September 22, 2005
Watching Rita
The latest Rita storm track forecast is still holding for landfall somewhere northeast of Houston, targeting Beaumont and Port Arthur. That's (relatively) good for us on the west side of Houston. However, Frank Billingsly on KPRC-TV is now talking about the loop-back scenario and invoking the deadly memory of Tropical Storm Allison. Ugh - that slow, wandering storm dropped 38" of rain in some areas and caused billions of dollars of damage.
We should know more later tonight about the prospects for landfall. We'll just have to wait to see what happens after Rita hits. Post-landfall storm behavior is the most unpredictable of all.
Tens of thousands of citizens are still stuck in huge traffic jams on area highways, both major and minor. One reporter says traffic is crawling from Houston almost to San Antonio.
The sheer massive scale of the traffic problem is demonstrating the degree of difficulty public officials and ordinary citizens face when confronted with a serious evacuation. Some painful lessons are being learned the hard way. Is it too soon to predict accusations of lack of preparation? Trust me, it's coming, fully deserved or not.
Just like this accursed storm.
Posted by Alan at September 22, 2005 05:06 PM