Houston Evacuation - Hurricane Rita
Houston Evacuation - Hurricane Rita
Author
Discussion

venom

Original Poster:

1,864 posts

289 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Just received a communication from a mate who lives in Houston - apparently traffic jams are stretching back 50 miles as people try to get out ahead of the hurricane hitting land and 3 hour tailbacks to the airport (he can normally get there in 40 minutes max!)

His plan for the next few days - get out and visit Elvis in Graceland!

Hope anyone who has got friends out there hears from them in good time and everyone makes it out safe and well.

ErnestM

11,621 posts

297 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
The latest track has shifted slightly North so it looks like a direct track to Galveston and then Houston. Still a Cat 5. Winds at 175mph and it if it follows this track will be a hurricane over land for a longer period.

Good luck to Texas. Hopefully the Galveston sea wall will deflect some of the storm surge...

ErnestM

timmy30

9,325 posts

257 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Hmmmm Galveston was almost totally wiped out by a hurricane and storm surge in 1900, here we are in 2005, 105 years later and a similar size and strength storm is heading straight for it, it'll be interesting to see how modern buildings/ infrastructure stand up to it.

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Does Galveston house a lot of oil fields/refineries?

timmy30

9,325 posts

257 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Plotloss said:
Does Galveston house a lot of oil fields/refineries?



Well there's a concetration of refining capacity in the whole Gulf of Mexico area, I don't know much about the actual refinery locations in the US, but most oil majors have hubs in Houston and the storm is a couple of hundred miles wide, so I would guess that refining capacity will be affected. Fun this isn't it.

billb

3,198 posts

295 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
allah seems to be winning at the mo!

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Not to belittle the plight of the poor texans caught in the middle of it but I can see this oil problem causing real global issues...

JagLover

46,778 posts

265 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Weren’t allot of the refugees from New Orleans taken to Houston?

It's just not their year.

Vitesse39

731 posts

278 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all

My mother-in-law is called Rita

ErnestM

11,621 posts

297 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Galveston has a nationally famous sea wall capable of handling a 17 foot storm surge. (It will help a little compared to NO and Biloxi, MS).


The area on the east Texas seaboard houses 26% of US refining capacity. However, that capacity is spread out and not centred at one point. Experts in the industry are expecting a short spike and then a return to $2.50 per gallon prices within 30 days.

Also, there has been a bit of a flap concerning oil company's pricing in the last 30 days or so (both Congress and the United States Federal Trade Commission have launched investigations into profiteering). I think you will see that some of the companies, in a PR move, will dip into their profit margins to keep the price down.

ErnestM

lockstock2sb

2,855 posts

273 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
They've had some back luck recently with the weather haven't they !

If that was me having to deal with 50 mile tailbacks out of the state i would probably get myself a chopper or motorcross bike and travel light...get the hell out of there...

MilnerR

8,273 posts

288 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
You're right lockstock. Take a credit card a change of clothes and a motorbike and get the f*** out of dodge! Nail your house up to stop the wind getting in and blowing it apart and paint a big sign saying you're sat inside with an M16 on your lap!

Good luck, hope this one is handled better than the last one.

Donut

4,521 posts

281 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
JagLover said:
Weren’t allot of the refugees from New Orleans taken to Houston?

It's just not their year.


I said that this morning to a mate!

I feel for them!!

staceyb

7,107 posts

254 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Donut said:

JagLover said:
Weren’t allot of the refugees from New Orleans taken to Houston?

It's just not their year.



I said that this morning to a mate!

I feel for them!!


Apparently they've all been moved to arkansas (if thats how its spelt) I really feel for them. Its really not looking good. Good Luck to anyone whos out there. Best Wishes

JonRB

80,062 posts

302 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
I notice that Bush has made a big thing about how they've learned from their mistakes and how they'll be a lot better organised in evacuations / support / relief this time.

Wouldn't have anything to do with him being a Texan and growing up in Houston, would it?

mechsympathy

58,701 posts

285 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
JonRB said:
Wouldn't have anything to do with him being a Texan and growing up in Houston, would it?


I think that's a conspiracy theory too far. It's probably more a case of trying not to make such a monumental fk up this time.

beano500

20,854 posts

305 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all


www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Is the link to the National Hurricane Centre (sorry, Center) from where you can get links to teh satelite images like:

Plotloss

67,280 posts

300 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
That picture makes that hurricane look the same size as florida.

Is that right?

ErnestM

11,621 posts

297 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
That's right Matt...

A bit like Jeanne and Francis last year as far as size but more powerful...

ErnestM

cotty

42,244 posts

314 months

Thursday 22nd September 2005
quotequote all
Seeing those pictures reminds me of the film Day After Tommorrow.
They really are getting hit with some bad weather