Here we go again: Hurricane Rita

[Zardoz]

Rita powered up from a Category 1 to a Category 4 in about 36 hours, it is getting very well-organized and defined, and forecasters are posting ominous warnings about what it may turn into in the next couple of days as it moves over the hot waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Two monster storms in one season, confirmation that Katrina was one of the very strongest storms to ever hit the U.S., and predictions that this may be "normal" for the next few years (at least) calls into question whether or not the entire Gulf Coast area will be habitable.

How many of these things can we take? At what point do people have to say "enough"?

 

[JacktheHat]

At what point do people have to say "enough"?

To whom?

 

[Shannon]

To whom?

Exactly. Its not like mother nature listens to anyone...

 

[Zardoz]

To whom?

Uh...to themselves and each other, obviously.

If this becomes "normal", when do you get to the point where you have to make the decision to abandon the area and somehow start over again somewhere else?

 

[Swift]

Uh...to themselves and each other, obviously.

If this becomes "normal", when do you get to the point where you have to make the decision to abandon the area and somehow start over again somewhere else?

BTW Zardoz, I knew exactly what you meant.

A lot of people are starting to think just that. It really is a total shame. But it's not like the Gulf of Mexico just appeared a few years ago. So, for those that have the means, I would certainly move if possible.

 

[Danoff]

Lots of people that fled NO are not going back (I wouldn't go back, but I wouldn't be there in the first place). The folks in florida are used to this kind of thing though. It'll take a lot to make them want to leave.

 

[Swift]

Lots of people that fled NO are not going back (I wouldn't go back, but I wouldn't be there in the first place). The folks in florida are used to this kind of thing though. It'll take a lot to make them want to leave.

This isn't hitting Florida is it? I mean, not as a category 4 anyway.

 

[Zardoz]

This isn't hitting Florida is it? I mean, not as a category 4 anyway.

Nope. This time Texas is in the crosshairs:

http://www.weather.com/maps/news/atlstorm18/projectedpath_large.html

 

[TwinTurboJay]

I am a little worried about this myself...My parents recently retired early and are attending a missionary / humanitarian aid school....christian based faith. Anywayz, their school was called to go to New Orleans and skilled volunteers, so they are currently there helping with the cleanup and rebuilding efforts...now with this new RIT A on the way...I hope it is subdued and does not keep up its level 3....there is a chance it head right back to NewOrleans.. A little but worried for my parents.

 

[Danoff]

This isn't hitting Florida is it? I mean, not as a category 4 anyway.

I was talking about Gulf States in general and when they will say "enough" and just up and leave.

 

[Swift]

I am a little worried about this myself...My parents recently retired early and are attending a missionary / humanitarian aid school....christian based faith. Anywayz, their school was called to go to New Orleans and skilled volunteers, so they are currently there helping with the cleanup and rebuilding efforts...now with this new RIT A on the way...I hope it is subdued and does not keep up its level 3....there is a chance it head right back to NewOrleans.. A little but worried for my parents.

I'll be praying for them bud. As will my whole church. I respect your parents for going down there to help.

 

[barryl85]

Im so glad i stay in Scotland! - we might have bad weather alot throughout the year but we hardly see any extreme conditions such as a massive Hurricane like Katrina!

If that was the situation i was involved in, i would definately make the desicion to move elsewhere for the safety of my family!

 

[TwinTurboJay]

I'll be praying for them bud. As will my whole church. I respect your parents for going down there to help.

Thanks, mucho appreciated! 👍

 

[Swift]

Thanks, mucho appreciated! 👍

That's what family in Christ is supposed to do. Is it not? 👍

 

[benzoboy]

Wow, this reminds me of the time on the news (A couple o' years back) when they said there was a comet going to hit the earth in about 10 years, everybody in my neighbourhood was freaking out, turned out later it was fake, B:censored: news people

 

[Arwin]

I was talking about Gulf States in general and when they will say "enough" and just up and leave.

I think it'll be quite a while yet. It's not like this is new. There are just more people there now than the last time there was an intense period of hurricanes (remember this is cyclical as your article said).

Maybe, at one point, they *might* consider building brick houses. If they can afford them.

 

[Swift]

I think it'll be quite a while yet. It's not like this is new. There are just more people there now than the last time there was an intense period of hurricanes (remember this is cyclical as your article said).

Maybe, at one point, they *might* consider building brick houses. If they can afford them.

That's what I DON'T get. In Florida all the new buildings are built to withstand a hurricane. Obviously not a level 5 but the "average" hurricane that hits the state. So why haven't other states followed this example? I know that people in NO were either Rich or Poor with no real middle class. But isn't there something that could've been done to a city that KNEW they were going to be hit by hurricanes?

 

[Zardoz]

...In Florida all the new buildings are built to withstand a hurricane. Obviously not a level 5 but the "average" hurricane that hits the state. So why haven't other states followed this example?...But isn't there something that could've been done to a city that KNEW they were going to be hit by hurricanes?

Sure, but only up to a point. Storms that completely wreck tough high-rise commercial buildings and industrial structures, and bring on storm surges that raise the sea level by twenty feet, can not be withstood by any sort of practical construction.

Every structure that might be hit with 140 MPH winds and be inundated by the sea at the same time would have to be a reinforced concrete bunker-style thing that could be completely sealed from water intrusion!

That's the problem, isn't it? There is no practical way to build for a Category 4 or 5 hurricane and the flooding it brings.

That's why I'm saying that if this sort of thing becomes an annual event, people will just have to give up living along the Gulf Coast. We could get to a point where the insurance industry just abandons the whole area and declares any structure located within 20 miles of the coast to be uninsurable.

 

[Swift]

Sure, but only up to a point. Storms that completely wreck tough high-rise commercial buildings and industrial structures, and bring on storm surges that raise the sea level by twenty feet, can not be withstood by any sort of practical construction.

Every structure that might be hit with 140 MPH winds and be inundated by the sea at the same time would have to be a reinforced concrete bunker-style thing that could be completely sealed from water intrusion!

That's the problem, isn't it? There is no practical way to build for a Category 4 or 5 hurricane and the flooding it brings.

That's why I'm saying that if this sort of thing becomes an annual event, people will just have to give up living along the Gulf Coast. We could get to a point where the insurance industry just abandons the whole area and declares any structure located within 20 miles of the coast to be uninsurable.

That's what I said. Average. I know that almost any man-made building will not stand up to 150+ mph winds. But I know that a whole lot of wooden shacks aren't going to handle 50 mph winds.

I understand what you're saying though. Preparing for a level 5 hurricane is like preparing for an 8.0 earthquake. It's not going to happen. But you can prepare for a "moderate" environmental event.

 

[Young_Warrior]

Does global warming still not exist even though there has been an extremley sharp influx of hurricanes in the last couple years?

 

[Danoff]

Does global warming still not exist even though there has been an extremley sharp influx of hurricanes in the last couple years?

Nobody's arguing that global warming doesn't exist. It's measurable. What people are debating is whether its a natural phenomenon or if it's caused by man... and if it's caused by man - how.

 

[Young_Warrior]

its caused by man from all the harmful gases from our cars and burning off oil and rubbish.

 

[Zardoz]

Global warming may or may not be contributing to the increased hurricane activity. Apparently the last 40 years have been what meteorologists say is a normal low-activity period, and we are now entering a high-activity period that is just as "normal", unfortunately.

We've been lulled into one of those dreaded "false sense of security" scenarios by the relatively few hurricanes we've had. As a consequence, there's been a frenzy of construction throughout the area, and a big percentage of it has been along the beautiful coastline, of course.

They're saying this high-activity cycle could last for decades, believe it or not. If that really turns out to be the case, we'll see a virtual de-population of the area as people are forced out.

 

[FoolKiller]

Edited for irresponsible posting.

FK

 

[Zardoz]

Prove it, scientifically.

This means, show me how global warming has increased more than its normal rate as we burn more and more fossil fuels. Just saying we burn fossil fuels and the temperature is going up is not even an accurate coincidence, much less a good correlation.

Big thread on this already:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=64596

 

[FoolKiller]

Big thread on this already:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=64596

Yeah, I know. I just got fired up when he brought that up.

My bad.

 

[Young_Warrior]

Well Im just saying that I would rather take precautions that sit around and do nothing foolkiller.

 

[Zardoz]

From the Accuweather hurricane center page:

As of 2:00 PM EDT Wednesday, Rita is packing sustained winds of 150 mph with gusts to 165 mph; this is the 2005 season's fifth major hurricane. As of 2:00 PM EDT Rita was centered near 24.3 north and 86.2 west, or 745 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas The minimum central pressure has fallen to 920 millibars (27.17 inches of mercury). Rita was moving to the west at 14 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles and tropical storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles from the center of circulation. Given that Rita is on the verge of becoming a Category 5 hurricane the wind field will probably expand further later today.

Rita will continue to track westward through the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Wednesday afternoon and night with further strengthening expected as it crosses the same warm waters that helped Katrina strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane. So, it should be no surprise that hurricane hunter aircraft are reporting flight level winds and a surface pressure meeting the criteria for a Category 5. So, we feel that Rita should be upgraded to a Category 5 hurricane by late this afternoon.

Rita will generally track to the west as an upper-level high pressure ridge over Texas expands eastward across the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The track that Rita takes will depend on how this high moves, weakens and strengthens. We currently expect this upper ridge of high pressure to remain strong and steer Rita on a general westerly course across the southeastern Gulf of Mexico through Wednesday night into Thursday. Then we expect the high to either split or move eastward causing Rita to move west-northwest early Friday then more northwestward Friday night and Saturday.

We are estimating landfall between Galveston and Corpus Christi sometime between 6 p.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. Saturday. Ocean water analysis shows some cooler water in place about 300 miles off the Texas coast, then warmer water again right near the Texas coast in our primary projected landfall area, so the intensity forecast at landfall will be a real challenge

After Rita makes landfall, it will head northwest between Austin and Houston then track between Dallas and Tyler Sunday. We expect hurricane force winds to spread over a large area of eastern Texas after landfall. In fact high rise buildings in the Houston area could experience wind gusts to near 100 mph. This could cause some windows to shatter. In addition to possible damaging hurricane force winds tornadoes might be spawned by the cyclonic rotation from Rita mainly east and northeast of the center of circulation.


Good Lord. And remember, "hurricane season" doesn't officially end until November 30...

 

[ExigeEvan]

Why don't they just make NO into an American Venice if this is going to keep happening. The tourism should pat well and imagine the lack of pollution with fewer cars

Hope you guys are okay when this one hits.

 

[Swift]

Why don't they just make NO into an American Venice if this is going to keep happening. The tourism should pat well and imagine the lack of pollution with fewer cars

Hope you guys are okay when this one hits.

Thanks, but that water is so nasty.