Forecasters said Rita could be the strongest hurricane on record to ever hit Texas. The National Weather Service bulletin repeated its warning that the system was "potentially catastrophic."
However, the latest forecast also showed a "slow weakening trend," which indicated that Rita may diminish slightly to a Category 3 hurricane when it reaches the coast late Friday or early Saturday.
Just a reminder to those who live in East Texas: Stay safe, evacuate if you can, and please remember, here at GreaseSpot, we will be thinking, wondering, praying, and worrying about you, so check in as soon as you can.
In the afternoon, Rita made a sharper-than-expected turn to the right, and it appeared that Houston and nearby Galveston might escape a direct hit. Instead, it looked as if Rita might come ashore near Port Arthur, Texas, or Lake Charles, La., at least 60 miles up the coast.
I know folks in the Corpus Christi area who were thinking about evacuating, but have now decided to stay. I'd have made the same decision, even according to the projected track yesterday.
The current projection has Rita heading a few miles east of me, but I'm about 270 miles inland, so it won't be a big deal when it arrives. Lots of rain on Sunday, and maybe a few branches blown down, but probably not much else.
I don't know, Long Gone. After Ivan (was that two years ago? Or maybe I have it confused with another one), we had flooding, enough to call out the National Guard, not to mention the howling winds. I've never heard anything like it. Eerie and humbling at the same time. Every tree in my yard lost its leaves. Electricity was out for three days.
Then we had a couple of small tornadoes with Katrina, which was enough to lift a few houses off of their foundations. We weren't even in the path of either of those hurricanes, just the outer edges of the remnants. And that's 1,000+ miles inland from where those storms came ashore.
I know what you're saying, though. Just make sure you have extra supplies around, which I'm sure you already do. Can't blame you for staying put. That traffic heading north and west looks daunting. Even if people want to leave, they won't be able to.
I went through three major hurricanes when I lived on the Texas Gulf coast, laleo. I've also experienced some very strong thunderstorms in the area I am now, including a few with winds strong enough to uproot some trees and break trunks of others. What's left of Rita when it gets to me won't be anything I'm not used to. I don't really need any extra supplies above what I normally have on hand, and wouldn't even if I were on the coast. Even when my stocks are low, I'm always prepared to go at least a week without utilities or access to stores, and I'm always ready to defend myself, should the need arise.
Oddly enough, I'd almost like to go ride out another hurricane. They're dangerous, troublesome, and expensive, but I found them exhilarating. I guess I'm just wierd.
Well, watching Houston evacuate has convinced me of two things. First, maybe Nagin and Blanco aren't as inept as I thought. Emptying a city is a major undertaking, and it doesn't much matter how organized you are as you go about it. It just can't be done in a short period of time. Second, I have no hope of surviving a disaster here. We've had all sorts of elaborate evacuation plans in place, and it's going to make little difference if the time comes to use them. I doubt there is a way around the gridlock.
The thing I don't understand is the airport. Why not lift the restrictions, and anyone who wants to abandon his luggage and his shoes can board immediately? I mean, here they are shortstaffed, and they won't relax their procedures at all. Some of those people have been in line for twelve or more hours.
Linda, now I know why you were yelling about those canceled flights. There are, oh, about five million people standing in line at the Houston airport, and airlines are already canceling flights. I would think they would bring in extra planes, not fewer.
All this emergency planning means little in an emergency. God help those in Rita's path.
Fill your tub, Long Gone. And make sure your back-up generator has enough fuel so that you can get on-line this weekend.
Long Gone: I've been through two hurricanes, and the remants of a few others. One was in Baltimore, the other in Philadelphia. Both brought lots of flooding. I have to agree, there is something peaceful, and maybe even exhilarating about it. Sort of the same feeling you get after a major snowstorm. Maybe a glimpse into the essence of life, or something.
My bro and family are most definitely still on the road right now. What would really be bad is if there are people stuck on the road when this one hits.
I lived through a number of huricanes growing up in Corpus Christi and then a few more when in Florida. I think after living through a bunch and after seeing the predictions be off, at times way off, that people get a little complacent. That is until Katrina. That being fresh in everyone's mind I think this time people are being a lot more cautious.
Most counties have provisions for helping folks still on the road when Rita hits, Lindy. Since you left last night, you should be fine, though. Where are you headed (or possibly have arrived by now)?
I grew up in Corpus Christi, too, but it was long before your time. Are your parents from there? They're probably pretty close to my age.
My wife and I drove from Houston to San Antonio...something like 20 hours in the car, and I hadn't slept for over 36 hours before we found a hotel room here. It was a mess, it was chaos and anarchy, and there was no gas anywhere near Houston so hundreds if not thousands of people were stuck along the side of I-10, and many others were camping out at gas stations hoping that they could get fuel to continue leaving. If anyone dies in their cars from the storm, the executives of every oil company in the U.S. deserve to be charged with murder and put to death. They shut down the refineries way too early so they could try to get some extra profits from the gas shortage. I nearly got into a fight with people who tried to break in front of me in line at the gas station and nearly ran over my wife, and it was a huge anarchic mess.
Anyway, I'm glad to be in San Antonio, and glad that the Residence Inn had some rooms available. Even though it now looks like the storm veered far enough from Houston that we could have stayed home, it's better to be safe than sorry, and I'm glad that so many others were able to get out too. Hopefully this results in some better planning and preparations on the part of governments to help people evacuate in emergencies like this.
I could say a lot more but I'm tired. I got six hours of sleep already and woke up to go eat, but I think it's time to go back to sleep and hope to feel more normal tomorrow.
Long Gone, I AM relaxed. Today was a beautiful fall day, with just a hint of a breeze, and an even better forecast for the weekend. No reason for me to be un-relaxed.
Actually, with all the preparations and general anxiety surrounding this storm, it probably will blow uneventfully through. Hope you're staying dry, though.
P-Mosh, your description made me laugh. I have a lot of empathy for those who spent sixteen-plus hours stuck in traffic. If it were me, I'm not so sure I'd have been able to evacuate with my husband, or maybe we would just take two cars, because I can't imagine us surviving intact otherwise. I don't like traffic, and I don't like heat. He likes both even less. Stuck in a car with him for that length of time under those conditions would likely spell the end of a long, and occasionally harmonious, marriage. I think I'd blow out the stereo speakers with the Spinners singing, "This is our fork in the road, Love's last episode, There's nowhere to go . . . " Probably a moot point, though, because he'd likely stay behind anyway to help evacuate.
Now I think I understand the mad desperation of those angry looters converging on hospitals and nursing homes, probably trying to find the last shipment of tranquilizers in a final attempt to salvage what was left of their sanity and their marriages, stuck as they were together in the attic or in traffic. Either would be unbearable. Glad you made it safely through the weather, and all the annoyances of the evacuation.
Has anyone heard from ex10? I hope she made it to wherever she was heading.
If anyone dies in their cars from the storm, the executives of every oil company in the U.S. deserve to be charged with murder and put to death. They shut down the refineries way too early so they could try to get some extra profits from the gas shortage.
Nuts to that Mr. P-Mosh!! I'm glad you and yours are ok -- truely I am. But do us all a favor, and leave the political crap behind. There aren't enough refineries in this country because of the greenies who think that taking anything from *Mother Earth* is comparable to rape.
If we had more refineries built, if we had drilling in Alaska allowed, if we had this, if we had that -- you wouldn't have to shoot your mouth off about the executives of oil companies.
Hmmmmm -- sounds to me like you are actually blaming them for the hurricane as well. Well if ya want to do so -- have at it, and make a fool of yourself.
In case you didn't notice (tongue in cheek here) -- a major storm happened, and people became casualties as a result.
When you can *read me from the book* that executives of major corporations were a direct result of the *casuality list* -- perhaps I will pay attentiion.
Until you do so -- your words are but smoke in the wind.
Now, come on. The guy just spent twenty (20) hours in a car, in bumper to bumper traffic, which had my nerves on edge just seeing the television footage, never mind being in the middle of that traffic jam. Cut him some slack. Really, it was an oversight on someone's part not to have more fuel available. FEMA? I doubt the environmentalists or the number of refineries operating in the U.S. had anything to do with it. I tend to think it was more bureaucratic snafus, than a corporate conspiracy, but, still, there should have been more gasoline for that many evacuees. From what I saw on the news they had two (2) gasoline trucks helping stranded motorists, even though the governor requested much more. I'd be ticked off, too. Wouldn't you?
If anyone dies in their cars from the storm, the executives of every oil company in the U.S. deserve to be charged with murder and put to death. They shut down the refineries way too early so they could try to get some extra profits from the gas shortage. I nearly got into a fight with people who tried to break in front of me in line at the gas station and nearly ran over my wife, and it was a huge anarchic mess.
P-Mosh,
Glad you evacuated safely.
You are so right about what you said...its obviously a plot to increase the profits of the oil companies. And this site has incontrovertable scientific evidence that George W. Bush caused the hurricane to happen and personally directed it to go on its exact course, just like he did with Katrina. Although it doesn't say the reason why he did so, its pretty obvious when you think about it...what company is Cheney associated with?
I'm glad you can see the truth, even if nobody else can.
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moony3424
Ron
Cat 5 is all she wrote. There is none stronger.
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outofdafog
I heard one meteoroligist on the weather channel say if there was a higher category on this scale, this storm would be a 6 or 7.
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Cowgirl
Forecasters said Rita could be the strongest hurricane on record to ever hit Texas. The National Weather Service bulletin repeated its warning that the system was "potentially catastrophic."
However, the latest forecast also showed a "slow weakening trend," which indicated that Rita may diminish slightly to a Category 3 hurricane when it reaches the coast late Friday or early Saturday.
Latest news from MSN
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laleo
Just a reminder to those who live in East Texas: Stay safe, evacuate if you can, and please remember, here at GreaseSpot, we will be thinking, wondering, praying, and worrying about you, so check in as soon as you can.
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excathedra
ditto laleo
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Belle
Remember that winds can be terrible as much as 200 miles inland. Please hunker down!!!
I have room for plenty of GSpots in my home!
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Linda Z
I'm praying for all you Texas folks. Be safe! And ditto what laleo said...please let us know when you can that you're safe.
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Cowgirl
More news from MSN.......
Houston, Galveston may escape direct hit
In the afternoon, Rita made a sharper-than-expected turn to the right, and it appeared that Houston and nearby Galveston might escape a direct hit. Instead, it looked as if Rita might come ashore near Port Arthur, Texas, or Lake Charles, La., at least 60 miles up the coast.
Cowgirl
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LG
I know folks in the Corpus Christi area who were thinking about evacuating, but have now decided to stay. I'd have made the same decision, even according to the projected track yesterday.
The current projection has Rita heading a few miles east of me, but I'm about 270 miles inland, so it won't be a big deal when it arrives. Lots of rain on Sunday, and maybe a few branches blown down, but probably not much else.
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laleo
I don't know, Long Gone. After Ivan (was that two years ago? Or maybe I have it confused with another one), we had flooding, enough to call out the National Guard, not to mention the howling winds. I've never heard anything like it. Eerie and humbling at the same time. Every tree in my yard lost its leaves. Electricity was out for three days.
Then we had a couple of small tornadoes with Katrina, which was enough to lift a few houses off of their foundations. We weren't even in the path of either of those hurricanes, just the outer edges of the remnants. And that's 1,000+ miles inland from where those storms came ashore.
I know what you're saying, though. Just make sure you have extra supplies around, which I'm sure you already do. Can't blame you for staying put. That traffic heading north and west looks daunting. Even if people want to leave, they won't be able to.
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LG
I went through three major hurricanes when I lived on the Texas Gulf coast, laleo. I've also experienced some very strong thunderstorms in the area I am now, including a few with winds strong enough to uproot some trees and break trunks of others. What's left of Rita when it gets to me won't be anything I'm not used to. I don't really need any extra supplies above what I normally have on hand, and wouldn't even if I were on the coast. Even when my stocks are low, I'm always prepared to go at least a week without utilities or access to stores, and I'm always ready to defend myself, should the need arise.
Oddly enough, I'd almost like to go ride out another hurricane. They're dangerous, troublesome, and expensive, but I found them exhilarating. I guess I'm just wierd.
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dmiller
Earlier today, CNN reported that once before two category 4 hurricanes hit the U.S. in the same year, and that was in 1915.
The two towns hit in 1915 were New Orleans, and Galveston.
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George Aar
Let me get this straight.
This is what we get after we have a national day of prayer? I don't know what you guys are praying for, but quit it!
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laleo
Well, watching Houston evacuate has convinced me of two things. First, maybe Nagin and Blanco aren't as inept as I thought. Emptying a city is a major undertaking, and it doesn't much matter how organized you are as you go about it. It just can't be done in a short period of time. Second, I have no hope of surviving a disaster here. We've had all sorts of elaborate evacuation plans in place, and it's going to make little difference if the time comes to use them. I doubt there is a way around the gridlock.
The thing I don't understand is the airport. Why not lift the restrictions, and anyone who wants to abandon his luggage and his shoes can board immediately? I mean, here they are shortstaffed, and they won't relax their procedures at all. Some of those people have been in line for twelve or more hours.
Linda, now I know why you were yelling about those canceled flights. There are, oh, about five million people standing in line at the Houston airport, and airlines are already canceling flights. I would think they would bring in extra planes, not fewer.
All this emergency planning means little in an emergency. God help those in Rita's path.
Fill your tub, Long Gone. And make sure your back-up generator has enough fuel so that you can get on-line this weekend.
Long Gone: I've been through two hurricanes, and the remants of a few others. One was in Baltimore, the other in Philadelphia. Both brought lots of flooding. I have to agree, there is something peaceful, and maybe even exhilarating about it. Sort of the same feeling you get after a major snowstorm. Maybe a glimpse into the essence of life, or something.
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lindyhopper
My bro and family are most definitely still on the road right now. What would really be bad is if there are people stuck on the road when this one hits.
I lived through a number of huricanes growing up in Corpus Christi and then a few more when in Florida. I think after living through a bunch and after seeing the predictions be off, at times way off, that people get a little complacent. That is until Katrina. That being fresh in everyone's mind I think this time people are being a lot more cautious.
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LG
I'm in NE Texas, laleo. Relax! By the time they get up here, these things are no worse than the thunderstorms we get every Spring.
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LG
Most counties have provisions for helping folks still on the road when Rita hits, Lindy. Since you left last night, you should be fine, though. Where are you headed (or possibly have arrived by now)?
I grew up in Corpus Christi, too, but it was long before your time. Are your parents from there? They're probably pretty close to my age.
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Mister P-Mosh
My wife and I drove from Houston to San Antonio...something like 20 hours in the car, and I hadn't slept for over 36 hours before we found a hotel room here. It was a mess, it was chaos and anarchy, and there was no gas anywhere near Houston so hundreds if not thousands of people were stuck along the side of I-10, and many others were camping out at gas stations hoping that they could get fuel to continue leaving. If anyone dies in their cars from the storm, the executives of every oil company in the U.S. deserve to be charged with murder and put to death. They shut down the refineries way too early so they could try to get some extra profits from the gas shortage. I nearly got into a fight with people who tried to break in front of me in line at the gas station and nearly ran over my wife, and it was a huge anarchic mess.
Anyway, I'm glad to be in San Antonio, and glad that the Residence Inn had some rooms available. Even though it now looks like the storm veered far enough from Houston that we could have stayed home, it's better to be safe than sorry, and I'm glad that so many others were able to get out too. Hopefully this results in some better planning and preparations on the part of governments to help people evacuate in emergencies like this.
I could say a lot more but I'm tired. I got six hours of sleep already and woke up to go eat, but I think it's time to go back to sleep and hope to feel more normal tomorrow.
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laleo
Long Gone, I AM relaxed. Today was a beautiful fall day, with just a hint of a breeze, and an even better forecast for the weekend. No reason for me to be un-relaxed.
Actually, with all the preparations and general anxiety surrounding this storm, it probably will blow uneventfully through. Hope you're staying dry, though.
P-Mosh, your description made me laugh. I have a lot of empathy for those who spent sixteen-plus hours stuck in traffic. If it were me, I'm not so sure I'd have been able to evacuate with my husband, or maybe we would just take two cars, because I can't imagine us surviving intact otherwise. I don't like traffic, and I don't like heat. He likes both even less. Stuck in a car with him for that length of time under those conditions would likely spell the end of a long, and occasionally harmonious, marriage. I think I'd blow out the stereo speakers with the Spinners singing, "This is our fork in the road, Love's last episode, There's nowhere to go . . . " Probably a moot point, though, because he'd likely stay behind anyway to help evacuate.
Now I think I understand the mad desperation of those angry looters converging on hospitals and nursing homes, probably trying to find the last shipment of tranquilizers in a final attempt to salvage what was left of their sanity and their marriages, stuck as they were together in the attic or in traffic. Either would be unbearable. Glad you made it safely through the weather, and all the annoyances of the evacuation.
Has anyone heard from ex10? I hope she made it to wherever she was heading.
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dmiller
Ok -- ya got us on that one. Methinks (if I recollect correct) that Daniel prayed for 21 days straight, not just one.
Meebe we should have 21 days of prayer, and not just one, eh??
:) :)
David
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wingnut
It had to be a money grabbing plot, not that it would take several hours if not a couple days to shut down a huge refinery
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dmiller
Nuts to that Mr. P-Mosh!! I'm glad you and yours are ok -- truely I am. But do us all a favor, and leave the political crap behind. There aren't enough refineries in this country because of the greenies who think that taking anything from *Mother Earth* is comparable to rape.
If we had more refineries built, if we had drilling in Alaska allowed, if we had this, if we had that -- you wouldn't have to shoot your mouth off about the executives of oil companies.
Hmmmmm -- sounds to me like you are actually blaming them for the hurricane as well. Well if ya want to do so -- have at it, and make a fool of yourself.
In case you didn't notice (tongue in cheek here) -- a major storm happened, and people became casualties as a result.
When you can *read me from the book* that executives of major corporations were a direct result of the *casuality list* -- perhaps I will pay attentiion.
Until you do so -- your words are but smoke in the wind.
David
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laleo
Now, come on. The guy just spent twenty (20) hours in a car, in bumper to bumper traffic, which had my nerves on edge just seeing the television footage, never mind being in the middle of that traffic jam. Cut him some slack. Really, it was an oversight on someone's part not to have more fuel available. FEMA? I doubt the environmentalists or the number of refineries operating in the U.S. had anything to do with it. I tend to think it was more bureaucratic snafus, than a corporate conspiracy, but, still, there should have been more gasoline for that many evacuees. From what I saw on the news they had two (2) gasoline trucks helping stranded motorists, even though the governor requested much more. I'd be ticked off, too. Wouldn't you?
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markomalley
P-Mosh,
Glad you evacuated safely.
You are so right about what you said...its obviously a plot to increase the profits of the oil companies. And this site has incontrovertable scientific evidence that George W. Bush caused the hurricane to happen and personally directed it to go on its exact course, just like he did with Katrina. Although it doesn't say the reason why he did so, its pretty obvious when you think about it...what company is Cheney associated with?
I'm glad you can see the truth, even if nobody else can.
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