Tracking Rita
3:35 p.m. EDT: President Bush scraps his highly publicized visit to the FEMA staging grounds in San Antonio after ultimately deciding his presence would be a distraction to the relief effort. The move is a surprising reversal from an emphatic decision he made earlier in the day, when Bush insisted to dubious reporters that his visit should and would proceed. "We will make sure that my entourage will not get in the way. Rest assured, we must not, and will not, interfere," Bush said. The president is now scheduled to fly straight to Northern Command in Colorado, departing at 4:15 p.m. EDT.
3:10 p.m. EDT: In an interview with CNN, the mayor of Port Arthur, Oscar Ortiz, says the city is 95 percent empty, with the poor, sick, and elderly evacuated via Air Force C-130s, Greyhound buses, and city buses.
3:05 p.m. EDT: The Houston Chronicle reports that officials in Port Arthur, Texas, are racing to evacuate hospitals and nursing homes as the storm bears down. By noon, about 1,200 patients had been moved to San Antonio, El Paso, Texas, and Charlotte, N.C., via Air Force planes. The report says dozens of other patients waited on stretchers in the lobby of Southeast Texas Regional Airport.
3:00 p.m. EDT: Federal officials declare a public health emergency for the states of Texas and Louisiana as Rita edges closer. The announcement by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt facilitates aid to hurricane victims who need Medicaid or other assistance.
2:45 p.m. EDT: The Wall Street Journal reports that "oil prices have fallen well below $65 a barrel."
2:44 p.m. EDT: Acting FEMA Director David Paulison repeats the laundry lists of supplies and relief workers that are pre-positioned around the path of Hurricane Rita. Among them are 17 urban search-and-rescue teams, up from nine just a few days ago. Paulison advises evacuees to "stay in place until authorities tell you it's safe to return home." At this point, Paulison says, "the federal government has done all it's possible to do" until the storm passes.
2:29 p.m. EDT: The Associated Press reports that police in Houston had by Thursday night already arrested three juveniles for looting a middle school. Spokesman Terry Abbott says, "They did this because they thought no one would be paying attention. We are amazed it was happening even before the storm." While there have been no other examples of looting, Houston police say they're stepping up patrols around locales that might "be attractive to the criminal element."
2:20 p.m. EDT: Harris County Judge Robert Eckels tells the Houston Chronicle that relief workers will emerge from the Astrodome as soon as hurricane winds subside. The Astrodome is stocked with 50 supply trucks, as well as Coast Guard teams and utility crews. With gas supplies already short, Eckels tells the Chronicle that getting power to gas pumps will be a "big challenge" after the storm.
1:55 p.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center announces that Rita has weakened to a Category 3 storm, with 125-mph sustained winds. Cooler waters and a strong wind shear as Rita nears the coast are helping to temper the storm. The good news buoyed spirits on Wall Street, sending stocks up and oil prices down.
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