Do you believe that the government learnt much from Hurricane Katrina in time for Hurricane Rita?
Here's the part of FEMA's National Situation Update for Sunday, September 25, 2005 relating to hurricane Rita:
According to the National Weather Service’s Hydrometeorological Prediction Center Public Advisory Number 31 at 5 a.m. EDT, the center of Tropical Depression Rita was located near latitude 34.2 north and longitude 92.8 west, about 20 miles southeast of Hot Springs, Arkansas. The depression is moving northeast at 20 mph and this general motion is expected to continue throughout the day.
Maximum sustained winds are at 20 mph with gusts at 30 mph. The minimum central pressure was 991 Mb or 29.26 inches.
Tropical Depression Rita is expected to produce additional rain accumulations of 2 to 4 inches over the lower Ohio and Mississippi Valleys.
A Tornado Watch is in effect for portions of Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Flood and Flash Flood Watches are in effect for portions of Arkansas, southeast Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. (NWS Hydrometeorological Prediction Center Center)
Hurricane Rita pummeled east Texas and the Louisiana coast Saturday morning, battering communities with floods and intense winds, but residents were relieved the once-dreaded storm proved far less fierce and deadly than Katrina. After the storm passed, authorities pleaded with the roughly 3 million evacuees not to hurry home too soon, fearing more chaos.
Rita roared ashore at 3:30 a.m. EDT Saturday morning, close to the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 3 hurricane with top winds of 120 mph and warnings of up to 25 inches of rain. It knocked out power for more than 1 million customers, sparked fires across the hurricane zone and swamped Louisiana shoreline towns with a 15-foot storm surge that required daring boat and helicopter rescues of hundreds of people.
However, Rita spared Houston, New Orleans and other major cities a direct hit. By Saturday evening, the only reported death was in Mississippi, where one person was killed by a tornado that spun off the remains of the hurricane.
Damage to the vital concentration of oil refineries along the coast appeared relatively light, although industry officials said it was too early to assess whether there would be an impact on oil prices. Valero Energy Corp. said its 255,000-barrel-per-day Port Arthur refinery sustained significant damage to two cooling towers and a flare stack and would need at least two weeks for repairs.
The Texas Department of Transportation dispatched a 30-vehicle convoy from Beaumont to clear a debris-covered highway to the north toward Lufkin. Authorities used military helicopters and a bus to move some nursing home residents who had been stranded since Friday at an elementary school without power in the small town of Fred.
Some of the worst flooding occurred along the Louisiana coast, where transformers exploded, roofs were torn off and trees uprooted by winds topping 100 mph. Floodwaters were 9 feet deep near the town of Abbeville; farther west in Cameron Parish, sheriff's deputies watched appliances and what appeared to be parts of homes swirling in the waters of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The region was largely evacuated ahead of Rita, but some residents stayed behind and hundreds were rescued by helicopter or boat. Among them were a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old son stranded in Port Lafourche, a Gulf Coast outpost about 60 miles south of New Orleans. Another 15 to 25 people were reported stranded farther west along the shoreline of Vermilion Parish, but searches were postponed until Sunday because of high winds.
Elsewhere, a portion of Interstate 10 over the Calcasieu River in Lake Charles was closed after barges broke loose from their moorings and slammed into the bridge.
New Orleans, devastated by Katrina nearly four weeks ago, endured a second straight day of new flooding that could seriously disrupt recovery plans. The Army Corps of Engineers said it would need at least two weeks to pump water from the most heavily flooded neighborhoods, notably the impoverished Lower Ninth Ward, after crews plug a series of levee breaches.
Some New Orleans residents who had evacuated to Houston because of Katrina were forced to move again as Rita approached.
About 3 million people had fled a 500-mile stretch of the Texas-Louisiana coast ahead of Rita. The mass exodus produced gridlock and heartbreak; a bus of evacuees caught fire south of Dallas while stick in traffic, killing as many as 24 nursing home residents.
Though Houston authorities urged residents not to rush home to a city lacking many essential services, inbound roads were already clogging Saturday afternoon. Most stores in Houston were closed, bank machines had no cash, and police were controlling the long lines at the few open gas stations.
By Saturday evening, Rita was downgraded to a tropical depression with top sustained winds of 35 mph as it moved slowly through east Texas toward Shreveport, Louisiana.
The U.S. Geological Survey issued an alert to state and federal agencies on the increased potential for landslides from September 24-28 in the Ozark-Ouachita mountainous regions in Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma due to anticipated heavy rainfall from Hurricane Rita. (Media sources)
FEMA-1606-DR for the State of Texas was declared designating 9 counties for IA and 254 counties for PA. Scott Wells was designated as FCO.
FEMA-1607-DR for the State of Louisiana was declared, designating 5 parishes for IA and all parishes for PA. Vice Admiral Thad Allen designated as FCO. (FEMA HQ)
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Here's the EPA's Response Activity for Sunday, September 25, 2005 relating to hurricanes Rita and Katrina:
Rita-specific Response
Personnel - EPA has 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. An EPA Incident Management Team consisting of 18 EPA personnel is staged in Dallas, Texas and will deploy to Northwest Houston on 9/26. Additional response and contract personnel are standing by and will be brought to the scene once an initial needs assessment is complete.
Chemical and Petroleum - The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and EPA contacted chemical and refinery industry along the hurricane's path prior to the storm 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 for any necessary response actions at chemical and petroleum facilities. EPA is mapping the facilities and sites impacted by Hurricane Rita. These maps will be used to conduct a Rapid Needs Assessment. EPA and EPA contractor staff are part of a 35 person Rapid Needs Assessment Team that includes Federal, state, and local members. EPA will focus on oil and hazardous material facilities and possible spill impact. 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.
Superfund and Hazardous Waste Sites - EPA is mapping Superfund hazardous waste sites impacted by Hurricane Rita. Ten EPA/State teams are preparing to travel to all National Priorities List sties in areas affected by Hurricane Rita. Sites will be inspected in priority order, with all sites inspected within seven to ten days. Overall Hurricane Response
Public Outreach – EPA has translated several documents, including press releases, news briefs, public safety advisories, and water safety information, into Spanish and Vietnamese to assist individuals in the affected areas. Additionally, FEMA requested EPA, and other federal agencies, provide a recorded message of information for broadcast over XM radio and TV to the evacuee shelters. EPA senior personnel are doing the interviews.
Gulf/Mississippi Water Sampling – EPA’s ocean water testing vessel, the Bold, is 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 LDEQ released results of air screening samples collected from multiple locations across New Orleans on 9/11 and 13-19. 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. At these levels, unusually sensitive people should consider not engaging in vigorous exercise. More information is available at: http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=particle.cover 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.
An EPA helicopter and an Air Force plane with air monitoring (ASPECT-like) technology are positioned in New Orleans and Texas to conduct over-flight assessments once weather permits. EPA is conducting air sampling needs via several assets. The ASPECT airplane flew over Port Arthur, Orange and Beaumont areas on 9/24 where a number of heavy industrial petrochemical facilities are located. Preliminary analysis of the screening data from these flights is expected this week. EPA’s ASPECT aircraft has done 15 flights to date. EPA’s two TAGA buses are being used to collect screening level air data in multiple locations throughout New Orleans. Data from air samples taken 9/12-9/18 is posted.
Superfund Sites - There are 16 NPL sites in the hurricane Katrinea 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. Teams are ready to go to sample all affected NPL sites (both Katrina and Rita). EPA plans to sample the Agriculture Street Landfilll site on Sunday, weather conditions permitting. Rapid Needs Assessment-Katrina --EPA and LDEQ are coordinating to develop schedules on how to look at NPL sites, including the Malone Services and Jasper Creosote sites. The schedule is to be completed by end of day Sunday, 9/25.
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. EPA’s Water program is preparing to assess all drinking water plants after Hurricane Rita passes through. 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. EPA issued an emergency Administrative Order to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans to temporarily allow discharges from the East Bank Wastewater Treatment Plant to the Mississippi as a result of Katrina. This effort was coordinated with LDEQ. EPA has developed a set of questions and answers that will assist in responding to inquiries. Discussions among agencies represented at the Joint Field Office are ongoing to determine when to stop pumping water out of New Orleans into Lake Pontchatrain. EPA personnel are reviewing historic water quality and current conditions obtained from environmental sampling. EPA’s Water program is preparing to assess all wastewater treatment plans.
Bush Told U.S. Needs Post-Disaster Plan, Feds well prepared for Rita: Bush, Rita Is Second Chance to Get It Right
The Defense Department has told President Bush that the U.S. needs a national plan to coordinate search and rescue efforts following natural disasters or terrorist attacks. President Bush wants Congress to consider whether the Defense Department would become the lead agency.
President Bush said that the federal government was "well prepared" to respond to Hurricane Rita as he watched from a military base in the Colorado Rocky Mountains more than 1,000 miles away.
The command centre for Hurricane Katrina, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, was in place 4 days AFTER the event. The command centre for Hurricane Rita, the U.S. Northern Command headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo, was ready 2 days BEFORE the hurricane struck. Other agencies were also more prepared second time around.
La. Proposes Group to Aid Storm Evacuees
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has suggested setting up a nonprofit group to provide services to the estimated 1.3 million evacuated Louisiana residents. The Family Recovery Corps would provide the same kind of support that political refugees from abroad get, and rely almost entirely on federal money. She is waiting for President Bush's response.
Hurricane Rita stories
Hurricane Rita Major Developments
Perry Flies Over Texas Cities Hit by Rita, Texas refineries could restart soon, Reserve Supplies Said Helped Rita Response, New Orleans May Be Pumped Dry Again Soon, Airlines Resume Houston Flights, Rescue workers search for Rita survivors, Texas residents ride out storm the hard way, Hurricane Rita survivors rescued in Louisiana, Rita pummels Gulf Coast, Rita Spreads Misery in La. Fishing Ports, Battered New Orleans copes with floods again
Gov. Rick Perry took a helicopter tour of the Texas cities flooded by Hurricane Rita. He asked residents too return in an orderly manner according to a schedule, except for Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange areas whose residents should stay put. Rescuers were looking for survivors trapped by floods. Hurricane Rita was not as devastating as Hurricane Katrina, with one person killed during a tornado and 23 dead when a bus evacuating them caught fire. Parts of Louisiana experienced a 15 foot (4.5-meter) storm surge. It could be a month before some customers have power restored. Commercial airlines resumed flights into Houston Sunday, with many flights sold out.
Oil refineries and pipelines came off relatively lightly and most could resume production soon. There was an estimated $8 billion worth of damages in Texas.
Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said that pre-positioning stockpiles before Hurricane Rita had helped the response. He said that New Orleans residents should not return yet.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said that it could take as little as a week to make temporary repairs to the levees and pump the water back out again. Sandbags were already in position. The city would still be very vulnerable to bad weather.
Hurricane Rita caused unprecedented flooding of the houses of fishing ports along the lakes, canals and bayous between New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.
"Katrina was the wash cycle, Rita was the rinse cycle. I hope we get time to hang on the line and dry and not go into the spin cycle," Mayor Ray Nagin said at a press conference.
Other stories
Tsunami Actually Aided Crops in Indonesia
Contrary to expectations, some crops are doing particularly well this year in Indonesia after being flooded by salty water and sand during the tsunami, thanks to heavy rainfall washing much of the salt out since. Some gained topsoil or organic matter which composted. The U.N. says that 81% of the tsunami-flooded land in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, India and Thailand is now cultivable again. But many drainage channels were clogged and there is a shortage of labour. Some farmers cannot afford seedlings to replace destroyed plants.
Strong Earthquake Hits Eastern Indonesia
A magnitude 5.6 undersea earthquake shook eastern Indonesia on Sunday. There were no immediate reports of a tsunami or damage or casualties.
Minor Earthquake Shakes Northern Maine
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake shook parts of northern Maine Saturday night.
Early snowmelts heating Alaska Arctic: study
The spring snowmelt in Alaska's Arctic has been happening about 2.5 days earlier per decade, leading to climate change and the warmest summers there in at least 400 years. Plants are migrating north and caribou could be affected.
Australia Solar Car Race Kicks Off
The annual World Solar Challenge began on Sunday. The 1,190 mile long race goes from Darwin in Australia's north to Adelaide in the south in 4 or 5 days. 21 solar cars from 10 nations set off. There is also a section for hybrid fuel cars.
Index of topics in this series.
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