| Houston Joins Evacuation as Rita Strengthens |
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Hurricane Rita is heading for what could be a direct hit on the Texas Gulf Coast in three days, and has already strengthened to a category 5 storm, the most powerful and potentially devastating in life and property,
More than a million people were today joining a mass exodus from Houston and southern Texas as Hurricane Rita intensified into one of the most powerful storms on record.
Mayor Bill White and County Judge Robert Eckels said today that some mandatory evacuations would begin at 6 p.m. They encouraged residents to leave voluntarily if possible before the evacuations become mandatory, and it was clear that thousands of residents were heeding the advice.
Although evacuees departing during rush hour this morning reported arriving in Dallas in the usual five hours, by 1:30 p.m., it was taking at least two hours just to get from Galveston to Houston on I-45, AAA reported.
Oil prices rose by more than $1 to $67.35 per barrel yesterday, as oil and gas companies evacuated thousands of workers from platforms in Rita’s path. Energy analysts, meanwhile, voiced concern that Rita would bring a round of devastating disruptions to the US oil supply, only weeks after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the energy infrastructure off the Louisiana coast.
The Energy Information Administration said yesterday that Rita threatens as many as 18 of 26 oil refineries in Texas. Those 18 refineries churn out 4 million barrels per day, representing 23 percent of the nation’s total refining capacity.
’’A Category 5 means catastrophic damage," said a National Hurricane Center meteorologist, Jennifer Pralgo. With sustained winds and the possibility of a storm surge of 25 to 30 feet, she said, ’’it is going to mean power lines down, trees down, mobile homes and poorly built dwellings will be destroyed, roofs ripped off better-built homes, and windows shattered."
Ed Rappaport, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, said the calls are used to "ask for clarification, or perhaps alternate scenarios or interpretations. We speak the some of the same language but want to make sure everybody’s on the same page."
It was clear that the Bush administration wanted to act quickly to get supplies and reinforcements into the region. The Homeland Security declaration, which releases a quick and massive federal response to national emergencies, was not triggered in Hurricane Katrina’s case until a day after that storm.
Rita is expected to strike the Texas coast by early Saturday.
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