Given that those of us living in the Houston and south Texas area are in for a wild ride over the next few days, I am passing along the hurricane information sites that I am reviewing frequently for up-to-the-minute information and analysis:
Eric Berger’s SciGuy. Eric is the Chronicle’s science writer who started his blog recently as a part of the weblog initiative that Chronicle tech writer Dwight Silverman promoted at the local newspaper. During Hurricane Katrina, Eric provided an extraordinary source of information and analysis, and he has been doing the same in the early stages of Rita.
StormTrack. A weblog that a couple of young fellows from the northeast started to provide up-to-date analysis of hurricane storm trends. Excellent resource.
Dr. Jeff Masters’ WunderBlog. Jeff Masters is the Weather Underground’s Director of Meteorology and provides first-rate analysis in his blog.
The Google Map link to the upper Texas Gulf Coast.
This site provides a good overview of hurricane information, including this pithy chart explaining the categories of hurricane strength.
And, of course, the National Hurricane Center site.
As all grizzled veterans of Hurricane Alicia in 1983 know (related Chronicle story is here), this is a serious situation for the Texas Gulf coast and it is time to prepare to batten down the hatches. If you are a relative newcomer to this area and have never been through an intense hurricane before, do not fall into the trap of thinking that the media and others are crying “wolf.” This is a deadly serious storm that has the potential to be every bit as devastating to the Texas Gulf coast as Katrina was to the Louisiana-Mississippi-Alabama Gulf coast. As destructive as Alicia was in 1983 (it’s eye came in on Galveston’s West Beach and tore through the middle of Houston on a track that essentially followed I-45), it was a minimal category 3 storm. In comparison, Rita is shaping up to be a much more powerful storm that is comparable to Hurricane Carla, which was a category 4 (winds of 133-155 mph) storm that caused incredible damage to Houston and the upper Texas Gulf coast on September 11, 1961. Carla had the same minimum barometric pressure as the great 1900 storm that killed over 6,000 people in Galveston.
I hope I have gotten your attention.
Having grown up in S. Florida, and having had my home destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, I can assure you, Tom, that this is one (transplanted) Texan taking the storm very seriously.
Still, I’m torn about whether to evacuate or not. Even a powerful Cat 4 hurricane, if the eye passes over Matagorda, will bring sustained winds of about Cat 1 strength into Houston, with higher gusts. I’m fairly hopeful, since I live in a commercial code building, that my place itself will be just fine. Still, power may well go out for a few days, which would be miserable.
To stay or go? Geez.
TP: If you stay, maybe we can figure out a way to have that glass of wine we’ve long been putting off. 🙂
Hurricane Rita: links
Liberty is moving out of his home in Galveston, expected to be one of the worst-hit parts of the US coast: “They are predicting at 10 ft Surge tides, maybe more. Bad news … My home is 9 1/2 ft above sea level.” …
Hurricane Rita: links
Liberty is moving out of his home in Galveston, expected to be one of the worst-hit parts of the US coast: “They are predicting at 10 ft Surge tides, maybe more. Bad news … My home is 9 1/2 ft above sea level.” …
I am late reading the new blog entries today, as I was up until after 4AM this morning, getting hospitalized evacuees from Brazosport Hosp in Lake Jackson settled in after their transfer to our little community hospital in Temple.
I was called in to work at Hermann Hosp in the Houston Medical Center in 1983 when Alicia came through, as there were plans at that point to evacuate John Sealy Hosp in Galveston. Thankfully, that evacuation did not have to be done.
I have heard some rumors of possible evacuations of Houston area hospitals. Wow. Where would all those patients go?!?
I agree with Big T. This storm sounds like it’s going to be the real deal…..
jrb
READY FOR RITA
Via Houstonblogger Jason Smith (bookmark him), the pictures say it all: Houston… New Orleans… Liberty’s Blog in Galveston: Our local government has been planning for this for many years. Preparation isn’t going to save much property, but it is goin…
READY FOR RITA
Via Houstonblogger Jason Smith (bookmark him), the pictures say it all: Houston… New Orleans… Liberty’s Blog in Galveston: Our local government has been planning for this for many years. Preparation isn’t going to save much property, but it is goin…
Prepping
Just finished moving all of our outside stuff into the garage. There really ought to be a law against 95…
Links and Minifeatures 09 21 Wednesday
Carnival of Vanities is up at the skwib. Recommended: Free Money Finance,
Links and Minifeatures 09 21 Wednesday
Carnival of Vanities is up at the skwib. Recommended: Free Money Finance,
TP, what are you thinking? I was up in Boca during Andrew and we were staring straight down the throat of Andrew up until 24 hours before it hit. Yes, I was getting ready to hit the road when my neighbor (who worked at the hurricane center) told me it’d head south and we would be ok. I believed him, but even he said he’d recommend bugging out the next time. They’re good at getting the storm track right, but they’re not perfect.
You couldn’t pay me enough to get me to ride out even a catagory 3 anymore. And if it’s a 4 and there’s a chance it’s coming anywhere near me, I’m pulling a Monty Python: “Run away!”
Be safe. I’m praying for you all. Psalm 23 always brings me comfort in times of great need. Just know the rest of the country waits with you and will be there to help should you need it.