Hurricane Rita on the Cities
Reports
from the Cities
by Ali A. Akbar,
Editor-In-Chief
09.24.05 | 2:10pm GMT
Texas
Baytown --
The water treatment
plant is out of service. Power lines and poles are down
and the city is littered with storm debris.
Beaumont --
A 17-year-old was hit by a
falling tree and injured. 11 other injuries reported. A
restaurant is damaged, there is debris on the streets,
but no major flooding. Police are checking a collapsed
apartment building outside the city.
Galveston --
Two historic residences and a
commercial building burned. One building destroyed. A
restaurant wall collapsed. Wind blew off the roof of a
multi-story hotel downtown. The Galveston Daily News,
which lost part of its roof, reports that a woman was
severely burned and a firefighter received a minor eye
injury.
Houston --
Two fires, power outages, no
major flooding.
Lumberton --
Some flooding, unverified
reports of damage. Trees down. Downed power lines are
preventing police from rescuing a couple trapped in
their home.
Pasadena --
Fire at a Family Dollar store spread to an AutoZone
store.
Port Arthur--
Some flooding, with water depths of three to seven feet.
Phones out. Widespread wind damage. Levees holding.
Texas City --
Still developing.
Louisiana
New Orleans --
Parts of the 9th Ward under 8 feet of water; 150-foot
gap in the Industrial Canal levee.
Lake Charles
-- Significant damage to airport, including
hangars, cell tower. Trees down. Major damage, flooding
at Harrah's casino. At least one pumping station does
not appear to be working.
Acadia Parish
-- Power lines and trees
toppled. Trees on houses. Wind and water damage.
Calcasieu
Parish -- Airport damaged.
Homes damaged by falling trees. Roads blocked. Cell
phones down. A building is on fire in Vinton. A
firefighter was injured when he was kicked in the head
by a horse.
Cameron Parish
-- Phones down.
Evangeline
Parish -- Heavy winds, no
damage assessment yet.
Jefferson Davis
Parish -- Flooding, extensive
damage, looting in Jennings. Residents trapped. Many
downtown businesses damaged. Police department without
power.
Lafayette
Parish -- Roads blocked by
fallen trees. Power outages in city of Lafayette and
parish. The Vermilion River through Lafayette is running
north, instead of south, due to heavy storm surge.
Terrebonne
Parish -- Crews unable to get
to trapped residents. Seven to eight feet of water
throughout the parish.
Vermilion
Parish -- Flooding south of
Louisiana State Route 14. Downed trees and power
outages. Search and rescue underway. Eight feet of water
reported south of Erath.
Power Outages
Slemco
(Southwest Louisiana Electric Membership Cooperative) --
More than two-thirds of its 86,000 customers without power.
Cleco
Corporation -- 80,000
customers without power.
Jefferson Davis
Electric Cooperative -- No
service to all 10,300 customers.
Entergy
Corporation -- 780,903 customers without power, including many that have not
had power since Hurricane Katrina.
Center Point
Energy -- More than 450,000
customers without power.
sources: AP, Cable News Network,
National Weather Center |