Hurricane Rita Could Be Gulf's Worst Storm Ever
Storm Carries Winds Of 170 MPH; Hurricane Watch Issued
UPDATED: 10:07 am EDT September 22, 2005
GALVESTON, Texas -- Hurricane Rita has the potential to be the worst storm ever to hit Texas.
The Category 5 storm and its 170-mph winds are expected to slam into the Gulf Coast Saturday.
Forecasters said the storm could be the most intense hurricane on record to ever hit Texas, and there's also concern that Rita, still about two days away from the Gulf Coast, could turn out to be one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the U.S. mainland.
It's currently the third strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.
The U.S. mainland has been hit by Category 5 hurricanes only three times in recorded history. The most recent one was Andrew, which crashed into South Florida in 1992. And the United States has never been hit by both a Category 5 and a Category 4 hurricane in the same Atlantic storm season.
Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi, was a Category 4 when it struck at the end of August.
Meanwhile, Texas interstates are nearly at a standstill and gasoline shortages are already being reported as hundreds of thousands of people try to escape Hurricane Rita.
Near Houston, the traffic jam is reported to be up to 100 miles long. Gov. Rick Perry has ordered southbound traffic on Interstate 45 shut down and all eight lanes redirected north for 125 miles. Texas officials said that's a first.
Houston Mayor Bill White said decisions will be made later on east-west interstates, and local officials said people who don't attempt to get out won't be rescued.
Near the upper Texas coast, there's more of the same. It's been a sea of brake lights heading away from the area, which includes Galveston. Galveston's mayor said the island city is running short of evacuation buses and warns that stragglers may be on their own.
At 7 a.m. CDT, the eye of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 25.2 north, longitude 88.3 west or about 490 miles southeast of Galveston, and about 595 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi. Rita is moving toward the west-northwest near 9 mph and this general motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.
Heavy rain from Rita should be hitting the western and central Gulf Coast by Thursday night, with eventual accumulations of a foot or more.
The Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, hammered by Hurricane Katrina, could be in for more flooding, but Texas should get the worst of it.
A hurricane watch has been issued from Port Mansfield, Texas, to Intracoastal City, La., and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the southeastern coast of Louisiana east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A tropical storm watch has been issued for east of Intracoastal City to Morgan City and from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville, Texas. A tropical storm watch is also in effect for the northeast coast of Mexico from Rio San Fernando northward.
Mandatory evacuation orders currently cover all of Galveston, Texas, low-lying sections of Houston and Corpus Christi, and a mostly empty New Orleans. In all, about 1 million people along the Gulf Coast have been told to get moving.
The Army Corps of Engineers is racing to shore up the levee system in New Orleans. There are concerns that additional rain could swamp the walls that have just been built back up, and the city could flood again.
Houston Mayor Bill White said people living in areas prone to flooding or threatened by a storm surge should plan to leave. He also urged evacuation for people in mobile homes or other buildings that "common sense" would indicate are too weak for the storm.
White said businesses and schools should plan to be closed Thursday and Friday to enable people to leave.
The mayor said the government doesn't have the capacity to evacuate everyone, so people should help one another. He added that "neighbor caring for neighbor" is the first line of defense.
White said anyone who doesn't have a car or way to get out should reach out to friends, family or neighbors, and added anyone who still can't find a ride should contact the government for help.
Texas officials have asked New Mexico's Office of Homeland Security to take hundreds, perhaps even 1,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina, as the Gulf region braces for Rita's potential landfall.
Rita Gives Gov't Second Chance To Get It Right
The Bush administration is vowing to be more prepared for Hurricane Rita than it was for Hurricane Katrina.
Politicians are reading from their pre-Hurricane Katrina scripts as they brace for Rita -- and an unwelcome second chance to get it right.
President George W. Bush is getting constant updates on the latest storm and on federal efforts to get ready.
The Homeland Security Department has declared it an "incident of national significance," clearing the way for a quick and massive federal response.
The government is already rushing rescue teams, evacuation buses and hospital beds to the region.
Federal, state and city officials pledge not to repeat lethal errors made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Disaster-relief experts cite three reasons for hope:
- Stung by Katrina, the Bush administration is more deeply engaged in preparations for Rita than it was for the earlier storm
- State officials in Texas have more assets than their Gulf Coast counterparts
- And Katrina has taught every level of government lessons in disaster management.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan says the federal government would be better prepared and in better position to respond to Hurricane Rita.
The Associated Press reports government officials hope not to repeat the following errors:
- Food and other supplies trickled into the Gulf Coast for Katrina. Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff says helicopters are standing by to ship in relief this time.
- Lawlessness broke out in New Orleans.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has 5,000 National Guard troops and 1,000 Department of Safety troopers positioned.
The Bush administration was reluctant to use its authority to deploy federal troops into the Gulf Coast. It may be quicker on the draw this time.
- There was a leadership gap. While deep systemic problems contributed to the problem, the administration's FEMA disaster chief, Michael Brown, took the fall and resigned after Katrina.
- Scores of people failed to heed evacuation warnings in New Orleans, either because they had no transportation or they didn't want to leave.
Galveston began evacuation days before Rita was set to hit this weekend.
Should Algiers Section Of N.O. Evacuate?
Residents of the Algiers section of New Orleans are for the most part still there.
They came home when city officials gave the green light this week, but now may have to get out again because of Hurricane Rita pushing through the Gulf of Mexico. Currently, the Category 5 storm is aiming at Texas, with landfall expected by the weekend.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has yet to formally direct Algiers residents to get out, but many who stayed through Katrina now say they're ready to pack up and leave as soon as the order comes. They say emotionally, they just can't handle the hit from another big storm.
I hope he got out.....
