Tracking Rita
8:00 p.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center releases Hurricane Rita update. Outer rain bands have spread across southern Louisiana as the center of Hurricane Rita is now 35 miles east-southeast of Galveston. Rita is moving west-northwest at a speed of 10 mph with sustained winds of 145 mph.
5:00 p.m. EDT: The National Weather Service reports that Rita is swerving eastward, perhaps sparing the Houston and Galveston areas a direct hit. Though still unpredictable, the storm is likely to strike southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana, which could mean more trouble for New Orleans. The storm is now swirling 405 miles off the coast.
5:00 p.m. EDT: National Weather Service upgrades the tropical storm watch for the New Orleans area to a tropical storm warning. Despite the bad news, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says he's heartened by the fact that the city has succeeded in evacuating most of its inhabitants and that the 82nd Airborne will hunker down in New Orleans as it continues its mission to assist in delivering aid and law enforcement to the New Orleans area. About 2,000 National Guard troops will also ride out the storm in New Orleans and assist in the aftermath. "We should be in pretty good shape," says Nagin.
4:50 p.m. EDT: In an interview with CNN, Houston Mayor White calls the conversion of southbound lanes on major evacuation routes "unacceptably late." White says traffic is now flowing and congestion is being monitored by helicopter.
4:20 p.m. EDT: In a press conference, Houston Mayor Bill White assures consumers that once the storm has passed, Houston's oil refineries "can deliver a lot of fuel very quickly." Houston area officials also say the forecast has improved slightly for Houston after Hurricane Rita was downgraded to a Category 4.
Also by 4:20 p.m. EDT: The Houston Chronicle reports that the city's Greyhound bus station stopped selling tickets out of town by noon today. A spokesman says Greyhound employees are pleading with would-be travelers to find other ways out of the city, as their buses cannot carry any more passengers. In New Orleans, meanwhile, dark clouds heavy with rain continue to move in, bringing wind and rain. As the storm bears down, construction crews are toiling to reinforce the damaged levee system.
3:55 p.m. EDT: Tom Harvey, spokesman for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, reports that state parks are filling up with Rita evacuees, who can stay at the parks without charge until the storm passes. At Lake Livingston State Park, normally about two hours straight north of Houston, evacuees are reporting treks from Houston that took as long as 24 hours. About half of the camp's 171 sites are now occupied by people fleeing the hurricane. Further west, at Lake Somerville State Park, 40 sites are full of evacuees. Other state parks are bracing for a crush of people unable to find hotels or other shelter.
3:35 p.m. EDT: At a New Orleans press conference, Vice Adm. Thad Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard says the National Guard has identified 6,000 troops for service in the area impacted by Rita. An additional 15,000 are still needed. Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, the commander of the joint task force for Katrina, says the Navy has five vessels floating off the coast of Florida. They are tracking Hurricane Rita as it moves toward the Gulf Coast and will be positioned to assist the area with medical capability and 800 Marines as soon as the storm has passed.
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