Tracking Rita
5:45 p.m. EDT: Forecasters predict an 18-to-29-foot storm surge along the Texas and Louisiana coasts.
5:23 p.m. EDT: The Houston Chronicle reports that evacuation routes, clogged for two days by fleeing residents, were clear by this afternoon. Emergency officials urged those who remained to find shelter and stay put. "People need to be hunkered down," said Frank Gutierrez, coordinator for Harris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Evacuees should not return home until they hear official word.
5:19 p.m. EDT: The Dallas Morning News reports that the state is asking healthcare professionals to volunteer in anticipation of Hurricane Rita. According to the report, Eduardo Sanchez, commissioner of the Department of State Health Services, said volunteers should be ready to "self-sustain" for up to three days.
5 p.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center forecasts Hurricane Rita to make landfall at daybreak Saturday as a strong Category 3 storm. A tropical storm warning remains in effect for metropolitan New Orleans as the storm bears down on the Louisiana-Texas border. Rita has picked up some speed, from 9 to 12 mph, as it chugs toward Port Arthur, Texas—now only 140 miles away. Some fluctuations in intensity are possible before hitting land.
4:34 p.m. EDT: After President Bush scrapped his plan to stop by the FEMA staging grounds in San Antonio, Air Force One lifts off from Andrews Air Force Base to take him straight to Northern Command in Colorado Springs.
4:20 p.m. EDT: Appearing with Harris County Judge Bob Eckels and Houston Mayor Bill White, U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay says authorities have learned valuable lessons from Hurricane Katrina, most importantly that local authorities respond first in a time of crisis. DeLay urged victims of the storm to remember that in the aftermath of Rita. "If you're in trouble and you need help, reach out to local authorities," DeLay said. Finishing his remarks, DeLay said, "We are ready for this storm."
4 p.m. EDT: A little more than a week after officially reopening in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is crippled by flight cancellations in anticipation of Hurricane Rita. Northwest Airlines canceled all flights after 1:30 p.m. CDT today; Delta canceled all flights after 4 p.m. CDT today; Continental and Southwest airlines canceled all flights for today and tomorrow.
3:47 p.m. EDT: Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue announces his state will close all public schools Monday and Tuesday to save fuel. Many pipelines and refineries in the Gulf Coast have been shut down, restricted, or damaged by hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
3:43 p.m. EDT: At a FEMA briefing, Brig. Gen. William Grisoli of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the troubled New Orleans levee system is "disappointing for the corps but not unexpected." He says higher-than-expected waters have overtopped both the east bank of the levee and the west bank. The west bank is also experiencing seepage.
3:40 p.m. EDT: In Baton Rouge, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco warns residents that Rita remains a "very dangerous storm" despite weakening to a Category 3. Referencing the burst levee in New Orleans, Blanco says, "We've already seen what the edges of this storm can do in a few hours." Echoing Texas officials, Blanco says it's too late for lingering residents to evacuate now and that they should seek shelter from floodwaters in tall buildings. State and national troops, now dubbed "Task Force Rita," have been prepositioned at the edges of the storm track.
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.
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.
Noon EDT: The San Antonio Express-News reports that state officials will soon undergo the massive undertaking of reconverting Interstate 10 to two-way traffic. The process will take several hours. Officials argue that reconversion is necessary to facilitate recovery efforts after Rita has passed.
Noon EDT: Hobby Airport and the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston are both scheduled to close within the hour.
11:49 a.m. EDT: CNN reports that water is rising in New Orleans's Ninth Ward at a rate of 5 to 10 inches per minute.
11:45 a.m. EDT: A radio station reports a tornado on the ground near Gonzales, La.–about 60 miles northwest of New Orleans.
11:34 a.m. EDT: In late-morning trading, crude oil prices continued to drop as Hurricane Rita diminished in power and shifted eastward, lessening worries about oil production in the Gulf. Gasoline futures also decreased, dropping 6.9 cents to $2.07. The Dow Jones industrial average dipped slightly.
11:26 a.m. EDT: The Associated Press reports three breaches in New Orleans's hastily bandaged levee system Friday, sending water cascading into the city's low-lying neighborhoods. According to the report, dozens of blocks in the Ninth Ward were partly flooded by a 30-foot waterfall over the top of the Industrial Canal levee. Images from CNN show water streaming through the trash-strewn streets and swirling around deserted, mud-packed homes and automobiles.
11:20 a.m. EDT: The Houston Chronicle reports that waves are crashing into Galveston's seawall. Water has flooded the pavilion at Stewart Beach, a popular tourist destination.
11:10 a.m. EDT: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, asking folks to "say a prayer for Texas," offers assurances to citizens affected by the impending storm. Perry says shelters are being prepared in low-lying coastal areas and that residents should listen to their local officials. "We've prepared for events like this."
11 a.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center issues update: "Rita a little weaker . . . still a very dangerous hurricane." The weakening Rita is close to being reclassified as a Category 3 hurricane, with 135 mph winds. The eye is 220 miles southeast of Galveston with landfall continuing to be expected on the Texas-Louisiana border. The tropical storm warning for south of Port Aransas, Texas, near Corpus Christi, has been discontinued.
10:39 a.m. EDT: CNN reports a second levee breach in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, one of the hardest hit during Katrina. The area is largely depopulated as most residents have yet to return since Katrina.
10:23 a.m. EDT: The Dallas Morning News reports that before National Transportation Safety Board officials can arrive, local authorities are clearing the scene of a bus that exploded around 8:00 this morning. The explosion killed at least 24 elderly evacuated from a Houston-area nursing home. The bodies will remain on the vehicle as it is hauled to another location. This decision was made to avoid further gridlock as thousands of people continue to flee Houston.
10:22 a.m. EDT: CNN reports that the Industrial Canal levee in New Orleans has already been overtopped, spilling 2 feet of water into some sections of the Ninth Ward.
10:05 a.m. EDT: Houston Mayor Bill White repeats his advisory from yesterday that Houston residents should stay off the roads, where a chaotic scene of gas shortages, automobile breakdowns, and impassable gridlock continues to unfold. Faced with the mounting confusion yesterday, White suggested that those who hadn't yet evacuated should find places of refuge in Houston, which now seems to be out of the direct path of the storm. This morning, White reminded people that the storm remains dangerous and said that his advice to hunker down is not a guarantee of their safety.
9:30 a.m. EDT: The Wall Street Journal reports that "Rita has now forced 16 refineries to shut down, deepening worries about supply disruptions and further tightening stretched fuel markets. Those refineries have total capacity of 3.9 million barrels a day, or 23 percent of the U.S. total."
8:05 a.m. EDT: A bus from a Houston area nursing home explodes on traffic-choked Interstate 45, killing at least 20 of the 45 elderly persons on board. Many of them were on oxygen, contained in highly combustible tanks.
8 a.m. EDT: The National Hurricane Center update continues to characterize Rita as an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane." A hurricane warning is in effect from Port O'Connor, Texas, to Morgan City, La., where "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion."
5:36 a.m. EDT: The Houston Chronicle reports hundreds of families are stranded without gas in a Wal-Mart parking lot off Interstate 10 in Sealy, a town 35 miles west of Houston.
Midnight EDT: The San Antonio Express-News reports that the city is being inundated with Houston evacuees, with at least 4,000 appearing by nightfall. While the city prepares shelters, officials are still occupied with caring for 13,000 displaced persons from Hurricane Katrina.
More Rita coverage: Thursday, Septemeber 22