The Hurricane Rita Thread

[UF Jspec]

I live in the River Oaks area inside the 610 Loop and I am GTFO tonight. I am not taking any chances with the construction of my apartment. My hard drive is evacuating with me!

 

[Zysoclaplem]

I live South East of Dallas, about 4 hours north of Houston. And everyone is freaking out over here. Talking about tornados and flooding. I was told that if it hits as predicted, by sunday we could expect a cat1 or tropical storm right on top of us.

 

[Kalvin00]

Oh man..this is gonna be bad.

Expected right now to hit as a category 4 hurricane...but we all know how useful forecasts have been this year.

 

[alien42]

looks like she is starting to turn north. louisiana could still get hit.

 

[rickn]

Originally posted by: alien42
looks like she is starting to turn north. louisiana could still get hit.

it's probably just a wobble. hurricanes can't force themselves into a high pressure ridge, they skirt along it, and they wobble from time to time. unless the ridge is breaking down and moving along due to a cold front or what not, the hurricane will continue to skirt on the outside of the ridge.

 

[Furyline]

Updated wind speed forecast shows Rita weakening slightly over the next couple days and making landfall as a category 3 or 4. I really hope they are right about that. Past forecasts did not predict that it would reach cat 5 so quickly.

 

[JohnCU]

Say what you will, but this is a beautiful work of nature

 

[mooglekit]

Originally posted by: JohnCU
Say what you will, but this is a beautiful work of nature

I'll agree...but Mother Nature has a nasty temper...

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: mooglekit

Originally posted by: JohnCU
Say what you will, but this is a beautiful work of nature

I'll agree...but Mother Nature has a nasty temper...

agree fully w/both

 

[preslove]

How built up is the texas coast? How flat/high is houston compared to the sea?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: preslove
How built up is the texas coast? How flat/high is houston compared to the sea?

houston is about 100 feet above sea level. a strong storm surge could come up the ship channel to interstate 610. but i don't expect much of galveston island, if it were to hit there, to remain standing. last time a hurricane made a direct hit, alicia in 1983, galveston island's private property line (beaches are public in texas) moved back 150 feet

houston is about the flatest city in the country.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: SaltBoy
Here's Houston's Traffic. Notice the I-45 Northbound road coming from Galveston. It's crazy! Thank goodness I'm taking the bus and will be on the HOV.

oddly enough, i think west i-10 is doing better than normal

 

[arcas]

Latest interrim NHC report says Rita's central pressure has dropped to 904mb. That makes it the 5th most intense Atlantic hurricane on record, just 2mb behind Katrina at her peak.

 

[skyking]

regarding the nuclear plant:
Link from the power plant website.
At 4' thick, I suspect the containment structure is proof to either hurricanes or tornadoes. I worry about earthquakes with those things, myself.

 

[AbsolutZero]

Originally posted by: skyking
regarding the nuclear plant:
Link from the power plant website.
At 4' thick, I suspect the containment structure is proof to either hurricanes or tornadoes. I worry about earthquakes with those things, myself.

I see. It worried me when I saw an operational nuclear power plant 5 miles from the gulf coast. Hopefully its enough for a 15 ft storm surge.

Those guys with the assault rifles will also be taking out any Al Queda post-Rita operatives.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero

Originally posted by: skyking
regarding the nuclear plant:
Link from the power plant website.
At 4' thick, I suspect the containment structure is proof to either hurricanes or tornadoes. I worry about earthquakes with those things, myself.

I see. It worried me when I saw an operational nuclear power plant 5 miles from the gulf coast. Hopefully its enough for a 15 ft storm surge.

Those guys with the assault rifles will also be taking out any Al Queda post-Rita operatives.

The containment building is several feet of steel reinforced concrete and a six inch steel shell behind that.

It will hold.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero

Originally posted by: skyking
regarding the nuclear plant:
Link from the power plant website.
At 4' thick, I suspect the containment structure is proof to either hurricanes or tornadoes. I worry about earthquakes with those things, myself.

I see. It worried me when I saw an operational nuclear power plant 5 miles from the gulf coast. Hopefully its enough for a 15 ft storm surge.

Those guys with the assault rifles will also be taking out any Al Queda post-Rita operatives.

apparently there is a restaurant in corpus that is built right on the beach, but like a submarine, i.e. it is completely water tight. so, you can sit there and drink cold beer and eat boiled shrimp and be completely underwater during a hurricane.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero

Originally posted by: skyking
regarding the nuclear plant:
Link from the power plant website.
At 4' thick, I suspect the containment structure is proof to either hurricanes or tornadoes. I worry about earthquakes with those things, myself.

I see. It worried me when I saw an operational nuclear power plant 5 miles from the gulf coast. Hopefully its enough for a 15 ft storm surge.

Those guys with the assault rifles will also be taking out any Al Queda post-Rita operatives.

The containment building is several feet of steel reinforced concrete and a six inch steel shell behind that.

It will hold.

If Rita hits a bullseye on that site there is no way the containment building will hold.

My friends house where there is nothing but a slab left in Waveland Misssissippi, has a tree in the front yard with water line 30 feet high.

 

[K1052]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero

Originally posted by: skyking
regarding the nuclear plant:
Link from the power plant website.
At 4' thick, I suspect the containment structure is proof to either hurricanes or tornadoes. I worry about earthquakes with those things, myself.

I see. It worried me when I saw an operational nuclear power plant 5 miles from the gulf coast. Hopefully its enough for a 15 ft storm surge.

Those guys with the assault rifles will also be taking out any Al Queda post-Rita operatives.

The containment building is several feet of steel reinforced concrete and a six inch steel shell behind that.

It will hold.

If Rita hits a bullseye on that site there is no way the containment building will hold.

My friends house where there is nothing but a slab left in Waveland Misssissippi, has a tree in the front yard with water line 30 feet high.

Was your friend's house constructed as described above?

 

[arcas]

Looks like the nearest NOAA buoy to Rita has failed (not surprising).

Here's the air pressure data from the next buoy in the path:

Link

That's a textbook image of "falling off a cliff."

 

[wischeez]

Look here for the latest satellite imagery...NOAA Satellite Imagery

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: K1052

Originally posted by: AbsolutZero

Originally posted by: skyking
regarding the nuclear plant:
Link from the power plant website.
At 4' thick, I suspect the containment structure is proof to either hurricanes or tornadoes. I worry about earthquakes with those things, myself.

I see. It worried me when I saw an operational nuclear power plant 5 miles from the gulf coast. Hopefully its enough for a 15 ft storm surge.

Those guys with the assault rifles will also be taking out any Al Queda post-Rita operatives.

The containment building is several feet of steel reinforced concrete and a six inch steel shell behind that.

It will hold.

If Rita hits a bullseye on that site there is no way the containment building will hold.

My friends house where there is nothing but a slab left in Waveland Misssissippi, has a tree in the front yard with water line 30 feet high.

Nah, I've worked at a nuke power plant. It can take a direct hit from a 747, etc...

 

[CoolTech]

"Hurricane Rita becomes third most intense storm on record, according to National Hurricane Center figures."

 

[arcas]

7:50pm EDT NOAA interrim update: pressure continues to drop. The hurricane hunter aircraft failed to drop the dropsone in the exact center of the storm but still measured a minimum pressure of 899mb. NOAA is estimating the pressure to actually be 898mb. This makes Rita the 3rd most intense atlantic storm on record. Additional strengthening is forecast over the next 12 hours.

 

[meltdown75]

a sincere good luck wish to anyone left in the path of this storm - as well as the property of those who live on the coastline where Rita makes port.