Tracking Rita
1:53 p.m. EDT: In a New Orleans press conference, Dan Hitchings of the Army Corps of Engineers says the "significant overflow" of canal water is limited to the Ninth Ward. Hitchings says he has been in contact with the levee board, which will soon be able to turn on its pumps. Hitchings does not expect problems with other levees.
1:27 p.m. EDT: Rick Karp, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute, tells U.S. News that all 21 oil refineries in the Gulf have shut down or are in the process of shutting down. Pipelines have also been closed since yesterday, including the Explorer, Longhorn, and Texas Eastern Products pipelines, which deliver refined and crude petroleum products to cities that include Dallas, St. Louis, and Chicago. Capline, which moves crude oil to refineries in the Midwest, is now operating at 75 percent capacity. Colonial and Plantation pipelines, both of which were affected by Katrina, are still operating. Colonial serves the Washington, D.C., area, while New York City is among the communities served by Plantation. That Hurricane Rita appears to be moving away from Houston is encouraging news for the energy industry. Houston is home to the world's second-largest petrochemical complex. But oil production could still be affected by a hit on Port Arthur, Texas–home to four oil refineries–now in Rita's path.
By 1 p.m. EDT: In Texas, officials in Austin are dispatching trucks to stranded motorists, particularly those on U.S. Route 59, where tensions have been running high after local gas stations sold out and fuel trucks failed to arrive. Meanwhile, Jack Colley, Texas's emergency management coordinator, predicts Rita will affect 5.2 million Texas residents and destroy up to 5,700 homes. The hurricane could result in more than $8 billion in damage. Port Arthur, home to about 60,000 people, is the city most likely to be in the storm's cross hairs.
Before 1 p.m. EDT: President Bush stops at Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C., to thank employees for their work on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita before flying to San Antonio, where he plans to visit the FEMA staging base at Fort Sam Houston. After questions from reporters, Bush insists that his visit, with accompanying entourage, will not distract the FEMA effort on the ground.
12:45 p.m. EDT: Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas announces that a refuge of last resort will be open to residents. But "please don't plan to stay there," she says, as the shelter will not be staffed with emergency personnel or supplies.
12:20 p.m. EDT: While fuel trucks are surveying the major evacuation routes of Interstates 45 and 10, the Houston Chronicle reports that travelers who took official recommendations to use U.S. Route 59 have been left stranded. Local gas stations are depleted, and tension is mounting.
12:19 p.m. EDT: Tornado warnings in effect for much of Louisiana.
12:15 p.m. EDT: The Austin American-Statesman reports that more than 9,000 evacuees have packed into shelters in Austin. Many have been placed in 25 area schools, with still more schools expected to open their doors as evacuees continue to flow in. The city expects at least 15,000. Rita has caused events to be canceled or re-scheduled across central Texas.
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