Wizdom
20-09-05, 20:44
Rita strengthens to Category 2
Keys residents told to 'hunker down'
Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Posted: 3:19 p.m. EDT (19:19 GMT)
Satellite image of Hurricane Rita taken at 10:45 a.m. ET Tuesday.
Image:
High winds, waves hit Florida (2:27)
Rita steams toward Florida Keys (2:33)
Hurricane Rita continues to grow (2:09)
• Bush eyes Rita on Gulf visit
• Storm names may go Greek
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Rita strengthened to a Category 2 storm Tuesday as it pounded the Florida Keys with heavy rain and strong wind.
A reconnaissance aircraft measured maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. Category 2 storms have winds of 96-110 mph (154-177 kph).
At 2 p.m. ET, the storm was centered 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Key West and 65 miles (105 kilometers) east-northeast of Havana, Cuba. (Watch CNN's Jacqui Jerras describe Rita's growing strength -- :59)
Rita was moving to the west at 15 mph (24 kph) , with hurricane-force winds extending out 30 miles (48 kilometers) from its center. The storm had been moving to the north-northwest.
Thousands of residents of the Florida Keys have moved to safer territory ahead of the storm, but officials said Tuesday those who remain should not try to leave now. (Watch high winds and rain pound Florida -- 2:27)
"If you've not left the Keys, stay where you are," Gov. Jeb Bush said in a briefing on the hurricane.
"Now is the time to hunker down. As we say, 'Turn around, don't drown,' " he added. (Watch Gov. Bush warn Florida residents -- 4:05)
High winds and sheets of rain lashed the Keys on Tuesday morning as squall lines from Hurricane Rita moved through.
Bush on Tuesday asked his brother, President Bush, for a federal emergency declaration for the state ahead of Rita's arrival.
Key West Mayor Jim Weekley said that about half of the city's residents left ahead of the storm, leaving about 13,000 people there.
Buses took about 250 people to Florida International University in Miami on Tuesday, the mayor said.
He said that people took this evacuation order more seriously in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, adding that only about 25 percent of the city's residents left in previous hurricanes.
In Lower Matecumbe Key, the storm surge has pushed about a foot and a half of water and debris over U.S. Hwy. 1, rendering it impassable, according to officials from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department and the Monroe County Emergency Management office.
The National Hurricane Center predicted storm surges of 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels and large and dangerous battering waves in the Florida Keys, as well as 6 to 8 inches of rain.
It said coastal storm surge flooding of 2 to 4 feet is also possible along the extreme southeastern Florida coast.
"The northern eye wall will push water and strong winds onto the Florida Keys for the next several hours," forecaster Richard Knabb said.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued Monday for the Keys, but some residents insisted on staying.
"In the Keys, a lot of people are stubborn," said Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
CNN correspondent Dan Lothian reported from Key Largo that he saw some people still putting up boards on their windows as late as Tuesday morning.
Gov. Bush said more than 1,600 residents of Monroe County, which includes the Keys, were in shelters elsewhere in Florida. All three hospitals in the county were evacuated, as well as its nursing homes.
A hurricane warning stretches from just south of Florida City in southeast Florida down to East Cape Sable, around the tip of the peninsula and then north to Chokoloskee. All of the Florida Keys are included in the warning.
At 2 p.m. ET, the hurricane center downgraded the hurricane warning that was in effect from Golden Beach to Florida City to a tropical storm warning.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect on Florida's east coast from Florida City to Jupiter Inlet and on the west coast from Chokoloskee north to Englewood.
Hurricane warnings also are in effect for three Cuban provinces, including Havana, which means hurricane conditions were expected within 24 hours.
Forecasters lifted all warnings for the Bahamas.
With Rita projected to strengthen to a Category 3 storm as it moves into the Gulf, concerns went beyond the Sunshine State.
In Galveston, Texas, a city flattened by a hurricane in 1900, officials called Tuesday for a voluntary evacuation, according to The Associated Press. (Full story)
And in New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin postponed a planned return of residents to the city and ordered those who had already returned to leave, because of the threat posed by Rita.
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco urged residents of southwestern Louisiana to be ready to evacuate on short notice. And because Rita could hit Texas, which already has taken in tens of thousands of Louisiana residents after Katrina, she urged them to go north instead of west. (Full story)
President Bush was in the Gulf Coast region on Tuesday to meet with business leaders and get an update on the relief efforts. (Watch Dana Bash's report on Bush's visit -- 2:10)
Texas National Guard troops that were assisting Louisiana in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort are headed back to Texas to prepare for Hurricane Rita, which could threaten the Texas coast by the end of the week.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry recalled his state's troops Monday, saying they must begin preparations at home. Louisiana officials said the recall affects 1,099 National Guards troops.
The latest five-day forecast from the National Hurricane Center has the storm making landfall near Galveston on late Friday or early Saturday. However, because of the erratic nature of hurricane movements, forecasters issued a "cone of probability" which showed the potential path of the storm could vary from northern Mexico to southeast Louisiana.
Hurricane Rita is the the ninth hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season.
So far this year, two hurricanes have made landfall in the United States -- Dennis in June and Katrina in August -- and another, Ophelia, brushed by the North Carolina coast last week, bringing heavy rain and high winds but causing little damage. Two tropical storms, Arlene and Cindy, also made landfall on the Gulf Coast in June.
CNN's Rob Marciano and Shelby Linn contributed to this report.
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/weather/0509/path.td.18/rita.9.20.11a.gif
Keys residents told to 'hunker down'
Tuesday, September 20, 2005; Posted: 3:19 p.m. EDT (19:19 GMT)
Satellite image of Hurricane Rita taken at 10:45 a.m. ET Tuesday.
Image:
High winds, waves hit Florida (2:27)
Rita steams toward Florida Keys (2:33)
Hurricane Rita continues to grow (2:09)
• Bush eyes Rita on Gulf visit
• Storm names may go Greek
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Rita strengthened to a Category 2 storm Tuesday as it pounded the Florida Keys with heavy rain and strong wind.
A reconnaissance aircraft measured maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. Category 2 storms have winds of 96-110 mph (154-177 kph).
At 2 p.m. ET, the storm was centered 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Key West and 65 miles (105 kilometers) east-northeast of Havana, Cuba. (Watch CNN's Jacqui Jerras describe Rita's growing strength -- :59)
Rita was moving to the west at 15 mph (24 kph) , with hurricane-force winds extending out 30 miles (48 kilometers) from its center. The storm had been moving to the north-northwest.
Thousands of residents of the Florida Keys have moved to safer territory ahead of the storm, but officials said Tuesday those who remain should not try to leave now. (Watch high winds and rain pound Florida -- 2:27)
"If you've not left the Keys, stay where you are," Gov. Jeb Bush said in a briefing on the hurricane.
"Now is the time to hunker down. As we say, 'Turn around, don't drown,' " he added. (Watch Gov. Bush warn Florida residents -- 4:05)
High winds and sheets of rain lashed the Keys on Tuesday morning as squall lines from Hurricane Rita moved through.
Bush on Tuesday asked his brother, President Bush, for a federal emergency declaration for the state ahead of Rita's arrival.
Key West Mayor Jim Weekley said that about half of the city's residents left ahead of the storm, leaving about 13,000 people there.
Buses took about 250 people to Florida International University in Miami on Tuesday, the mayor said.
He said that people took this evacuation order more seriously in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, adding that only about 25 percent of the city's residents left in previous hurricanes.
In Lower Matecumbe Key, the storm surge has pushed about a foot and a half of water and debris over U.S. Hwy. 1, rendering it impassable, according to officials from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department and the Monroe County Emergency Management office.
The National Hurricane Center predicted storm surges of 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels and large and dangerous battering waves in the Florida Keys, as well as 6 to 8 inches of rain.
It said coastal storm surge flooding of 2 to 4 feet is also possible along the extreme southeastern Florida coast.
"The northern eye wall will push water and strong winds onto the Florida Keys for the next several hours," forecaster Richard Knabb said.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued Monday for the Keys, but some residents insisted on staying.
"In the Keys, a lot of people are stubborn," said Craig Fugate, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
CNN correspondent Dan Lothian reported from Key Largo that he saw some people still putting up boards on their windows as late as Tuesday morning.
Gov. Bush said more than 1,600 residents of Monroe County, which includes the Keys, were in shelters elsewhere in Florida. All three hospitals in the county were evacuated, as well as its nursing homes.
A hurricane warning stretches from just south of Florida City in southeast Florida down to East Cape Sable, around the tip of the peninsula and then north to Chokoloskee. All of the Florida Keys are included in the warning.
At 2 p.m. ET, the hurricane center downgraded the hurricane warning that was in effect from Golden Beach to Florida City to a tropical storm warning.
Tropical storm warnings are in effect on Florida's east coast from Florida City to Jupiter Inlet and on the west coast from Chokoloskee north to Englewood.
Hurricane warnings also are in effect for three Cuban provinces, including Havana, which means hurricane conditions were expected within 24 hours.
Forecasters lifted all warnings for the Bahamas.
With Rita projected to strengthen to a Category 3 storm as it moves into the Gulf, concerns went beyond the Sunshine State.
In Galveston, Texas, a city flattened by a hurricane in 1900, officials called Tuesday for a voluntary evacuation, according to The Associated Press. (Full story)
And in New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin postponed a planned return of residents to the city and ordered those who had already returned to leave, because of the threat posed by Rita.
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco urged residents of southwestern Louisiana to be ready to evacuate on short notice. And because Rita could hit Texas, which already has taken in tens of thousands of Louisiana residents after Katrina, she urged them to go north instead of west. (Full story)
President Bush was in the Gulf Coast region on Tuesday to meet with business leaders and get an update on the relief efforts. (Watch Dana Bash's report on Bush's visit -- 2:10)
Texas National Guard troops that were assisting Louisiana in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort are headed back to Texas to prepare for Hurricane Rita, which could threaten the Texas coast by the end of the week.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry recalled his state's troops Monday, saying they must begin preparations at home. Louisiana officials said the recall affects 1,099 National Guards troops.
The latest five-day forecast from the National Hurricane Center has the storm making landfall near Galveston on late Friday or early Saturday. However, because of the erratic nature of hurricane movements, forecasters issued a "cone of probability" which showed the potential path of the storm could vary from northern Mexico to southeast Louisiana.
Hurricane Rita is the the ninth hurricane of the 2005 Atlantic season.
So far this year, two hurricanes have made landfall in the United States -- Dennis in June and Katrina in August -- and another, Ophelia, brushed by the North Carolina coast last week, bringing heavy rain and high winds but causing little damage. Two tropical storms, Arlene and Cindy, also made landfall on the Gulf Coast in June.
CNN's Rob Marciano and Shelby Linn contributed to this report.
http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/interactive/weather/0509/path.td.18/rita.9.20.11a.gif