Hurricanes Rita & Katrina
Do you think that the evacuation would have gone better if everyone had had much more fuel efficient vehicles?
Here's the part of FEMA's National Situation Update for Friday, September 23, 2005 relating to hurricane Rita:
At 5 a.m. EDT, the center of Hurricane Rita was located near latitude 26.8 north and longitude 91.0 west, about 290 miles southeast of Galveston , Texas and about 250 miles southeast of Cameron , Louisiana . Currently, Rita is an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Rita is moving toward the northwest near 9 mph and this gradual motion is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. The core of Rita will be approaching southwest Louisiana and upper Texas coasts late today or tonight.
Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph with higher gusts. Some fluctuations in strength are expected during the next 24 hours. Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 85 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 205 miles. The minimum central pressure was reported by an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft was 927 Mb or 27.37 inches.
Coastal storm surge flooding of 15 to 20 feet above normal tide levels, along with large and dangerous battering waves, can be expected near and to the east of where the center makes landfall. Tides are currently running about 2 feet above normal along the Louisiana , Mississippi , and Alabama coasts in the areas affected by Katrina. Tides in those areas will increase 3 to 5 feet and be accompanied by large waves and residents there could experience coastal flooding. Large swells generated by Rita will likely affect most portions of the Gulf Coast .
Rita is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches, with isolated maximum amounts of 15 inches, over southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana as it moves inland. Since Rita is forecast to slow down significantly after making landfall, total accumulations in excess of 25 inches are possible over the next several days over eastern Texas and western Louisiana . In addition, rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches are possible over southeastern Louisiana , including metropolitan New Orleans .
Isolated tornadoes are possible today over portions of southeastern Texas and southern Louisiana .
A Hurricane Warning is in effect from Port O'Connor, Texas to Morgan City , Louisiana . A Hurricane Warning may be required for portions of the Hurricane Watch area Thursday morning.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the southeastern coast of Louisiana east of Morgan City to the mouth of the Pearl River, including metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartain, and from south of Port O'Connor to Port Mansfield Texas. This warning also
A Tropical Storm Warning remains in effect from south of Port Mansfield to Brownsville , Texas . ( National Hurricane Center )
Hurricane Rita closed in on the Texas Gulf Coast and the heart of the U.S. oil-refining industry with howling 140 mph winds Thursday, but a sharper-than-expected turn to the right set it on a course that could spare Houston and nearby Galveston a direct hit.
The storm's march toward land sent hundreds of thousands of people fleeing the nation's fourth-largest city in a frustratingly slow, bumper-to-bumper exodus. In all, nearly 2 million people along the Texas and Louisiana coasts were urged to get out of the way of Rita, a 400-mile-wide storm that weakened Thursday from a Category 5 hurricane to a Category 4 as it swirled across the Gulf of Mexico .
Late Thursday, the storm shifted slightly to the west, toward Texas, but the National Hurricane Center still predicted it would make landfall somewhere along a 350-mile stretch of the Texas and Louisiana coastline.
The storm's course change could send it away from Houston and Galveston and instead draw the hurricane toward Port Arthur , Texas , or Lake Charles , Louisiana , at least 60 miles up the coast, by late Friday or early Saturday.
But it was still an extremely dangerous storm and one aimed at a section of coastline with the nation's biggest concentration of oil refineries. Environmentalists warned of the possibility of a toxic spill from the 87 chemical plants and petroleum installations that represent more than one-fourth of U.S. refining capacity. Along the coast, petrochemical plants began shutting down and hundreds of workers were evacuated from offshore oil rigs.
The evacuation out of Houston was a traffic nightmare, with red brake lights streaming as far as the eye could see. Highways leading inland out of Houston , a metropolitan area of 4 million people about an hour's drive from the shore, were clogged for up to 100 miles north of the city.
Drivers ran out of gas in 14-hour traffic jams or looked in vain for a place to stay as hotels filled up all the way to the Oklahoma and Arkansas line. Others got tired of waiting in traffic and turned around and went home. With temperatures in the 90s, many cars were also overheating, as were some tempers. State officials hoped to transport more than 200,000 gallons of gas to service stations that reported running out of fuel. Police officers and National Guard trucks carried gas to motorists whose tanks were on empty .
T o speed the evacuation, the governor halted all southbound traffic into Houston along I-45 and took the unprecedented step of opening all eight lanes to northbound traffic out of the city for 125 miles. I-45 is the primary evacuation route north from Houston and Galveston . By late Thursday, the traffic bottlenecks were improving, with congestion easing on many major arteries leaving Houston , according to a spokesman for the Office of the Governor of Texas.
Residents also jammed Houston 's two major airports seeking flights inland, including many people who did not have reservations. Adding to problems was a shortage of security screeners, many of whom did not show up for work because they live in areas under mandatory evacuations. Airport officials flew in screeners from other Texas cities.
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In Galveston , a city rebuilt after an unnamed 1900 hurricane killed between 6,000 and 12,000 residents in what is still the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history; the once-bustling tourist island was all but abandoned, with at least 90 percent off its 58,000 residents cleared out.
The city pinned its hopes on its 11-mile-long, 17-foot-high granite seawall to protect it from the storm surge, and a skeleton crew of police and firefighters to ward off potential looters.
The U.S. mainland has not been hit by two Category 4 storms in the same year since 1915. Katrina came ashore Aug. 29 as a Category 4. The last major hurricane to strike the Houston area was Category-3 Alicia in 1983. It flooded downtown Houston , spawned 22 tornadoes and left 21 people dead. (Media sources)
Additional Data: Area Command and Incident Management teams have developed and are refining evacuation plans for Hurricane Rita covering all resources under their control. Planning efforts are focusing on safety and reestablishing services and a Type 1 Incident Management Team is making preparations to receive possible evacuees from Hurricane Rita.
Updated 09/22 :
Here's the EPA's Response Activity for Friday, September 23, 2005 relating to hurricanes Rita and Katrina:
Rita Preparations - EPA is working closely with the state of Texas to prepare for Hurricane Rita. EPA has pre-deployed three EPA response personnel and four contractors to the Regional Response Coordination Center in Austin, Texas. The pre-deployment team is co-located with other federal and state personnel to coordinate planning for Hurricane Rita response priorities. A full EPA Incident Management Team consisting of 18 EPA personnel will stage in Dallas, Texas on 9/24. The team will deploy to the impacted area as soon as the storm passes (anticipated to be 9/26). Additional response and contract personnel are standing by and will be brought to the scene once an initial needs assessment is complete. The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and EPA have been contacting chemical and refinery industry along the hurricane's path concerning their plans to secure and shut-down their plants. The Risk Management Program (RMP) under the Clean Air Act requires facilities to develop an emergency plan and coordinate their activities with local officials. Additional measures are being taken to prepare for response actions at chemical and petroleum facilities. EPA is currently mapping the facilities and sites expected to be impacted by Hurricane Rita. These maps will be used to conduct a Rapid Needs Assessment that will be conducted shortly after the storm passes. EPA has also listed these facilities in the Agency’s Rapid Assessment Integrated Database (RAID) which prioritizes targets for the reconnaissance phase of the response. Chemical products stored at the larger facilities to assist responders are also being identified. EPA is currently mapping Superfund hazardous waste sites expected to be impacted by Hurricane Rita. Teams of project managers are prepared to deploy to affected Superfund hazardous waste sites as soon as the storm passes. These teams will conduct thorough assessments and, if necessary, they will also sample the sites to determine any impact.
Public Outreach – FEMA has requested EPA, and other federal agencies, to provide a recorded message of information for broadcast over XM radio and TV to the evacuee shelters. EPA senior personnel are doing the interviews.
Hurricane-Related Fuel Waivers - In the continued effort to minimize potential fuel supply disruptions caused by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, on 9/22 EPA expanded the waiver to allow conventional gasoline (CG) to be sold and distributed in the Houston-Galveston reformulated gasoline (RFG) covered area to cover the Dallas-Fort Worth RFG area through midnight on September 30. In a related action, EPA granted a third waiver to extend the 9/9 waiver to allow regulated parties to distribute and sell CG in the Richmond, Virginia RFG covered area through midnight on 9/30. Retail outlets and wholesale purchaser-consumers will be allowed to continue selling or dispensing this fuel after 9/30, until their supplies are depleted. EPA and the Department of Energy will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with state and local governments to evaluate and respond to changing circumstances. More information on hurricane-related fuel waivers (http://www.epa.gov/compliance/katrina/waiver).
Gulf/Mississippi Water Sampling – Hurricane Rita is not expected to delay the deployment of EPA’s ocean vessel, the Bold, scheduled for a 9/26 mission to survey the waters of the Mississippi Sound and the Gulf of Mexico in the plume of the Mississippi River. The surveys will take about three weeks to complete.
Air Monitoring – On 9/23, EPA in coordination with Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, released results of air screening samples collected from multiple locations across New Orleans on 9/11 and 13-19. Because samples were not collected with standard monitors, the mix of particles in the screening samples cannot easily be compared to EPA's standards. However, to provide the public with a point of reference, EPA has compared the results to its Air Quality Index (AQI) for inhalable coarse particles, also known as PM 10. The AQI is an index of daily air quality that focuses on health effects that the public may experience in a few hours or days after breathing the air. The screening samples show particle pollution at levels considered moderate or "code yellow" under the coarse particle AQI on September 13, 14, 18 and 19. Coarse particle pollution is considered "moderate" when the 24-hour average level is between 55 and 154 micrograms per cubic meter of air. At these levels, unusually sensitive people should consider not engaging in vigorous exercise. For more information, see "Particle Pollution and Your Health" (http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=particle.cover). From 1999 to 2004, New Orleans averaged three "moderate" PM 10 days a year, based on measurements taken every six days. These data were collected using a portable, battery-powered monitor that often is used in emergency response situations, because it gives immediate readings. EPA does not use data from these types of monitors either for compliance purposes or for generating routine air quality advisories. These initial results represent the beginning of extensive sampling efforts and do not represent all air conditions throughout the area. As this is a dynamic situation, general conclusions should not be made regarding air quality based on results from this snapshot of data.
Public Information – On 9/19, EPA posted on its Web site an extensive list of questions and answers (http://www.epa.gov/katrina/faqs.htm) regarding flood water, drinking water, wastewater, human health, air issues, sediment, oil spills and superfund sites, asbestos, debris, and fuel waivers.
Sediment Sampling – On 9/22, EPA continued posting analytical results of sediment sampling from New Orleans. On 9/16 based on the initial results of this data, EPA recommended avoiding all contact with the sediment, where possible, due to the presence of E. coli and fuel oils. In the event contact occurs, EDebris Assessment and Collection – EPA is conducting air monitoring at debris burn sites in Louisiana. EPA teams continue collection of household hazardous wastes (HHW) and orphan containers in the hurricane affected area. In addition, EPA personnel continue to offer technical assistance in the disposal of hazardous waste and other debris left behind by the storm. As of 9/22, EPA has collected over 37,550 HHW/orphan containers throughout the affected region.
Drinking Water Assessment – In the LA affected area, there are a total of 683 drinking water facilities that served approximately 2.8 million people. As of 9/22, EPA has determined that 534 of these facilities are operational, 19 are operating on a boil water notice and 130 are either inoperable or their status is unknown. In the MS affected area, there are a total of 1,368 drinking water facilities that served approximately 3.2 million people. EPA has determined that 1,228 of these facilities are operational, 100 are operating on a boil water notice and 40 are either inoperable or their status is unknown. In the AL affected area, there are a total of 72 drinking water facilities that served approximately 960,682 people. EPA has determined that all 72 of these facilities are operational. It should be noted that “operational” facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction.
Wastewater – In the LA affected area, there are a total of 122 Public Owned Treatment Works (POTW). As of 9/22, EPA has determined that 87 of these facilities are operational and 35 facilities are either not operating or their status is unknown. In the MS affected area, there are a total of 118 POTW. EPA has determined that 114 of these facilities are operational and 4 facilities are either not operating or their status is unknown. In the AL affected area, only 1 facility is not operating with 7 others having operational difficulties. It should be noted that “operational” facilities may still be in need of repair or reconstruction.
Superfund Sites - There are 16 NPL sites in the hurricane affected area of LA, 6 in AL and 3 in MS. 16 of the sites in LA have had initial assessments. Initial Rapid Assessments have been made on the 9 sites in AL and MS. EPA is still in the assessment phase, and will continue to monitor all the impacted NPL sites
Rita and Katrina stories
Major Developments on Rita and Katrina
After Katrina flop, Bush polishes up Rita response
President George W. Bush is taking care not to repeat his mistakes with Hurricane Katrina, and has visited Texas and then U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado to oversee the federal government response personally. He said, "We will make sure that my entourage does not get in the way of people doing their job, which will be search and rescue immediately".
Tax Rules Adjusted for Gulf Coast Workers, US may waive Jones Act law to ship oil, Newsview: Varied Voices Hamper Democrats, Congress seeks oversight of Katrina funds
Lawmakers have adjusted tax rules so that Mississippi and Louisiana residents receiving a tax credit for the working poor do not lose out.
The Bush administration may waive a the Jones Act law so that foreign vessels can transport crude oil and gasoline between U.S. ports if Hurricane Rita disrupts U.S. petroleum supplies. It was temporarily suspended after Hurricane Katrina.
Democrats will not be able to capitalize on the dip in President Bush's ratings in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina unless they show voters clear leadership and a fresh message.
Congress wants better oversight of the spending on Hurricane Katrina than on rebuilding Iraq, and is considering introducing legislation.
Poll: Storm Changed Americans' Attitudes
After Hurricane Katrina, people worry about race relations, whom to trust, and where to live in the wake of rising gas and oil prices.
Red Cross Renews Plea for Hurricane Aid
The American Red Cross said that it had only received half of what it needed to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, let alone Hurricane Rita, and asked Americans to give more.
Rita downgraded to Category 3 storm
Hurricane Rita weakened to a Category 3 storm Friday.
Texas warns of catastrophe, Rita Heads for Upper Texas-Louisiana Coast, Millions Flee Rita, Up to 24 Dead in Texas Bus-Fire Tragedy, Deadly bus fire mars Rita evacuation, Texas warns of catastrophe as Rita nears, Rita expected to flood Port Arthur, smash 6,000 homes, Rita seen threatening chemical plants, Rita Expected to Hit Gulf Coast, Rita shuts 2.2 mln barrels per day of gasoline, NASA Space Center Emptied Ahead of Rita, IEA on alert over Rita
The director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management predicted 16 hours of hurricane-force winds and a storm surge that would cause a "catastrophic flood". Millions evacuated, and those who had not managed to do so were advised to seek shelter.
Rita was heading for the Texas and Louisiana coast Friday, a little further from Houston and Galveston than expected, but close to the oil and chemical centres of Beaumont and Port Arthur, which was expected to be flooded.
A fire broke out on a bus taking nursing home residents away from Hurricane Rita, killing around 24 people. Passengers' oxygen tanks are believed to have fuelled the fire.
Rita threatened 72 percent of all U.S. ethylene production capacity. Natural gas rose to new record prices. Many chemical plants have been closed. All chemical products are likely to rise in price.
About 2.2 million barrels per day for gasoline, 1.2 million bpd for distillate fuel and 600,000 bpd jet fuel will not be delivered because of Hurricane Rita, with 15 refineries shut down in addition to the 4 still closed due to Hurricane Katrina.
NASA has evacuated the Johnson Space Center, home of Mission Control, shuttle simulators and moon rocks, all of which are well protected. Russia is looking after the international space station.
The International Energy Agency is on alert because of Hurricane Rita. it will meet on Saturday to see if it needs to release emergency oil reserves as it did after Hurricane Katrina.
Rita could herald record hurricane year
2005 could be a record hurricane year for the Atlantic. It could beat the previous record frequency of 21 named storms in a season (1933). The intensity of storms has been rising, with the number of category 4 and 5 storms nearly doubling over the past 35 years. Because of the cyclical nature of hurricane seasons, and because the kind of data we get from satellites and modern instrumentation has only been available in recent years, it is difficult to tell how much affect global warming has had.
Typhoons are the equivalent of hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean, add they tend to be larger and fiercer. There are about 30 during the season which runs to the end of the year. The 18th, Typhoon Damrey, has just run over the Philippines.
New Orleans Relives Flooding Nightmare, Rita waters flood New Orleans, Search for Katrina Victims a Nasty Ordeal
Hurricane Rita's rain caused breach in New Orleans' weakened industrial canal levee, flooding the Lower Ninth Ward. Search and rescue teams had moved in to the areas which remained flooded until last, but have had to retreat again from re-flooding areas.
Mexico Offers Help for Rita's Homeless
Mexico has offered shelter to evacuees from Texas. Some hotels in Monterrey offered discounts to evacuees.
Man Who Fled Katrina Shot Dead in Tenn.
A Louisiana man who evacuated to Tennessee after Hurricane Katrina has been killed, apparently as he was being robbed of the money he got from the Red Cross.
Katrina Survivors Struggle With Depression, Tips for Coping Following a Disaster
Many Katrina survivors are suffering depression, sleeplessness, anxiety and even domestic violence, but not many are seeking professional help.
Recovery after a disaster takes time; don't be surprised to reprise grief, anger or anxiety for at least a month. Taking several days break away from the disaster zone can help return a feeling of normalcy. Talk to supportive family and friends and mental health professionals.
Spy Imagery Agency Prepares to Record Rita
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is watching Hurricane Katrina, just as it watched a gas rig vanish underwater after Katrina, leaving only bubbles. It inventories the locations of hazardous material, petroleum refineries and other potentially messy facilities. It photographs the exact state of what's below prior to the arrival of a hurricane, at high resolution. It can analyse oil slicks and other spills. Normally it spies on foreign countries; it is being careful not to spy on Americans or their businesses.
Other stories
Scientist criticizes U.S. climate 'loonies'
Sir John Lawton, chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution which advises the UK government, believes that global warming likely influenced the intensity of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, saying "If this makes the climate loonies in the States realize we've got a problem, some good will come out of a truly awful situation".
Typhoon sweeps through north Philippines, 16 dead
Typhoon Damrey has killed 16 people on the main island of Luzon in the Philippines. Many areas are flooded and 20,000 people are in temporary accommodation. Damrey then headed towards southern China and Hong Kong.
Indian flood-hit state rushes medicine to homeless
Flooding in the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh has left hundreds of people stuck on their rooftops for the past 3 days and over 75 people were electrocuted. Food, water and medicines were being distributed to them on Friday.
Scientists Dispute Hurricane Blaster Idea
Scientists say that we cannot blast hurricanes like Rita and Katrina; they are far too powerful. They did try before in the 1950s with Project Stormfury.
India Encephalitis Deaths Were Preventable
The vaccine to prevent death from Japanese encephalitis would cost just $1 in India, and yet more than 1,100 people have died there. The health care budget for Uttar Pradesh, which has born the brunt of the outbreak, is just 7 cents per person. In the mean time, money was found for expensive projects such as building parks and statues of Italian marble, a new runway for a remote airport, and a lavish welcome for former President Clinton. Another problem is the endorsement in one country of a vaccine created in another.
Scientists implant human chromosome in mice
Scientists have transplanted a nearly entire copy of the human chromosome 21 into mice. They home that the breakthrough will help with Down's syndrome and other disorders.
Airport screening unlikely to stop flu, SARS spread
Air travel is the fastest way of spreading SARS and influenza, but screening passengers at airports probably won't stop them spreading globally, according to a study.
Small Quake Shakes Area North of L.A.
A magnitude 3.6 earthquake shook the San Joaquin Valley about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles early Friday, following Thursday's quakes, which peaked at 4.7.
Montana faces eternal clean-up of toxic lake
The Berkeley Pit at Butte, Montana, is the USA's largest superfund site, the result of a great deal of copper mining up to 1982. It is a 1-1/2 by 1 mile open pit mine turned into a toxic lake containing high concentrations of copper, arsenic and other metals. Waterfowl do not survive long there, so they have to be warned off with gunfire. If the water level gets too high it could get into the town's water supply, which is estimated to happen in 2020. The current strategy is to clean and divert water before it gets into the lake. There are also plans to pump enough water to prevent the level getting too high, and to clean the water as it is pumped out. This could go on forever. "The end of time is a long time so I wonder if all of the value of the copper that we took out will match the expenditure that we will make trying to clean up the mess," Gov. Schweitzer told Reuters. The early owners made $48 billion. 2,300 people died in mining accidents. An unknown number suffered chronic illness. Some copper can be extracted when the water is filtered.
Philippines says close to cloning water buffalo
Philippines researchers say that they will soon be able to create the world's first clone of a water buffalo. They hope to replicate a "super buffalo" to help farmers. Pools of genetically pure carabao, the local water buffalo, would be protected.
Neb. Farmers Begin Soybean, Corn Harvest
Some Nebraska farmers whose soy bean crops are dry have begun harvesting their crops. Most corn farmers will risk leaving their crops out to dry naturally rather than have the expense of using driers. There is a glut of corn so storage could be a problem. About 40 percent of Nebraska's corn crop is fed to local animals, 25-28 percent is used to produce ethanol, and 10-13 percent of it is exported.
Norway's Socialists say still oppose Arctic oil
Norway's Socialist Left party says that it is against oil and gas exploration in the Barents Sea in the Arctic, contrary to a recent report saying otherwise. It is currently negotiation to join a "Red-Green" government with the larger Labor Party, which is in favour of exploration.
Index of topics in this series.
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Sue N writes:
<< Do you think that the evacuation would have gone better if everyone had had much more fuel efficient vehicles? >>
That sounds good on the surface, but let's think about this a little bit.
I've thought about it; the answer is no.
The evacuation would have gone a lot better if people used the resources they have more effectively. All those 4x4 trucks and SUVs are great vehicles to evacuate in; you can carry the whole family and the pets, some supplies and valuables or sentimental things, etc. I'd rent one if I didn't own one for evacuating, 'pon my honor I would; I could fit my disable neighbor in it, too.
That said, the government and AAA should have given off-road routes online and on TV so that people could make use of the features of their vehicles to get out of the area. I don't understand sitting in a traffic jam, running out of gas, riding in a vehicle that has plenty of clearance, lots of horsepower and great traction. If you're smart, you could be far enough away soon enough to get more gas whenever and wherever you need it.
But what am I thinking? This idea makes as much sense as government having a standing plan for how to make all roads outbound and using HOV lanes from the outset of an evacuation order. I must be silly or something! ;-)
<< Crude-oil prices dropped because Rita weakened >>
I guess it's a good thing that the crude-oil price marketeers don't understand that the storm didn't actually 'weaken' so much as 'relax' and 'spread out' over a territory 5 times as wide, meaning that huge rainstorms, tornadoes, and winds swept ashore sooner than expected and covered a much larger area than they would have if the storm had stayed tightly wound.
Let's hope they never figure that out . . . .
Even SUVs can be made more fuel efficient.
Most of the refineries were along the stretch of coast that Katrina was expected to hit, so far as I can tell - Corpus Christi, Sweeny, Texas City, Galveston, Hoston, Baytown, Beaumont, Port Arthur and Lake Charles.
