!
Mayor Nagin is on now...He looks almost smug, doesn't he, like he read that New York Times piece, praising him.
It's not silent now.
If you have a map, draw a line from Beaumont Texas to Nacadoch...oh heck....gimme a few...I'll post it.
something about rumors?
Good chart. Answers the question. Mississippi average is 14 feet above sea level, Mississippi levees are at 21.4, Lake surface is 1, Lake leeves 14.5, Bourbon street is high ground at 2.5. So even if the Lake goes up to match the River the city is still protect by SIX INCHES. If the River is in Flood or the Lake has storm surge pressure - whoops. Or if you have weakened levees - whoops.
Your good post raises another question. Who in their right mind would think you CAN fix a levee without building coffer dams? It is going to take months to make NO "safe" as it was and that was not-very. They really need to rethink this and use a Dutch system of concentric rings with nothing of value 'cept cows in between. I do not understand the rush to pump.
This Fox guy Hemmer is all aggitated about water flowing back into the ninth ward. Give him back to CNN. Time to write off the ninth ward.
he was damn lucky..the area just west of the city got over a foot of rain..30 miles more east that would of been over the city
Personally, I want to know if the FBI has obtained a search warrant for all city records. Especially those of the levee boards.
I had heard an emergency warning on the Houston radio station I am listening to, and they announced that, and then I had to go fix hubby lunch.
Nagin "Rita just delayed re-entry process for three to five days."
I hope to God they got those areas evacuated, but seeing as we're talking about Blank-o, I'm not optimistic. Listened to her deliver the Dim talking points just a couple of minutes ago, and it sounds like they're more interested in ensuring the goobermint squeeze keeps flowing than they are in making sure the folks in the low lying areas are okay. Of course, they're saving them to bash Bush with.
This Fox guy Hemmer is all aggitated about water flowing back into the ninth ward. Give him back to CNN. Time to write off the ninth ward.
__________________________________________________
Exactly
I wish every press conference had had one person with the courage to say "Joe Blow, from the NYT, you are stuck on stupid! Sue Smith from ABC just asked that question." "Sue, what was my answer? Could you share that with your friend Joe over here so we can quit wasting time. Now Joe do you have a question I haven't already answered?"
If they're gonna act like 2 year olds then they need to be addressed like 2 year olds.
Was it my imagination or did he say Major somebody giving out misinformation...didn't catch the name!
I still say federalize the entire state, arrest all the crooks, and make Honore acting Military Governor.
I will bet you something else: those New Orleans evacuees who are in Houston will be resettled, helped on their feet, and have JOBS within a few weeks, while Blanco and her crew have every one of THEIR evacuees living in tent slums and waiting on government handouts.
So is Blanco, and she has all sorts of advisors!
Unreal - all that matters to them is rounding up the slaves and getting them back on the plantation. Not one bit of concern from him or Blank-o for the people outside of New Orleans who are suffering from this storm.
Yeah, what's up with Hemmer? Is he running for the DRAMA QUEEN trophy!
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