Rita Ahead

What was that about fish- BJ?? Should I get a net too?!


Sorry, Snowbound, didn't see that, up in the hills where I am, TV is kinda of an afterthought..............


Yeah, Peaches, Janet would make a good name for a Hurricane........she causes a lot of waves!

 

To all who may be in the area of this (%*_+#), our thoughts and prayers are with y'all.

Thanks
Wildman

 

Latest news----Rita is still getting stronger. Sustained winds now 175 MPH with gusts of 200+MPH. If you live down there, get out now while you still can. We will pray for you all.

 

I think if you just wait around in the nearest tree, sooner or later one will just come flying by.

Maybe you could contact the Hurricane Forecast Center to put that name in just in case they run out of them this year.

 

I am very close to Austin, which would seem to be OK. However, it's only @222 miles from Galveston on Mapquest unless my memory has gone bad.

I tried to give him my numbers and an invite should he need/want it but I think he had already left his computer access. I do believe I am prepared for anything that should possibly happen this far inland. At the same time Rita could spawn tornadoes etc so... You can never be too careful.

 

Re: LATEST FROM NWS--LONG POST

Hurricane Local Statement
(Expires: Thursday September 22 11:00AM CDT)

hurricane local statement
national weather service houston/galveston tx
534 am cdt thu sep 22 2005

...rita is a dangerous category 5 hurricane with winds near 175 mph...

...hurricane watch is in effect for the upper texas coast...

...inland hurricane watch for all of southeast texas...

...this statement applies to the residents of...galveston...
austin...brazoria...brazos...burleson...chambers...colorado...fort
bend...galveston...grimes...harris...houston...jackson...liberty...
madison...matagorda...montgomery...polk...san jacinto...trinity...
walker...waller...washington...and wharton counties.

...watches/warnings in effect...
hurricane watch for all of the coastal counties of southeast texas.

inland hurricane watch for all of southeast texas.

...current storm information...

.location...
at 4 am cdt...the center of hurricane rita was located near latitude
24.9 north...longitude 88.0 west...or about 515 miles southeast of
galveston texas.

.movement...
hurricane rita was moving west-northwest at 9 mph. this general
motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours.

.intensity...
maximum sustained winds were estimated at 175 mph with higher gusts.
rita is a dangerous category 5 hurricane and fluctuations in strength
are expected through tomorrow.

...precautionary/preparedness actions...

.evacuation information...
for jackson county...
mandatory evacuation has been declared for the entire county.

for matagorda county...
mandatory evacuation in effect for everyone south of a line from
highway 35 at the brazoria county line to markham then south on
highway 2431 to midfield and then south on highway 111 to the county
line. this currently excludes bay city and van vleck.

although traffic has been heavy as the traffic management plan has
been implemented...traffic movement should accelerate. do not let the
traffic delays halt your efforts to evacuate.

for harris county...
mandatory evacuations are in effect for zone a. zones b and c will
have mandatory evacuations beginning at 6 am.

for galveston and brazoria counties...
mandatory evacuations are in effect for zone a. zone b started a
mandatory evacuation in effect at 2 am. zone c will have a mandatory
evacuation in effect at 6 am. pearland office of emergency management
office has issued a mandatory evacuation for those in flood prone
areas...those in mobile homes or other non-sturdy structures...and for
those with special transportation.

liberty county...
liberty county office of emergency management has asked for a
voluntary evacuation for the entire county. evacuees should travel
north on highway 321 and highway 146. special needs individuals in
need of transportation should contact the sheriffs office.

for fort bend...
voluntary evacuations in effect.

for wharton...mandatory evacuations begin at 6 am.

.school...government...and hospital facility closings...
many independent school districts in galveston...brazoria...
matagorda...jackson...chambers...and harris counties are closed.

lamar...needville...and fort bend independent school districts are
closed.

in addition...all schools in the san jacinto college district and
brazosport college are closed. galveston county government facilities
are closed today. the jamaica beach office of emergency management
is closed.

university of texas medical branch (utmb) in galveston is closed. no
medical care will be available at utmb hospital from this point
forward.

.storm surge and tides...
tide levels are currently running within 1 foot of normal along the
upper texas coast. tide levels are expected to gradually begin rising
later today as swells associated with hurricane rita begin propagating
across the coastal waters. this potential water level rise coupled
with the high tide cycle tonight and early friday morning will likely
result in minor coastal flooding across the lowest areas along the
coast and adjacent to the bays. more significant coastal flooding is
expected to occur at the subsequent high tide cycle which will begin
friday evening and continue into saturday morning.

the following are the high tide times for thursday evening and early
friday morning...as well as the predicted water levels.

location high tide time expected water level
relative to mean lower low
water

pleasure pier 937 pm cdt thu 4.7 feet

port bolivar 1123 pm cdt thu 3.9 feet

galveston channel 1109 pm cdt thu 4.4 feet

san luis pass 1100 pm cdt thu 3.7 feet

jamaica beach 147 am cdt fri 3.9 feet

morgans point 930 am cdt fri 3.5 feet

eagle point 303 am cdt fri 3.4 feet

freeport 949 pm cdt thu 4.4 feet

port oconnor 451 am cdt fri 3.6 feet

clear lake 514 am cdt fri 3.5 feet

.wind impacts...
tropical storm force winds...39 mph or greater...are expected to
reach the upper texas coast around noon friday and spread inland to
the interstate 10 corridor by late afternoon. the tropical storm
force winds are then expected to push northward across the remainder
of southeast texas by around midnight.

the onset of hurricane force winds are expected at the coast by late
friday evening. hurricane force winds are then expected to spread
inland throughout the remainder of friday night and into saturday
afternoon.

an inland hurricane watch has been issued for all of southeast
texas. this means sustained winds greater than 74 mph are possible
over all of southeast texas.

the impacts for sustained winds of 70 to 90 mph with gusts 100 to 110
mph are as follows...
very dangerous winds will produce widespread damage. destruction of
mobile homes are likely!

structural damage...
the majority of mobile homes may be severely damaged. those that
survive could be uninhabitable. houses of poor to average
construction may receive major damage...including partial wall
collapse and roofs being lifted off. many could be uninhabitable.
well constructed houses may incur minor damage to shingles...siding...
gutters...and blown out windows. up to one quarter of gabled roofs
may fail.

partial roof failure is possible at industrial parks...especially to
those buildings with light weight steel and aluminum coverings. older
low rising apartment roofs may also be torn off...as well as receiving
siding and shingle damage. up to one quarter of all glass in high
rise office buildings may be blown out. airborne debris may cause
damage...injury...and possible fatalities.

natural damage...
all trees with rotting bases may uproot or snap. nearly all large
branches should snap. between one quarter and one half of healthy
small to medium sized trees may be snapped or uprooted.

.rainfall...
8 to 12 inches of rain...with localized higher amounts...is expected
through the duration of the event. inland flooding is likely friday
night and saturday.

for more tropical weather information...see the national hurricane
center web page at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov or the houston/galveston
national weather service web page at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/hgx.

the next hurricane rita statement will be issued around 11 am cdt

 

Button 'er up, 'tox. It'll be a pretty good blow down there. Forecast for us here in the Metroplex is 45-50 mph winds w/4-5 inches of rain, so it's gonna be worse down there in 'horn country...

 

NEW RITA INFO FOR DFW/NORTH TEXAS

(From NOAA and NWS):

...major hurricane rita path changes...north texas still may feel
affects...

significant changes to the landfall and decay path of hurricane
rita have occurred overnight.

hurricane rita is now expected to make landfall along the upper
texas gulf coast prior to sunrise on saturday. rita has remained
a category 5 storm on the saffir-simpson scale overnight and at
897 mb...it continues to be the third lowest atlantic storm
central pressure ever. fortunately the hurricane should weaken
before making landfall...but is still expected to be a dangerous
category 4 storm.

after the storm makes landfall...the hurricane should weaken
as it moves inland. the latest forecast track from the national
hurricane center would bring the weakening hurricane north to near
palestine saturday night and northeast of paris during the early
morning hours on sunday.

three big factors have created the change in path. first...hurricane
rita has already moved further north then originally expected.
second...the ridge that is keeping rita moving west has started to
weaken. and finally...almost all of our models have moved the
landfall position further east overnight.

while the change in forecast path would significantly reduce some
of the impacts on north texas...we are still far from out of the
woods. if the ridge of high pressure does not break down fast
enough...the storm could still move further west and bring
significant greater impacts.

here are some expected effects for north texas...both with the
current path and with a more westerly landfall and decay.

1. heavy rainfall and flooding. with the latest forecast path...3 to 5
inches will still be possible for eastern areas of north texas...generally
east of a line from bonham...to centerville. a more westward
landfall would increase the threat of flooding and rain amounts
significantly.

2. strong winds. expect 40 to 60 mph sustained winds ...with higher
gusts in squalls...east of a line from hearne to corsicana and
canton. these winds may be strong enough to knock down trees...power
lines and cause localized minor structural damage. residents
should prepare for interruptions in power service. also
remember...mobile homes often roll over during periods of high
winds and can easily be damaged by falling trees. winds should
taper off to 30 to 40 mph sunday morning as rita continues to
weaken...but these winds will likely be felt over eastern sections of
north texas. residents across all of north texas should secure
small and lightweight outdoor objects.

3. a few tornadoes. as with all land falling hurricanes...isolated
tornadoes will be possible. this will be most likely along and to
the east of a line from bonham to centerville.

4. travel problems. increased traffic on inter-states as people
evacuate from the hurricane. wet roads...heavy rainfall and increased
traffic could lead to delays and accidents. some airline delays will
be possible. allow extra time to reach your destinations this
weekend.

dissipating hurricanes have moved across north texas many times in
the past...typically with some wind damage and flash flooding as
well as river flooding. residents and those planning travel across
north texas this weekend should be prepared for this system and stay
tuned to the latest weather information.

 

RITA INFO FOR SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS

(FROM NOAA AND NWS):

tropical storm force winds (39 to 73 mph) can be expected across
portions of south central texas generally along and east of a
lexington to bastrop to gonzales to yorktown line with some gusts of
hurricane force (74 mph and greater) possible. an inland tropical
storm watch has been issued for that area. tropical storm force
gusts are possible west of the watch area to a burnet to san antonio
to campbellton line. localized wind damage is possible. precautions
should be taken to secure loose or lightweight objects that may be
blown around. tree trimming may also be in order to reduce the
chances of limb damage to people and property.

very heavy rainfall can also be expected across eastern portions of
south central texas. this may result in flash flooding where the
bands of rainfall move over the same areas. flash flood watches or
warnings may have to be issued.

isolated tornadoes are possible mainly to the east of the track of
the hurricane. so...the threat for south central texas is somewhat
reduced due to the more easterly track.

people residing in or traveling into south central texas should
monitor the progress of hurricane rita from national weather
service forecasts and statements.

 

Detox,

Please, keep us updated {if you can} ... and I hope somehow your able to get in touch Ron.

My prayers are with you both. STAY SAFE!!

and please, don't be too proud to ask for help.

 

I am sure ALL of Wilders' agrees with BBoss - Reach out if you need too, that's why we are all here - to help one another......and this sounds like a time for help!

Take Care!! Ron and Detox, and all ya all!!

Sending Prayers and Good Wishes!

Marja

 

RITA AS OF 12 PM EST

One angry lady...

 

Its like watching a monster getting ready to attacks my friends and family. And every minute it seems to be getting bigger and more powerful. This is soooo heartbreaking. I just can't stop thinking of all the terrible Katrina pictures. And my buddies are gonna be going through that same thing.

I know, Marja, they are smart guys. And I pray they wouldn't take any chances.

 

Not often is the Wildman at a loss for words, but to use a phrase LOL. My prayers are with all who may be in the path of this monster. To all our friends "we are here if you need us".

Thanks
Wildman

 

Thanks for the well wishes, everyone. Not as much to worry about up here, but still concerning.

Speaking for my Texan brethren: We're Texans. We'll be ready.

 

I lived in Galveston for over 30 years and moved to Temple (north of Austin) two years ago, thank god. Decided I'd had enough of it! Offered refuge in my home to all my Galveston long-time friends, though none have taken me up on the offer yet. That may change in the next 24 hours.

I'm getting particularly upset by the shots of traffic bottled up on I45. I thought TxDot learned their lesson in Hurricane Allen. When we evacuated for that one I truly expected to be sitting right there stalled in my car in Conroe, north of Houston, when it made landfall! It took us an hour to get from one exit sign to the actual exit 1 mile away!! You couldn't make any headway, nor could you change lanes and get off, either! I truly felt trapped and helpless on the highway and was regretting evacuating at all, actually! At that precise momemt I decided that would be my very last hurricane evacuation and would definitely be moving more inland when we retired!

Officials said they learned a lesson in that one and would open all but one of the southbound lanes to northbound traffic in future hurricane evacs. So why did they just decide to do this late today?!?! It should have been done from the time they declared mandatory evacuations on Wednesday morning! There has been virtually NO southbound traffic on the roadways for the last two days!!! TxDot is simply going to have to implement this faster from now on! You simply can't evac 1.5 million people on four lanes!!!! Sounds like they didn't learn that lesson after all.

I pray those people on I45 get far enough north by tomorrow afternoon to be able to get to cover in one of the shelters in towns along the way. No motel rooms to be had anywhere between th coast and Dallas or El Paso at this point. All are now fully booked or were already filled with Katrina victims. What a mess!

 

WOW!! That sounds unbelievable......Stay safe, Peggy!! http://www.graphicsplayground.us/Forum/style_emoticons/default/a050.gif

 

Cell network seems overloaded - just tried to make a few calls and got "system busy."

Did some grocery shopping this morning and the Sam's in Austin was totally out of water and very low on bread - almost same story at the nearby HEB exept they still had a little water. I have more than enough for a long time at home already anyway so I just got the refunds on a couple bottles while I was there and got some other stuff we needed anyway. Lines at gas stations everywhere and people very obviously from out of town looking to buy food.

 

Hi Detox. If you hear anything from Ron please let us know? That's not surprising. Land Lines will probably be like that too.

 

Now is the time to put as much potable water in any container that will hold and keep it, also stock up on as much portable non perishable food items as you possibly can also. If you have to leave turn off all your power, gas and water. Think in terms of not being able to obtain food and water for up to seven days.

Hey when you live in earthquake country you do this, so it could apply in this situation also.

Again our prayers are with y'all.

Thanks
Wildman

 

I probably tend to have food and water that could last over a month around the house anyway - we have a little more this time ;-)

The cell phone started working against after an hour or so. I would assume either the company compensated for the usage or it was just a glitch (happens now and then anyway).

I do hope to hear from Ron especially since he is in my neck of the woods but I fear I may have posted to him after he had left.

 

Mayor White of Houston & County Judge Eckels just announced that unless you are in the "surge" zone, do NOT evacuate at this time. I have a friend who drove 11 hours & only went 28 miles. Gasoline impossible to get on the road, 100 degree heat, overheating has made evacuation unbelievable. Galveston evacuated & all hospitals etc. totally evauated on the island.
We were considering going to north of Dallas, but more than 24+ hour trip. So most of our neighbors are staying here. A number of us in the area were here for Carla, a Cat.5 in 1961. Were have a good supply of food, water batteries and faith.
Here a a few links -
http://www.chron.com/
http://www.khou.com/
http://www.click2houston.com/index.html

Rob

 

Fellow Creatures,
I am concerned about Ronjor. He may either be fleeing area.

Or helping others. Just look what he does around here.

Be well friend and look to hear from you soon.

 

A couple more links -
http://www.ktrh.com/local.html
http://hurricane.terrapin.com/text/TRKATLUS.GIF
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170105,00.html

Total potential evacuees is about 4.5 million, so total traffic nightmare inevitable. Everyone seems to be heeding all the alerts and cooperating, due in part to the Katrina experiences etched in everyone's memory and the great attitude this community has always shown in celebrating victories and addressing emergencies. Our mayor & county judge overall are highly visible and pushing buttons of governmental and corporate entities. Everything has been going as well as could be hoped for IMHO, especially in view of the fact that the last of 28,000 Katrina evacuees were just dealt with 4 days ago. Overall very good coordination of efforts with the various governmental levels & organizations involved. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning of events.

Rob

 

This blog post says it well-
http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/