Rita

[2ndAmendment]

I spoke with a friend who has his elderly mother with him and they've been trying to get to San Antonio for the past 9 hours. They have only gone 15 miles. They started out at 3:30 this morning. They're about to run out of gas.

Simple lesson here - when the traffic is not moving, turn off the engine.

 

[FromTexas]

I don't understand why people aren't heading toward San Antonio and southern Texas? The hurricane is moving Northwest, yet people are going North?

Actually, it depends what part of Houston you are in. They give evacuation routes based on sections. If everyone went West, they would still be stuck as it came in. There are only so many interstates. If you are in Southwest Houston, most are directed to the west on I-10 (San Antonio/Austin). Northwest is going out 290 (Northwest Fwy)/45. It depends where you are.

 

[FromTexas]

Simple lesson here - when the traffic is not moving, turn off the engine.

A friend of mine off I-45 North to Dallas said its basically a big parking lot. With 36 hours to landfall there is plenty of time for them to develop alternate routes/detours and get traffic moving. I did talk to some other friends on the North side who are ducking into shelters or getting into secure homes away from bayous/flood areas because the traffic isn't moving. Luckily it is far enough in (Houston and especially north Houston) that it probably won't be more than a CAT 3 by then. I remember riding through Alicia while it was still a CAT3, and it really was not that bad. The eye even went right over our home.

 

[FromTexas]

Gov. Rick Perry said gasoline tankers were being dispatched to help stranded motorists along evacuation routes. “We’ll get fuel to those who are on low or out of gas,’’ he said.

 

[vraiblonde]

Now see - THIS is a guy who knows how to run a state!

And he REALLY embarrasses those Louisiana people by comparison.

 

[FromTexas]

Now see - THIS is a guy who knows how to run a state!

And he REALLY embarrasses those Louisiana people by comparison.

You know. Texas is doing great with it. Watch though. When they make it through great and do everything perfect it will just turn into another attack from Democrats (i.e. Bush takes care of his home state only, etc...). Even though the state did it all themselves.

 

[FromTexas]

Two different meteoroligsts perspectives.

Steve Gregory

Beyond the issue of the actual landfall point -- for the past 2 days, the global models have been forecasting the
re-development/intensification of the high pressure ridge over the central U.S. -- and then expands it towards the
Gulf coast. What this means, is that after Rita moves inland Saturday morning, it will gradually slow down, then
stall out over west central Louisiana - and then is forecast to drift SOUTHWESTWARD towards Houston by
Monday. This type of motion would lead to extreme rainfall totals across much of Louisiana and the east-
southeast areas of Texas following landfall. Tremendous, life threatening flooding could result from portions of
Louisiana southwestward to the Houston area. Storm rainfall totals could easily exceed 20" in some locations.

Jeff Master's

The models runs are now pretty much agreed that steering currents will weaken and Rita will stall and drift westward or southwestward once it moves inland. This will result in severe flooding problems for wherever Rita stalls, as 10 - 30 inches of rain could fall in the affected region. As is usually the case when steering currents get weak, the model forecasts of Rita's motion are highly unreliable. Rita may stall over the notheast Texas, or western or central Louisiana. Oklahoma and Arkansas are looking less likely. It's too early to tell with much reliability. It may not be until next Wednesday when the remnants of Rita finally are gone.

 

[rack'm]

This gives starting over some perspective.......

<img src="http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0926/5019613.jpg">