When did Hurricane Rita hit, and when did it hit Lake Charles?
The fourth-most intense Atlantic Hurricane ever recorded was Rita, which was the most intense tropical storm on record in the Gulf of Mexico.There were three of the top ten most intense Atlantic hurricanes ever recorded, and Rita was one of them.It was the earliest until Tropical Storm Rene in 2020.Rita was formed from a tropical wave that developed off the coast of West Africa.Rita entered an environment of warm waters after passing through the Florida Straits.It achieved Category 5 status on September 21 when it reached peak winds of 180 mph.It weakened to a Category 3 Hurricane before hitting Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, between Sabine Pass, Texas and Holly Beach,Louisiana, with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h).Rita became a large low-pressure area over the Mississippi Valley by September 26th.
In Louisiana, Rita's storm surge inundated low-lying communities along the entire coast, worsening effects caused by Hurricane Katrina less than a month prior, such as topping the hurriedly-repaired levees at New Orleans.Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas where Rita made landfall suffered from severe to catastrophic flooding and wind damage.According to the October 25, 2005 Disaster Center report, 4,526 single-family dwellings were destroyed in Orange and Jefferson counties.Minor damage was received by 26,211 single- family dwellings.Mobile homes and apartments were damaged or destroyed.Nine Texas counties and five Louisiana Parishes were declared disaster areas after the storm.Electric service was disrupted in parts of Texas and Louisiana.Texas reported more deaths from the storm than any other state, with 112 of them being related to the Houston metropolitan area being evacuated.
The lower Mississippi Valley had moderate to severe damage.From Louisiana to Michigan, there was rain from the storm.The rain peaked at 16.00 in Central Louisiana.Several tornadoes were associated with the storm.The path of Rita caused damage of $18.6 billion.As many as 120 deaths in the U.S. were related to the storm.
The name Rita was retired in the spring of 2006 because of the damage done to the Gulf Coast.It was replaced by Rina.[4]
On September 7, 2005, a tropical wave emerged off the west coast of Africa and moved into the Atlantic Ocean.The National Hurricane Center did not watch the disturbance for tropical cyclogenesis.The system's Convection increased briefly late on September 13 before dissipating.A remnant surface trough developed from a dissipating stationary front and began to drift north of the Lesser Antilles.The tropical wave was first noted in the NHC's Tropical Weather Outlooks on September 15 northeast of Puerto Rico.The wave merged with the surface trough two days later, causing an increase in convective activity.The NHC estimated that the storm system had organized enough to be classified as a tropical depression after a decrease in wind shear.The Tropical Depression Eighteen was located east of Grand Turk Island in the Turks and Caicos and had developed banding features.[8]
In favorable conditions for tropical development, the depression quickly organized and attained tropical storm strength based on data from flights and ships.The storm was named Rita.An increase in moderate southerly wind shear as the result of a nearby upper-level low subdued continued intensification and displaced convective activity to the north of Rita's center of circulation.Rita's center of circulation reformed to the north after the upper-level low weakened.The tropical storm was steered across The Bahamas along the south side of a ridge.After entering the Straits of Florida on September 20, Rita strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane with a minimum barometric pressure of 980 mbar.Rita intensified further into Category 2 and passed south of Key West, Florida, six hours later.Aided by a favorable outflow pattern and warm sea surface temperatures, Rita became a major Hurricane when it entered the Gulf of Mexico on September 21.[4][10]
During the midday hours of September 21, Rita passed over the warm loop current and continued to strengthen.The storm's barometric pressure quickly fell as a result of the expanded wind field.The highest category on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane wind scale was attained by Rita.On September 22, Rita reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph and a barometric pressure of 895 mbar.It was south of the Mississippi River Delta at the time.
Rita maintained Category 5 intensity for 18 hours before an eyewall replacement cycle took place, which weakened the storm to Category 4 intensity by September 22.At the same time, a ridge of high pressure over the southeastern United States began to affect the tropics.As a result of the cycle, Rita's wind field expanded.The hurricanes continued to weaken due to wind shear and cooler continental shelf waters.Rita weakened to Category 3 strength before hitting the Louisiana coast on September 24.At the time of landfall, Rita had winds of 115 mph (185 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 937 mbar.[5]
On September 24, Rita began to weaken rapidly.The storm had been upgraded to tropical storm intensity.Proceeding northward roughly parallel to the state border between Louisiana and Texas, radar imagery indicated that the storm soon lacked winds of tropical storm-force.The system was classified as a tropical depression by the NHC after it passed over Arkansas.The depression lost most of its strength over southeastern Illinois by the next day.The remaining system was absorbed by the frontal boundary six hours later.[5]
The Turks and Caicos and the Southeast and Central Bahamas were put on a tropical storm warning.A watch was also issued for the northwest Bahamas.A tropical storm warning was put in place for the northwest Bahamas, which was later upgraded to a Hurricane warning.A storm warning was issued for Exuma.As the threat from Rita diminished, the tropical storm warning for the Turks and Caicos was discontinued.The southeast Bahamas was included in the discontinuation.As Rita moved into the Gulf of Mexico, all watches and warnings for the islands were stopped.In the Bahamas, residents were urged to board up their homes and stock up on emergency supplies.Schools were closed and at least one shelter opened.The Nassau International Airport was closed due to the storm on September 19 and would remain closed until the evening of September 20.[19]
Cuba warned residents of possible impacts from Rita and closed public facilities in the north.Several shelters were opened and some people were evacuated from villages near the northern coastline.Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from northern Cuba ahead of the storm.A total of 120,000 people could be accommodated in 600 shelters in Havana.More than 42,000 people were given shelter in western Cuba.Natural gas lines were disrupted in Havana due to the power being turned off at noon on September 19 to protect transformers.The Ministry of Health in Cuba put in place a large-scale preparation.More than 14,700 medical personnel were dispatched to help residents impacted by Rita.The personnel included doctors, nurses, specialists, health officials, and other staff members.There were 241 ambulances, 36 trucks, 21 panels, and 221 other vehicles that were also mobilized.A total of 1,486 shelters were opened throughout northern Cuba.[23]
The Florida Keys began to evacuate when Rita was declared a tropical storm.The Lower Keys were evacuated immediately and residents in mobile homes were told to prepare to leave.The 80,000 residents of the Keys were required to leave by September 20.Both lanes of Route 1 were directed to the north.The people who didn't have transportation out of the Keys were picked up by city busses.2.3 million people in Miami-Dade County were warned about the possibility of a direct hit on Miami and told to evacuate.President George W. Bush declared a State of Emergency ahead of Rita.In the wake of the storm, this would allow federal assistance.A total of 340,000 people were ordered to leave Florida.[28]
There are five shelters in southern Florida with a total capacity of 4,335 people.In Monroe County, toll roads on the north were lifted.Four hospitals, three assisted living facilities, and two nursing homes were evacuated.Military support in the form of 7,000 soldiers, eight Black Hawks, two Chinooks, three Kiowa helicopters, one Huron aircraft, and one Hercules aircraft was provided.The task force was put on stand-by in the Air Reserve Base.[28]
The food was prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.Personnel from the United States Department of Defense were deployed.If needed, the United States Department of Health and Human Services sent fully equipped medical teams and supplies.Over 100 trucks of ice and packed food were pre-positioned by the United States Department of Homeland Security.The recovery efforts were aided by two helicopters and one aircraft.All national parks in Florida were shut down by the United States Department of the Interior.There are three acute-care hospitals in the Keys.30
On Tuesday, September 20th, the Governor of Louisiana issued a state of emergency for all of the state's parishes, and requested that the President issue a federal declaration for the entire state.National guard troops and other emergency personnel were being sent to evacuate refugees at the New Orleans Convention Center and Superdome as a precautionary measure.Some military personnel stayed in New Orleans for Hurricane Rita.[32]
As Rita's strength, course and speed became clearer, officials of Cameron Parish, Calcasieu Parish and parts of Jefferson Davis Parish began to strongly encourage residents to evacuate.Most residents followed the recommendations of their respective officials, hitting the road by the deadline, though many returned home and waited until the next morning because of traffic delays.The residents of Southern Cameron Parish were gone by noon on Thursday.No one was known to have remained two days after the "Gibbstown Bridge" crossed the Intracoastal Canal in preparation of damage inspection and rescue of stranded and injured residents.[32]
Almost 1,200 Texas National Guard, 1,100 Texas State Guard and hundreds of Texas Game Wardens were recalled by the governor in anticipation of Hurricane Rita's arrival.Disaster Medical Assistance Teams were staged in mobile field hospitals across eastern Texas.The teams treated thousands of patients.On September 22, the Governor of Texas and the Texas Department of Transportation implemented a lane reversal on I 45 north towards Dallas and I 10 west towards San Antonio.[37]
Johnson Space Center in Houston gave control of the International Space Station to the Russians.[38]
Concerns were raised about the state of the oil industry after Rita.The oil infrastructure was undamaged by the storm.The Texas Gulf Coast is home to 23% of the United States' refining capacity, and numerous offshore production platforms were in Rita's path.More than a quarter of the United States' fuel-making capacity could be disabled by a direct strike on Houston.Valero Energy Corp, the nation's largest refiner, stated on September 21 that Rita could have caused gasoline prices to rise well above $3 per US gallon.[42]
Three weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the northern Gulf Coast, the threat of another major storm prompted mass evacuations in coastal Texas.2.5 million people fled before Rita's landfall, making it the largest evacuation in United States' history.[5]
The city of Galveston, which was devastated by the Hurricane of 1900, was ordered to evacuate in a staggered sequence.There are geographical zones in the area.People were scheduled to leave at different times depending on where they were located.The scheduled times were set well in advance of the storm's possible landfall later in the week, but not soon enough to ensure that all residents could evacuate safely.Many residents remained in the county because they were either unaware of the danger or thought it was more important to protect their belongings.The University of Texas Medical Branch hospital had to be evacuated.400 patients were under the care of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.The patients were transferred to the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler.[49]
The designation of zones A, B, and C was supposed to help prevent traffic from leaving the area like it did in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Dennis.Also, people in certain zones were to be forced to go to certain cities in Texas and were not allowed to leave their designated routes except for food and gas, which officials hoped would keep traffic flow orderly.
Austin, College Station, San Antonio, Dallas, and Huntsville are some of the cities that were evacuated.When hotels began to sell out in other areas, evacuees were asked to try hotels in the Midland/Odessa area.[51]
Houston mayor Bill White reminded residents of the disaster in New Orleans that the time for waiting is over.After heavy traffic snarled roads leading out of town and gas shortages left numerous vehicles stranded, Mayor White backed off his earlier statement and advised people to use common sense.The freeway system in Houston was at a stand-still by 3 p.m.[52]
To the east of Houston, officials set up routes for residents to flee in the event of a storm.The amount of people fleeing from the Houston area prior to the departure of local residents overwhelmed the preparations and their execution.Local roads were already full of Houstonians when Jefferson County began their mandatory evacuate.The traffic was forced to go slower on the designated routes because of the storm.There are 56 and 57 words.
After officials determined that the state's highway system had become congested, the contraflow lanes were opened.The Texas Department of Transportation was not prepared for such an event.Implementation of the plan took up to 10 hours as inbound traffic was forced to leave.Police were present to help with traffic.The evacuees fought traffic for much of the day on Wednesday and Friday.The average travel time to Dallas was 36 hours, Austin was 12 hours and San Antonio was 10 hours.Many motorists ran out of gas in the heat.More than three million people were evacuated from the area in advance of the storm.[45]
The Texas coastline was evacuated by an estimated 2.5 million people.Between 90 and 118 deaths were caused by the combination of severe gridlock and excessive heat.There were more than 100 deaths related to the Houston Chronicle reports.Coleman questioned whether the storm would be deadlier than the preparations, and criticized the downplay of the deaths in the evacuate.According to local officials, the traffic reached a point where residents felt safer riding out the storm at home rather than being stuck in traffic when Rita struck.Many evacuees turned off their air conditioning and drank less water in order to limit the number of bathroom stops.Nine people died because of hyperthermia, according to a post-storm study.Most of the 67 deaths attributed to heat stress were a combination of chronic health conditions.In addition to the heat-related deaths, 23 nursing home evacuees were killed after a bus caught fire.The bus caught fire due to insufficient lubrication and the therapeutic oxygen tanks on board.There were three explosions near the site of the accident, according to a resident.Mobility-impaired passengers made escape difficult or impossible.In June 2009, the families of those who died in the accident won an $80 million settlement against the manufacturer of the bus and the company that provided the nursing home with it.[62]
The effects of Hurricane Rita were less severe than anticipated.As the center of the storm hit the Louisiana border, there was a storm surge that hit farther east.The surge was flattened by winds blowing offshore in Texas, which was well below the height of the seawall.The 5 inches of rain that was expected to fall overnight in New Orleans did not happen, and the pressure on the levee system was lessened.A storm surge of up to 18 feet struck southwestern Louisiana, and coastal parishes experienced extensive damage.The communities of Holly Beach, Hackberry, Cameron, Creole and Grand Chenier were destroyed.In inland parishes and counties across Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, there were severe impacts due to wind.Cities such as Lake Charles, Louisiana, as well as surrounding communities, suffered extensive wind damage.
Two million people lost electricity.It is estimated that the total damage is $18.6 billion.
There was a reported death toll for Hurricane Rita.Seven of them were direct deaths.One was caused by a tornado spawned in the storm's outer bands, one was due to storm surge flooding, and three others were trees blown down.Rip currents caused by Rita's waves killed two people in Florida.
Direct deaths can be caused by the winds, flooding, tornadoes, storm surge or the effects of Rita.Hurricane-related accidents, crimes, fires, and health issues are some of the causes of indirect deaths.
Rita dropped up to 5 in (130mm) of rain but caused little damage as it developed near the Turks and Caicos Islands.The swells produced by Rita reached 10 ft and the storm surge was estimated at 3 to 5 ft.There were no reports of damage from the storm.[80]
In Cuba, Rita produced winds up to 65 mph and more than 5 inches of rain.There was no loss of life.In the Bay Shore area of Havana, 20 blocks of the city were flooded.400,000 people in the city lost power as a result of the storm.More than 8 inches of rain fell in two hours in Bauta.34 homes collapsed in Havana because of the rains.Several towns were flooded by the storm surge produced by Rita.[83]
The rains peaked at 5.13 inches in Tenraw.A band of rain, estimated to be 32 km wide, produced heavier rain with doppler radar estimating some totals over 10 inches.Most of the Florida Keys received 3 in (76.2mm) of rain or more.The wind speed was recorded at 62 mph (100 km/h) on September 20 in Key West.The wind speed in Key West was recorded at 76 mph.At least 200 homes were flooded in Key West due to the maximum storm surge of 5 ft.Floodwaters reached the runways at Key West International Airport.There was a storm surge of 1.5 ft in Miami.There was erosion on the south-facing beaches.126,000 people were without power at the height of the storm.There was a funnel cloud in Lake Worth.The wind speed was estimated at 30–40 mph (48–64 km/h).Parts of coastal Walton County were flooded by high seas from Rita.Moderate beach erosion occurred as a result of the high seas.The flooding caused an estimated $200,000 in damage.Damages in southern Florida were small.The death of one person was caused by strong rip currents produced by the remnants of Rita.[88]
Hurricane Rita caused an estimated $8 billion in damages in Louisiana.One person drowned during the event.Most of southern Louisiana was damaged due to the storm surge, which swamped low-lying coastal communities and topped levees.More than one million customers were affected by widespread power failures, with Entergy Louisiana reporting the largest loss of power.[90]
An estimated 10,000 homes were flooded in southeast Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish.Virtually every levee was damaged.Some people had to be rescued by boat from flooded communities.At least 100 people were rescued.The Industrial Canal in New Orleans was once again flooded by Hurricane Rita as the levees were once more breeched.
The storm surge reached all the way up to the communities of Abbeville, Gueydan, and Lake Arthur.The 10 ft surge completely flooded Pecan Island, Intracoastal City, and Delcambre.Almost all of the structures on the island were destroyed.Up to 1,000 people were stranded by local flooding.There were 250 rescues on Saturday, September 24.93
The most impacted region in Louisiana was the southwestern part of the state.[5]
The damage was particularly bad along the coastline and north to the Intracoastal Waterway.The storm surge was estimated at 18 ft (5 m), with lower levels farther inland from the coast, yet much of the north-central and western part of Cameron Parish experienced flooding.Almost all of the homes, businesses, and infrastructure in the southern Cameron Parish communities were destroyed by the storm surge.Big Lake, Deatonville, Gibbstown and Hackberry were all devastated by the storm.An unofficial wind gust of 180 mph was recorded on a boat in Hackberry.The communities of Grand Lake, Hebert's Camp, Lowry, Pelican Point, and Sweetlake all suffered from extensive flooding and wind damage.Many communities south of the Intracoastal Waterway are still recovering a decade afterRita.
In Calcasieu Parish, the cities and communities of Iowa, Lake Charles, Moss Bluff, Sulphur, and Westlake suffered severe wind damage, as well as some areas that received flooding due to storm surge and heavy rain.The storm surge that traveled up the Calcasieu Ship Channel from the coast was estimated to be up to 8 ft.A casino boat secured at the north end of the lake broke free from its moorings and ran into the interstate 10 bridge, causing minor damage.The lower floors of the Lake Charles Civic Center were flooded at one point, with reports of water rising 6 feet.Water rose as high as the second floor at a hotel on a section of theContraband Bayou near Prien Lake Road.The Lake Charles Regional Airport south of the city had extensive minor to major structural wind damage.The entire region's electrical and communications infrastructure was damaged, and authorities warned returning residents that it would take weeks to months to restore services.
In the western Calcasieu parish communities of Vinton and Starks, wind damage was severe.The Vinton Recreation Center's roof was torn off and many homes were damaged by fallen trees and utility poles.Much of the area is waiting months for utilities to be restored because of damaged utility towers.
Lesser, yet still significant, degrees of wind damage and flooding damage were suffered by Allen, Beauregard, Jeff Davis, and Vernon parishes.
Rita entered the area after it weakened to a tropical storm.The center crossed the Arkansas border just west of Downtown Shreveport.Over 175,000 people were without power in the National Weather Service Shreveport's forecast area at the height of the storm.There were two deaths in the Ark-La-Tex.A tree fell on a person, and a teenager was killed when he picked up a "hot" power line.Shreveport recorded its 2nd lowest pressure as the center of Rita moved through it.The lowest pressure on record was recorded on February 27, 1902, and the pressure recorded was 29.05 inches of mercury.95
Most of the rain fell early on September 25 as a band of heavy rain developed over parts of western Mississippi, northeast Louisiana and southern Arkansas.Heavy rain caused flooding in Yazoo and Warren Counties.There were many homes in Yazoo that had water inside.Damage in Warren County was less than in Yazoo.Damage in all three counties was $2 million.Several roads in Monroe County were flooded after 6 inches of rain fell.Numerous trees were downed by winds up to 70 mph.In Adams County, winds caused trees to fall on homes, causing $270,000 in damage.A tree fell on a mobile home in Warren County.[107]
There were 49 confirmed tornadoes in Mississippi alone due to Rita.The tornado outbreak was the largest recorded by the National Weather Service office in Jackson.Damage from tornadoes in the state was over $12 million.An F1 tornado killed one person after tossing a mobile home into the air.Two people were seriously injured.Eleven homes were destroyed and seven people were injured when another F1 tornado struck a mobile home park.There were six F2 tornadoes in Mississippi.One grew to a width of 800 yd and was tracked for nearly 18 miles.The tornado caused $2.5 million in damage and injured three people.2,127 residences lost power due to high winds in the state.[90]
The impact of Rita, limited to Southeast and East Texas, varied, with both wind and storm-surge damage impacting communities in various ways.Hurricane-force winds extended over 100 miles inland across eastern Texas, causing extensive damage to trees in the Piney Woods.The greatest amount of damage was seen in communities along the west side of the Sabine River.Damage to electrical and communication services was the worst in several Southeast Texas counties.For weeks to even months, power was not restored in some areas.The cities in the "Golden Triangle" formed by Port Arthur, and Orange, TX sustained extensive wind damage, whether directly from wind or from tree branches and other debris.About 25% of the trees in neighborhoods across the city were damaged or uprooted, and the same percentage of pecan trees suffered similar fates.The water treatment plant in Port Neches was damaged.The governor declared a nine-county disaster area because of the damage.
Minor storm-surge flooding occurred in parts of the coast not protected by the sea wall.At the height of Rita's landfall, a fire broke out in the Strand Historic District, but the Galveston fire department was able to contain and douse the wind-whipped blaze, limiting damage and preventing the fire from spreading throughout the city.Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported, though several historic buildings were either gutted or damaged, and a fire-weakened wall of the former Yaga's Cafe and Bar collapsed several hours later.[109]
Houston did not sustain major damage apart from power interruptions.Some windows blew out of downtown skyscrapers, and some trees and traffic signals were damaged.Thirty-one deaths in Harris County were caused by Rita.[113]
The Lake Livingston dam was damaged by powerful waves driven by wind gusts of up to 118 km/h and officials started an emergency release of water to relieve pressure on the dam.The discharge put lives at risk downstream and threatened a major bridge according to a number of news outlets.Repairs to the dam were expected to take months.The dam was declared stable late on Monday, September 26, 2005, after water levels were lowered and an inspection was conducted.[118]
Rita's landfall in extreme Southwest Louisiana spared southeast and east Texas from the full force of the storm surge.In particular, Texas's coastal communities around Galveston Bay, located to the west of where the storm came ashore, were largely protected from Ritas storm surge by her fortuitous path.Much of the community was destroyed by the storm surge.A new fire station was built in the town after it was featured on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.The new fire station was destroyed in a storm.
Before Rita's landfall, a mandatory evacuate of Southeast Texas was issued by both local and state governments.Many residents who were displaced by Rita were able to take advantage of up to 60 days of hotel rooms, generators, chainsaws, and monetary assistance from FEMA.
Parts of southern Georgia received a small amount of rain as Hurricane Rita passed to the south of Florida.In Alabama, the storm produced 22 weak tornadoes, mainly rated F0, causing minor isolated damage.Heavy rains were associated with Rita in the state.Most of the western parts of Alabama received more than 3 inches, while the south-central parts received around 7 inches.The remnants of Rita had little impact in Tennessee.Up to 3 inches of rain fell in southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, western Kentucky, most of Indiana, east and northern Ohio and southern Michigan before the storm merged with a frontal system on September 26.[98]
There were several tornadoes in Arkansas on September 24.Most of the state received at least 1 inch (25mm) of rain.Three F2 tornadoes touched down in the state, the first injured five people in Lonoke County, and the second was a low-end tornado that destroyed a double-wide mobile home.Three structures were destroyed and several others were damaged when the third was rated as a high-end F2.In the state, winds gusted up to 50 mph.Roughly $1 million of damage was done in Arkansas.120
The name Rita was retired in the spring of 2006 because of the damage done to the Gulf Coast.It was replaced by Rina.[118]
Hurricanes of Rita's intensity are very problematic because of the heavy concentration of oil infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico.The United States has very little spare crude oil capacity, and the Gulf of Mexico has 30% of the total refining capacity.Rita's path went through a dense area of offshore oil platforms and land to an area with large refineries.With over half of Gulf production still shut down in the wake of Katrina, some economists have stated that a worst-case scenario is for gasoline prices to briefly touch $5/US gallon.The most serious incident was the capsizing of the platform.Post-storm predictions only estimated minor price rises.Rita may have been a further drag on the US economy.There is a citation needed.
The most pessimistic projections had GDP growth cut by 1% in the second half of 2005, with as many as 500,000 people out of work.Some economists argued that the rebuilding effort could buoy the economy in 2006 while others said the energy spike could cause consumers to be less confident in the future.Three years after Rita's impact, the above did happen.There is a citation needed.