Assessing Rita
Lake
Charles, "hit hard"
by Ali A. Akbar,
editor-In-Chief
09.24.05 | 1:45pm GMT
Just hours after making
landfall, the devastating Category 3 Hurricane, Rita,
dropped to a Category 1.
President Bush described Lake
Charles, Louisiana as being, "hit hard." The Lake Charles
Mayor has implemented a dusk-to-dawn curfew.
Rita's center slammed into
the extreme southwest coast of Louisiana at 3:30 a.m. EDT,
near Sabine Pass, Texas, with winds of 120 mph. Power
outages and severe gust have been reported in cities
expected to be hit harder, such as Galveston and Houston,
Texas. Coastal cities had also reported flooding, however
much of Texas' oil refineries have been spared.
President Bush had originally
planned to be on the ground in Texas when Rita made
landfall, however his plans changed. He watched the storm at
the U.S. Northern Command in Colorado. The President also
assured the nation that the government was on top of the
situation on every level. "We've
had full briefings on the storm, it's activities. The first
order of business now is the search and rescue teams, to
pull people out of harm's way. Just had an assessment by
General Honore of Lake Charles, Louisiana -- it got hit
hard," he said, "we've got teams on the ground, beginning to
analyze the situation and prepare the necessary response to
stabilize the situation, and, more importantly, stabilize
there, as well.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry urged
those who evacuated Houston and other evacuated areas not to
return until their communities are declared safe. "Be
patient, stay put," he said. "If you are in a safe place
with food, water, bedding, you are better remaining there
for the time being."
Experts and officials are all
agreeing that Hurricane Rita caused less devastation and
rainfall than predicted. However, no one has declared
victory so soon.
In the days before the
storm's arrival, millions of residents of Texas and
Louisiana fled their homes in a mass exodus that produced
gridlock and heartbreak.
South of Dallas, a bus of
Rita evacuees caught fire in gridlocked traffic, killing as
many as 24 nursing home residents who thought they were
getting out of harm's way.
The USBP will bring you more
coverage on this developing story.
sources: AP, National
Weather service, The White House |
Hurricane Rita (AP)
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