Hurricane Rita - Texas Posters

Wow. And nursing homes are usually short on staff anyway aren't they?

Yes, Rita, they usually are...some facilities down there are sending some staff too to help, but we'll have to house the staff as well. It just keeps getting crazier!

Best wishes to all in Texas - godspeed & good luck...

Same here; may all of you in Texas ride this storm out safely.

I'm sick to death of hurricanes.

I thought the blue bolded portion below was interesting and I had not heard this before (from the Weather Channel Online):

10:51 p.m. ET 9/21/2005
Tim Ballisty, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel


Hurricane Rita's rapid intensification cycle that began Tuesday afternoon continues. Top winds are up to 175 mph, now a category 5 hurricane. Rita's pressure has dramatically dropped to 897 millibars! Even as a large and extremely intense category 5 hurricane, further strengthening is possible as the atmosphere remains favorable for development over the next 24 hours.


Rita is forecast to continue on a westward track through the Gulf of Mexico over the next 24 hours. A gradual turn toward the northwest is anticipated Thursday night and Friday. If there is any good news at this point, it is the fact that it is very difficult for a hurricane to maintain category 5 status for an lengthy period of time. Near-perfect to perfect atmospheric conditions are necessary for a category 5 hurricane to exist and these "perfect" conditions are first - difficult to come by and second - do not remain in place for a long period of time. So although Rita is currently a category 5 hurricane, fluctuations in intensity is likely. [edit: now back to the bad news] That being said, it is almost a certainty that Rita will make landfall as a large, intense, major hurricane with impacts extending well away from the center. Hurricane force winds extend 70 miles away from the center and tropical storm force winds extend 175 miles from the center [wow]. Landfall is possible late Friday or early Saturday along the Texas coast. Residents and tourists in locations such as Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass, San Jose Island, Matagorda Island, Port Lavaca, Port O'Connor, Bay City, Lake Jackson, Freeport, Galveston, Texas City, Houston, and Port Author should ALL prepare for a very dangerous landfalling major hurricane.

Just talked to PawPaw...it took him 3 1/2 hours to get to Buffalo, TX...a little more than half way to Dallas from Houston. Said traffic is crazy.. most people are stopping in Huntsville. He said he saw three trucks carrying plywood headed NORTH!!! That's like ice trucks headed to the North Pole!!! I'll be a happy girl when he gets here!

I just heard that I-45 has become a one way highway between Houston and Buffalo. All 6 lanes are now northbound.

Also, as of last night there are no longer hotel rooms available in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Sold out!

Hugs to all of my Texas friends.

Donna in TX

PawPaw has arrived...he is bushed, but safe and sound! I think I just saw Rita is a Cat. 5!!!! Glad PawPaw ain't gonna meeta Rita!!!

I am so glad that PawPaw made it to your house safe and sound. I hope you all have a wonderful visit, even under these circumstances!!!!

Holy Hurricanes, Batman! We're filling up and stocking up. Gas, water, beer, food. beer, vodka. Can't believe it might get this far with winds..we just don't have weather like this here......except when the tornados come!

Thanks, kathy, for your well wishes..sweet.

Well it sounds like you have all the basic necessities stay safe!!!

I am so glad that PawPaw made it to your house safe and sound. I hope you all have a wonderful visit, even under these circumstances!!!!

He is doing great considering...luckily he still works and has been downloading jobs to bid! He did say he had trouble sleeping last night...I told him not to worry...sueshore's pharmacy is open for business for all evacuees!!! Thanks to all for your good thoughts and prayers. Now, I have my son coming in town tonight from college and told him he may have trouble getting back on Sunday... the draw of Molly (the puppy) is too strong for him to stay put!!! My daughter is/was supposed to go to Austin for Austin City Limits...huge outdoor concert...we are fairly certain that will and should get canceled. She got stuck in Atlanta during Dennis!!!

Calm down Rita!!

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts, guys! It's so strange to be on this end of things. We are usually the ones praying for YOU. We are located right smack in the middle of the predicted path. Local hotels are packed and the roads are jammed. We are expecting 70mph winds, even this far in-land.

We have friends that are still stuck in Houston and a friend of mine is a flight attendant and they are sending her to Houston on the red eye tomorrow!!! The airport will close at noon tomorrow. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who are in Rita's path.

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts, guys! It's so strange to be on this end of things. We are usually the ones praying for YOU. We are located right smack in the middle of the predicted path. Local hotels are packed and the roads are jammed. We are expecting 70mph winds, even this far in-land.

Hold on tight! Now you'll know what the winds in the Hill Country are like in rather normal situations. Yuck! Prayin' for all in the path.

Thanks for the prayers and thoughts, guys! It's so strange to be on this end of things. We are usually the ones praying for YOU. We are located right smack in the middle of the predicted path. Local hotels are packed and the roads are jammed. We are expecting 70mph winds, even this far in-land.

BD...it is amazing watching Rita and the changes in direction, speed and intensity. Remember yesterday it was coming right over Dallas and then a little shift east and you get it! I have a weird feeling of "calm" before the storm right now. Talked to my sister who lives in Spring, north of Houston, she and her family are staying as of right now. They have a hotel room in College Station for Sunday on. That's a little concerning, but they seem to be prepared at home. We have had a run on gas today...many stations around here were either out or had long lines. Keep in touch Texas!

I agree OL...he has always been the smartest man I know!!! Thank goodness he came when he did!

BD.. sending prayers your way...looks like rain has already started for you and may not let up for a while. Hopefully, you will not lose power and can keep us posted. God Bless the Piney Woods and BD!

Hurricane Rita

Thanks for the photo SJ.

Beach Dreamer - Where are you at in the Piney Woods? Did you stay? Sounds like there could be serious damage from rains. Stay safe!

All in Rita's harms way in Tx and La please stay safe and our thoughts are with you all. Poor NOLA got the east side of this one and parts are flooded again. Hope most of the people stayed away and since alot were evacuated the damage should only be to the homes if they were not already damaged before.

God speed to all.

Good news for PawPaw...he has power and phone. My sister in Spring, TX (north of Houston near Woodlands and Conroe) also has power, although many neighborhoods around do not. They will drive down to PawPaw's to make sure there are no pine trees on his house.

I am concerned about our friend, BD, as she is getting what looks like Noah's Flood like rains. The area is covered with tons of tall pine and other trees. We are thinking of you, BD!

Here in Dallas we have just missed the action. We are overcast and have had some mini winds around 20 mph. No rain so far.

So glad that it's not as bad as expected. We can all sleep a little easier tonight.

BD.. sending prayers your way...looks like rain has already started for you and may not let up for a while. Hopefully, you will not lose power and can keep us posted. God Bless the Piney Woods and BD!

Thank you Sueshore! We did lose power, around 10:30 yesterday morning. It's back on now. The wind and rain started a lot earlier than I had expected. Our treehouse was blown down, and a large tree in the back yard was blown over (on top of my husband's old truck that he was restoring) but otherwise we are just fine.

Thank you Sueshore! We did lose power, around 10:30 yesterday morning. It's back on now. The wind and rain started a lot earlier than I had expected. Our treehouse was blown down, and a large tree in the back yard was blown over (on top of my husband's old truck that he was restoring) but otherwise we are just fine.

Oh BD! I have been waiting to hear from you! So glad everyone is safe. Bad news about the tree and truck. Bummer. How much rain did you get and how high were the winds there? PawPaw ended up just fine...hardly any rain and never lost power. Welcome back!

Beach Dreamer - Where are you at in the Piney Woods? Did you stay? Sounds like there could be serious damage from rains. Stay safe!

Hi Rita, we're right off I-20, about six miles from the Louisiana state line. We didn't stay. I looked out the front window just in time to see the porch almost blow away, and we decided we'd rather not hang around. Too many large pines around here, with shallow roots, just waiting to fall on the house. So we packed up the kids, the dog, the cat and hermit crab, and made our way east (not the best direction, but family lives there) and stayed put until it was all over. There really isn't as much flooding as the media predicted. Our road usually floods over in storms, and it was dry when we came back through today. We did need the rain, so it wasn't all bad.

Hi Rita, we're right off I-20, about six miles from the Louisiana state line. We didn't stay. I looked out the front window just in time to see the porch almost blow away, and we decided we'd rather not hang around. Too many large pines around here, with shallow roots, just waiting to fall on the house. So we packed up the kids, the dog, the cat and hermit crab, and made our way east (not the best direction, but family lives there) and stayed put until it was all over. There really isn't as much flooding as the media predicted. Our road usually floods over in storms, and it was dry when we came back through today. We did need the rain, so it wasn't all bad.

Glad you are okay, BeachDreamer. I know how scarey that can be.

Oh BD! I have been waiting to hear from you! So glad everyone is safe. Bad news about the tree and truck. Bummer. How much rain did you get and how high were the winds there? PawPaw ended up just fine...hardly any rain and never lost power. Welcome back!

Thanks for thinking of me Sue! My rain gauge stops at 5" and it was full, so I'm not sure how much rain we got yet. We had wind gusts up to 65 mph. Pretty scary with big trees all around! :shock: But no flooding here thankfully.

I'm so glad your Pawpaw came through it so well! From what I am now seeing on the news, it looks like a lot of people didn't. Did you get much rain in Dallas?