I don't think anyone is losing it...
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
So what's going on here?
We have relatively minor damage, both wind and surge at the point of landfall.
We have significant structural damage at Lufkin and Nacogdoches, Texas, 150 miles inland, and the wind tearing up a dam nearby.
We have a surge that keeps on growing several hours after the storm, apparantly deeper at a range of 150 to 200 miles east of landfall than it was at Lake Charles, only 50 miles from landfall.
Am I the only one who sees a problem with this information?
Must be "early reports".
They're always wrong.
Same goes for the pictures of the waders at Laffite.
Bad camera angle.
Holy Cow!
13-16 feet above sea level? It's very close to the ocean, in the middle of a swamp. Do they have a levee or something?
I don't think anyone is losing it...
Something is amiss...
They said water up to the second floor at Inn on the Bayou in Lake Charles.....6 feet of water at the Civic Center.
2. The Mississippi River levees are very solid structures. Louisiana does have a healthy fear of that river but not of Lake Pontchatrain.
Looks like the sin industries of Louisiana have taken major beatings. Most of the casinos have been damaged or people have been forced to flee. The ones in Shreveport and Baton Rouge may become victims of the flooding rains (the Red River basin is getting hammered right now with rains...)
INN ON THE BAYOU 1101 W PRIEN LAKE ROAD LAKE CHARLES, LA, US 70601
neat map of river stages sw la: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/forecast/tributaries/status_calc.shtml
New videos of Lake Charles LA on Fox
It is beginning to look as if over the eons, Hurricanes have had a hand in defining the coastlines within the Gulf of Mexico.
The subject is: Hurricane Rita.....discuss. :)
Excellent site! Thanks.
They just showed the Livingston Dam releasing water....that lake sure looks high!
KPRC was live...said they would come back to show the erosion problem
now more lake charles on fox...
HAAAAAAAA!!!! Thanks, I needed that!
Het TxS... yep, I'm fine --- I posted a little earlier. Have kept the computer off most of the day due to winds and thunder. I don't want to have to reprogram it again like I had to do after Katrina.
We're finally getting rain, but it's ruining my dish tv reception...lol. I was tired of watching the local news's tornado alerts anyway.
What's going on in your neck of the wooods?
I see that Meg is A-OK, thank God.
This is also a very tall bridge. Back in the 1960s, my dad would slow down towards the top of the bridge to use his car radio to talk to his Beaumont office 100 miles away...
The Baton Rouge Mississippi River bridge (I-10) may be taller...
FOX keeps showing footage of Harrah's casino and other gambling establishments with the caption "Beaumont, TX". Someone needs to tell them that Texas doesn't have gambling casinos. The film is of Lake Charles. They have been showing the same footage all afternoon.
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