Hurricane Rita ( Bad News For Gulf )

As of 9am on Accuweather, this morning:




Wonder how New Orleans is holding up?

[edit on 23-9-2005 by Mirlin11]

Tex / La elevation


As Hurricane Rita comes onshore, the destructive winds and surge (a water level rise of 6 to 10 feet, locally 20+ feet) could especially target the coast from Galveston, Texas, to Cameron, Louisiana. Large waves (peaking 20 to 30+ feet) will affect most of the coastal areas around the entire Gulf.

Latest closeup satelite of Rita


Hurricane Rita remains a Category 4 hurricane and keeps mending the damage that entraining drier mid-level air does to its western side.

All preparations and evacuations should be wrapped up by this point. The fringe effects of gusty winds, rain, waves and localized coastal flooding are already being felt across the southern sections of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.


Rita remains a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph with gusts
to 170 mph. Please if you can leave and seek safety.

"Authorities" drop the ball again. Gridlock, parking lot conditions as people do their best to evacuate. Those in charge "talked about" opening the southbound lanes, contra-flow to speed traffic but never did. Who can blame some for turning back? Again, "plans" were made but poorly implemented. The blame is being shoved back on the folks, it is said some families took 2 or 3 cars. Just the same, had contra-flow been instituted, traffic would have moved. Instead, everyone drove north as advised, and stopped and sat. What do we do in a "real" emergency? Its a cinch we can't rely on those who are supposed to be in charge, they are all afraid to take a single step on their own. Mayors and governors have shown they are not capable but incompetent in office. When called on to do their jobs, they couldn't make the simplest decision.
Being in the south, it would be a good time to have had a tent, organized an extended camping trip and left two days earlier. Save on gas, time and expense.

I'm still going with between Marsh Island and Lake Charles for landfall of the eye (as I was saying yesterday)...which is pretty bad news for those in New Orleans (if anyone is still there by now)....but fairly good news economic-wise.... It'd be far worse if it rolled over Galveston and Houston...

Alikospah, some good points. At least they are trying to gas people up as they run out while sitting there! I'm sorry, but if a Cat 4 or 5 is coming to Tampa Bay, I'll be on a flight out before the airport closes.

[edit on 23-9-2005 by Gazrok]

24 elderly people were killed in Texas. Their bus burst into flames on the highway. They were trying to evacuate.

news.yahoo.com

GALVESTON, Texas (Reuters) - The evacuation of the U.S. Gulf Coast turned deadly on Friday when a bus carrying elderly people fleeing Hurricane Rita caught fire on a Texas highway, killing at least 20 along a major escape route, local officials and news reports said.

how aweful.

Millions followed the advice to evacuate and experienced gridlock. As they sat and ran out of gasoline, the fed was asked to send gasoline trucks to supply gasoline to empty cars along the way and deliver to service stations along the road. People are sent out of their homes to burn gas on the highway. Then gasoline is going to be delivered. Will they be expected to pay for this emergency gas?
"We got everyone out of the city in time for the hurricane but gas tax receipts are doing very well. Heh heh." I suppose the silver lining is the blow will be softened for the gasoline vendors in an empty city.
Hurry up and wait? Or "highway" robbery?

Port Arthur still looking like the eye landing spot.

[edit on 23-9-2005 by SpittinCobra]

Awww...crap! now there are two breeches in the NO levees. Industrial canal and Chantillie (SP?).

CNN Article

Yeah were gonna see the return of lake NO

water is waste deep and rising already,,, and the rain hasnt even arrived.

With the type of ground you find primarily in NO the majority of houses are built with wood piling foundations, really this just means no concrete involved in the construction. The foundations will be fine, but all the members resting on top are going to be useless after two thorough saturations. I seriously doubt even 15% of the structures in the heavily flooded areas will be repairable after rita. The whole city will have to be torn down. but then again ive been saying ditch it since the levees first broke over a week ago.

"The only way to get out of here will be by boat in about 10 or 15 minutes," Stevens said.

And in a few hours, that won't be such a good bet either....

At least it's weakening...that's good news. Will probably be a Cat 3 by the 2pm update if this continues....

[edit on 23-9-2005 by Gazrok]

Good news Rita is weakening and NHC indicated little chance of reintensify, the biggest threat now is torrential rains as she may stall out after landfall.

www.ssd.noaa.gov...

In the last few satellite images, it looks like Rita is weakening quite significantly and has taken a nice little jog due north or slightly EAST of due north. She has a mind of her own.

Is it better, or worse if she peters out before getting to the coast? My line of thought is that people will think that they over reacted and what a pain it was to evactuate so then the next time they won't leave and could be in big trouble.

She going to hit at a 3 at least, that is enough reason to leave.

Originally posted by Belgarath
www.ssd.noaa.gov...

This picture taken from the link above makes it look like the eye wall is breaking up. That's not going to help New Orleans, but it could be good for the folks where it makes landfall.



[edit on 2005/9/23 by GradyPhilpott]

I think the radar was lost for a a bit, we will see when some new shots come up.

In the shot, the eye is gone.

Better to have evacuated and got a feel for what it is like. "Next time" everyone will have an idea of what to do to be prepared and what to expect. Had this storm speeded up with all those still in line in traffic, that would have been potentially a disaster. From now on people will plan further ahead. Wouldn't you leave a day earlier to avoid the gridlock that we've seen? Call this a dry run and everyone's better prepared for when and if it happens again. Hopefully the "authorities" will be ready to take some real action also and there won't be any gridlock or running out of gasoline in a parking lot.

Got into Slidell yesterday morning. We may lose power here, but no chance of flooding. Not so certain about Corpus. I posted on WW's Texas thread. Will keep updates there.

Thanks for everyone's concern.

[edit on 9/23/2005 by darkelf]

Hope everyone gets through this ok - buckle down

radar.weather.gov...

Looks like beaumont/lafayette to me the way it seems to be going, for where the eyewall/ex eyewall winds will come ashore. Hope it weakens drastically by then. Anyone in the area online - take care and look after yourselves radar.weather.gov...

[edit on 23-9-2005 by maldives01]