HURRICANE SEASON 2005 CONTINUES...

RITA

RITA THREATENS FLORIDA AND EVENTUALLY THE GULF

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2005

RITA NEARS HURRICANE STRENGTH

I BELIEVE RITA WILL BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR HURRICANE
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO....
 

UNDER THE GUN - HOUSTON TO NEW ORLEANS

4 p.m. TROPICAL STORM RITA - 70 MPH WINDS - ALMOST A HURRICANE
 

Tropical Storm Rita - NASA Image

 

New Orleans Residents Return - NOW BEING TOLD TO
LEAVE BY THE MAYOR - AFTER BEING TOLD TO
RETURN

Florida Keys Evacuate - RITA



Homestead, Florida - Tropical Storm RITA


8 p.m.

BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM RITA INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER   8A
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 PM EDT MON SEP 19 2005
 
...RITA WOBBLES A LITTLE WESTWARD...EXPECTED TO REACH HURRICANE
STRENGTH LATER TONIGHT...
 

RITA EXPLODING THIS EVENING OVER THE WARM WATERS NORTH OF CUBA

 

RITA HITTING THE BAHAMAS - MONDAY

CLOUD TOPS NOW MINUS -82 DEGREES - THIS IS NOW A HURRICANE

Illinois Severe Thunderstorms - Evening.  St Louis has been hit by severe thunderstorms with high winds.  Heavy rainfall over many areas.



 

Oil is up almost five dollars today...Rita is doing her job.  Gas will likely go above $3.00 soon and could go even higher than what happened after Katrina.


RITA AT 10 p.m. Central Time - Key West Radar

11 p.m.

Rita is nearing hurricane strength.  Rita should be a hurricane by 2 a.m. this morning.  Winds will likely increase to near 100 miles per hour as she passes through the Keys.  Rita could cause a lot of damage to the Key West area.  The islands are also under the threat for high winds and flooding.  Rita will then move into the Gulf of Mexico and likely strengthen.

It appears that the eventual track will take Rita towards Texas.  They may have to open shelters here in Western Kentucky to hold some of the people being evacuated.

Ambulances leave the lower Keys in anticipation of tropical
storm Rita along the Florida Turnpike in Miami-Dade
County, September 19, 2005.

 

AND WE HAVE A WINNER...NOT

Telling everyone to come back...no wait don't come back
Real smart cookie that Mayor of New Orleans is - NOT

CARS TURNED AWAY FROM NEW ORLEANS TONIGHT

Cars waiting at a checkpoint to enter New Orleans are turned
away by police after waiting over an hour. New Orleans
Mayor C. Ray Nagin announced that a planned re-entry into
New Orleans has been suspended due to the new tropical
storm Rita which is possibly headed towards the
Gulf Coast(AFP/Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2005

YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THE EYE - RITA IS LIKELY A HURRICANE THIS MORNING
NHC WILL UPDATE SOON
 

SEPTEMBER 20th - Morning Satellite - Rita Approaches Key West



RADAR OF RITA APPROACHING KEY WEST

MORNING VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGE - RITA NEARS HURRICANE STRENGTH

WE NOW HAVE HURRICANE RITA

ZCZC MIATCUAT3 ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
HURRICANE RITA TROPICAL CYCLONE UPDATE
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
915 AM EDT TUE SEP 20 2005

DOPPLER RADAR DATA...SATELLITE PRESENTATION AND PRESSURE FALLS FROM
THE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT INDICATE THAT RITA HAS REACHED CATEGORY
ONE HURRICANE STRENGTH ON THE SAFFIR/SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE.  THIS
WILL BE REFLECTED ON THE 11 AM...1500Z ADVISORY.  

FORECASTER AVILA

 
$$
NNNN

HURRICANE RITA FORMS NEAR THE FLORIDA KEYS - 8:15 Central Time

-----------------

KATRINA TO BE THE COSTLIEST DISASTER RESPONSE IN THE HISTORY OF THE RED CROSS

Red Cross - 2 BILLION Dollar Response - KATRINA

The following message is from Marty Evans, President and CEO

I want to express just how proud I have been to witness the unsurpassed mobilization of all segments of the American Red Cross in response to the historic needs cased by Hurricane Katrina. Nearly three weeks ago I said this operation would test our capacity as an organization, but at the time none of us could have envisioned the sheer scale of this catastrophe. The fact that in such a short period we could have already directed more than $521 million of Red Cross aid to those who need so much-including providing more than 2.2 million overnight stays in 902 shelters, emergency financial assistance to more than 358,000 families, and nearly 12 million meals-would have seemed inconceivable just a month ago. Hurricane Katrina has forced us to redefine almost every aspect of our disaster relief program, yet we have managed to rise to the challenge. This has only been possible by a total team effort.

I wish I could state that we have turned the corner, but we all know that the reality of the situation we face will demand more from each of us in the months to come. We now believe we can outline in general terms the program of relief for the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Overall, we expect to spend more than $2 billion in our response to this epic disaster, a sum that is at least 20 times greater than the relief provided for all hurricanes in 2004.

We expect to meet the emergency needs of nearly one million people in three key areas:


The Red Cross will spend an estimated $744 million in food and shelter operations, including hot meals, snacks, drinks, cots, blankets, and supplies;
We are planning to give more than $1.4 billion in direct emergency financial assistance to individuals and families; and
We plan to provide $78.4 million in disaster-related physical and mental heath services, including replacing prescription medications, using our network of nurses and trained mental health counselors.
To pay for this unprecedented level of assistance, we will continue to appeal to the generosity of the American public and press our strategy of expanding partnerships with existing corporate and individual supporters. We are confident the public will rally to our cause as they always have, but we do not take their support for granted. Because the immensity of this effort dwarfs any previous response, we must continue to take proactive steps to continually make the case for support from each community.

One way to maintain public support is by demonstrating that we deserve the public's trust. We must show that we are managing the relief operations efficiently and well, and we must exhibit transparency and efficiency in our use of their contributions. Therefore, we are augmenting our rigorous internal controls with increased procedures and guidance to ensure and demonstrate proper stewardship. We are also investigating every allegation of fraud committed against the Red Cross and working closely with the Justice Department and the FBI. Financial information resulting from this effort will be made available to the public. We will soon be sharing details of our spending plans with the public, and will provide field units with materials to do the same.

Hurricane Katrina will continue to be the focal point of our organization for weeks and months. We have suspended non-mission critical projects at national headquarters so that corporate and Biomedical Services staff can play key roles in the operation. We are working with the Service Areas to assess the short and long-term impact of this operation on chapters.

While our primary goal is to support the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, we must also respond to the possibility of more hurricanes, family fires, teach our lifesaving courses, and collect and process a good portion of the nation's blood. The times ahead will test the endurance, fortitude, and flexibility of each one of us. We must take comfort in our history, and in our shared commitment as Red Crossers, both of which point to our eventual success in meeting the unprecedented needs we face today.



Date/Time Last Modified
9/19/05 2:52:34 PM

Command Center is up and running this morning :)  Lots of hurricane
information passing through here.

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