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Official "Rita" thread!
- Thread starter Tim G
- Start date
Rita Rakes Florida Keys,
Moves Toward Gulf
Officials: Florida Keys Escaped Worst-Case Scenario
MIAMI -Hurricane Rita is quickly gaining strength.
Now a Category 2 storm, its 100 mph winds are being felt along the southern tip of Florida.
Rita raked the Florida Keys Tuesday with flooding rain and gusting winds. Florida state officials said Key West and nearby islands may have escaped Hurricane Rita's worst-case scenario.
The storm stayed farther south than expected, its eye passing south of Key West Tuesday afternoon.
Still, authorities said nearly 25,000 homes and businesses are without power, and the island chain's main highway has been flooded in several places.
Officials said high water and debris now block part of the main highway along the Florida Keys.
The state highway patrol also said wind-driven water is flowing across other sections of the road.
There is a possibility of isolated tornadoes over south Florida and the Keys. State officials said all three island-area hospitals were evacuated, and about 1,300 people are in shelters.
At 5 p.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Rita was located about 50 miles south-southwest of Key West and about 55 miles north-northeast of Havana, Cuba. Rita is moving toward the west near 15 mph, and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours, bringing Rita into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said there's only a 5 percent chance Rita could bring hurricane-force winds back to New Orleans. More likely, the storm will target the Texas coast before the weekend.
But the forecasters said it is too soon to tell exactly where Rita will go.
The storm already has the attention of officials in Galveston, who have ordered a mandatory evacuation of Galveston County, taking effect Wednesday night.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for all of the Florida Keys, and from south of Florida City to East Cape Sable, then northward to Chokoloskee on the southwest coast.
The hurricane warning will likely be discontinued later Tuesday.
Moves Toward Gulf
Officials: Florida Keys Escaped Worst-Case Scenario
MIAMI -Hurricane Rita is quickly gaining strength.
Now a Category 2 storm, its 100 mph winds are being felt along the southern tip of Florida.
Rita raked the Florida Keys Tuesday with flooding rain and gusting winds. Florida state officials said Key West and nearby islands may have escaped Hurricane Rita's worst-case scenario.
The storm stayed farther south than expected, its eye passing south of Key West Tuesday afternoon.
Still, authorities said nearly 25,000 homes and businesses are without power, and the island chain's main highway has been flooded in several places.
Officials said high water and debris now block part of the main highway along the Florida Keys.
The state highway patrol also said wind-driven water is flowing across other sections of the road.
There is a possibility of isolated tornadoes over south Florida and the Keys. State officials said all three island-area hospitals were evacuated, and about 1,300 people are in shelters.
At 5 p.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Rita was located about 50 miles south-southwest of Key West and about 55 miles north-northeast of Havana, Cuba. Rita is moving toward the west near 15 mph, and this motion is expected to continue during the next 24 hours, bringing Rita into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami said there's only a 5 percent chance Rita could bring hurricane-force winds back to New Orleans. More likely, the storm will target the Texas coast before the weekend.
But the forecasters said it is too soon to tell exactly where Rita will go.
The storm already has the attention of officials in Galveston, who have ordered a mandatory evacuation of Galveston County, taking effect Wednesday night.
A hurricane warning remains in effect for all of the Florida Keys, and from south of Florida City to East Cape Sable, then northward to Chokoloskee on the southwest coast.
The hurricane warning will likely be discontinued later Tuesday.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
Nice, clearly defined eye.....
Woody13
New Member
Key West may have dodged the bullet, but Fort Jefferson didn't. Here is the last report from them on September 19, 2005.
Dry Tortugas National Park – The park, which falls directly in the projected path of the storm, has suspended the operation of licensed commercial transportation to the park, including ferry boat and seaplane services. All park boats are out of the water; all offices and residences have shutters in place. Loggerhead VIP’s (Volunteers in the Parks) have been relocated to Garden Key. The park presently has just one fully operational generator, along with a backup that is not operating at full power. Portable generators are being checked to determine it they can sustain enough power to operate the park’s communications system.
Dry Tortugas National Park – The park, which falls directly in the projected path of the storm, has suspended the operation of licensed commercial transportation to the park, including ferry boat and seaplane services. All park boats are out of the water; all offices and residences have shutters in place. Loggerhead VIP’s (Volunteers in the Parks) have been relocated to Garden Key. The park presently has just one fully operational generator, along with a backup that is not operating at full power. Portable generators are being checked to determine it they can sustain enough power to operate the park’s communications system.
As Rita Gains Strength, La. Gov. Declares Emergency
Mayor Suspends Plan To Repopulate City
POSTED: 4:17 pm EDT September 20, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Rita heads into the Gulf of Mexico.
Blanco said she hopes Rita dissipates, but forecasters say that's unlikely. Rita is already a strong Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds and is expected to gain even more strength.
The hurricane is expected to hit the Texas coast, but there is a chance it could turn toward Louisiana or Mexico. Engineers have warned that even a glancing blow to New Orleans and as little as 3 inches of rain could swamp the city's levees.
Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin are strongly urging people along the Louisiana coast to be prepared to get out.
With the storm nearing, some returning New Orleans residents don't know if they're coming or going.
One resident who never left before or after Katrina is closely watching the new storm's path. But she admitted to growing weary of conflicting reports from city officials and may actually leave this time.
The National Guard is facing some tough decisions as well. But at this point, Maj. Arnold Strong said troops aren't planning to comb through the city's neighborhoods to urge residents to evacuate.
"We've been doing that for three weeks," he said.
Instead, Strong said, troops will pull back from New Orleans and regroup outside the city to better enable them to go where they might soon be needed.
The National Guard, Strong said, is "planning for the worst."
Nagin suspended his plan Monday to repopulate the city in stages. Instead, the mayor said, Hurricane Rita could be "equally dangerous" to New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina.
He said the city appears to be on the storm's "wet side," adding that any storm surge could overwhelm the levees and flood the city again.
The city requested 200 buses to help in a possible evacuation. Residents who have returned have been told to be ready to evacuate again. The buses would start running 48 hours before landfall from the downtown convention center and a stadium in Algiers.
But a restaurateur in New Orleans' fabled Garden District said if he's ordered to leave town, he'll ignore it.
Igor Margan is critical of the decision to keep residents out of New Orleans.
Margan said Nagin is keeping residents from coming back "because he is scared, that's all."
Margan said if the power were back on, people could come back and try to rebuild their lives.
It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done, he said.
Margan plans to remain in his condo for the duration. He said he has VIP guests to protect him, members of the 82nd Airborne Division have set up a temporary camp downstairs.
Mayor Suspends Plan To Repopulate City
POSTED: 4:17 pm EDT September 20, 2005
NEW ORLEANS - Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has declared a state of emergency as Hurricane Rita heads into the Gulf of Mexico.
Blanco said she hopes Rita dissipates, but forecasters say that's unlikely. Rita is already a strong Category 2 storm with 110 mph winds and is expected to gain even more strength.
The hurricane is expected to hit the Texas coast, but there is a chance it could turn toward Louisiana or Mexico. Engineers have warned that even a glancing blow to New Orleans and as little as 3 inches of rain could swamp the city's levees.
Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin are strongly urging people along the Louisiana coast to be prepared to get out.
With the storm nearing, some returning New Orleans residents don't know if they're coming or going.
One resident who never left before or after Katrina is closely watching the new storm's path. But she admitted to growing weary of conflicting reports from city officials and may actually leave this time.
The National Guard is facing some tough decisions as well. But at this point, Maj. Arnold Strong said troops aren't planning to comb through the city's neighborhoods to urge residents to evacuate.
"We've been doing that for three weeks," he said.
Instead, Strong said, troops will pull back from New Orleans and regroup outside the city to better enable them to go where they might soon be needed.
The National Guard, Strong said, is "planning for the worst."
Nagin suspended his plan Monday to repopulate the city in stages. Instead, the mayor said, Hurricane Rita could be "equally dangerous" to New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina.
He said the city appears to be on the storm's "wet side," adding that any storm surge could overwhelm the levees and flood the city again.
The city requested 200 buses to help in a possible evacuation. Residents who have returned have been told to be ready to evacuate again. The buses would start running 48 hours before landfall from the downtown convention center and a stadium in Algiers.
But a restaurateur in New Orleans' fabled Garden District said if he's ordered to leave town, he'll ignore it.
Igor Margan is critical of the decision to keep residents out of New Orleans.
Margan said Nagin is keeping residents from coming back "because he is scared, that's all."
Margan said if the power were back on, people could come back and try to rebuild their lives.
It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done, he said.
Margan plans to remain in his condo for the duration. He said he has VIP guests to protect him, members of the 82nd Airborne Division have set up a temporary camp downstairs.
Relocation Under Way For Evacuees In Houston
Thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Texas are being moved, via bus and air, away from coastal areas due to the threat of Hurricane Rita.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office said about 4,000 evacuees from Louisiana will be moved to Fort Chafee, Ark. Tennessee is accepting about 3,000 Katrina evacuees, and about 250 evacuees will be moved to Nebraska.
Evacuation flights on chartered commercial planes started Tuesday from Ellington Field in Houston. The city hoped to have its two largest shelters completely empty by Tuesday night.
The evacuees are being moved, officials said, because the shelters may not hold up during a major storm.
However, some evacuees said they were caught off guard and feel like they are being pushed out.
"I feel like they could have at least given us until Friday like they said they were.
This was so sudden," an evacuee told KPRC-TV in Houston.
"What choice do you have, you know? I don't have a choice," evacuee Keith Phillips said.
"I'm not taking a chance like I did in New Orleans.
I stood on the roof for four days and four nights. I'm not taking that chance again," evacuee Wilson Morrison said.
Thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Texas are being moved, via bus and air, away from coastal areas due to the threat of Hurricane Rita.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry's office said about 4,000 evacuees from Louisiana will be moved to Fort Chafee, Ark. Tennessee is accepting about 3,000 Katrina evacuees, and about 250 evacuees will be moved to Nebraska.
Evacuation flights on chartered commercial planes started Tuesday from Ellington Field in Houston. The city hoped to have its two largest shelters completely empty by Tuesday night.
The evacuees are being moved, officials said, because the shelters may not hold up during a major storm.
However, some evacuees said they were caught off guard and feel like they are being pushed out.
"I feel like they could have at least given us until Friday like they said they were.
This was so sudden," an evacuee told KPRC-TV in Houston.
"What choice do you have, you know? I don't have a choice," evacuee Keith Phillips said.
"I'm not taking a chance like I did in New Orleans.
I stood on the roof for four days and four nights. I'm not taking that chance again," evacuee Wilson Morrison said.
UPDATE
STORM STATUS
September 21, 1:51 AM EDT
Name: Hurricane Rita
Location: About 80 miles, west-southwest of dry tortugas, about 145 miles, west of key west Florida and about 130 miles, 210 km, Northwest of Havana Cuba.
Lat/Long: 24.2N, 84.0W
Max Winds: 115 mph
Category: 3
Heading: West
Speed: 14 mph
Pressure: 28.35 inches
Key West Base Reflectivity 0.50 Degree Elevation Range 124 NMI
STORM STATUS
September 21, 1:51 AM EDT
Name: Hurricane Rita
Location: About 80 miles, west-southwest of dry tortugas, about 145 miles, west of key west Florida and about 130 miles, 210 km, Northwest of Havana Cuba.
Lat/Long: 24.2N, 84.0W
Max Winds: 115 mph
Category: 3
Heading: West
Speed: 14 mph
Pressure: 28.35 inches
Key West Base Reflectivity 0.50 Degree Elevation Range 124 NMI
WDWScottieBoy
Well-Known Member
We're still getting plenty of rain from her today.
Heather, you stay safe (and the rest of the family)...along with anyone else in the path.
Heather, you stay safe (and the rest of the family)...along with anyone else in the path.
wannab@dis
Well-Known Member
She's a Cat 4 now and looks to be well developed from the imagery.
Aurora_25
Well-Known Member
We are in SugarLand (outside of Houston- closer to Galveston) so Paul has told me that I need to go with the kids to Austin and stay with his parents there.stranger said:Where in Texas are you? My aunt lives in Houston and she's not taking any chances with Rita, especially after recent events, it doesn't pay to take chances. So she is currently on her way here to California, but my uncle is staying.
I agree with your Aunt- it's better not to take chances. Paul has to stay (work stuff) but I don't so I am gone.