Hurricane Rita wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast of America yesterday, causing floods, fires, and destroying property, but officials were relieved as damage levels weren’t as bad as expected, especially in wake of Hurricane Katrina’s ongoing aftermath.
Rita’s 15-foot storm left floodwaters of up to nine feet in depth in cities along the Louisiana shoreline. New Orleans, which was hit by Katrina only three weeks ago, was also flooded for the second straight day.
The Army Corps of Engineers told the Associated Press (AP) it would need at least two weeks to pump water from the most heavily flooded neighbourhoods — notably the impoverished Lower Ninth Ward — after crews plug a series of levee breaches.
In Beaumont, Texas, one brick wall of an office building had collapsed, and trees, power lines, and broken glass from windows were strewn across the street.
Several fires broke out in eastern Texas, including one in a two-story apartment building in Houston that damaged at least eight units, AP reported.
Power is currently out for more than 1 million customers in the Gulf Coast region.
In contrast to Hurricane Katrina, however, which caused over 1,000 deaths on its rampage through New Orleans and Mississippi, no fatalities have been attributed to Rita so far.
Rita also spared major cities including Houston and New Orleans the brunt of its force, causing far less destruction in the areas than had been anticipated.
"The damage is not as serious as we had expected it to be," said R. David Paulison, acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in a statement released yesterday. "The evacuations worked."
Rita made landfall at 1:30 CDT last night near the Texas-Louisiana border, coming ashore as a Category 3 with 120 mph winds and warnings of up to 25 inches of rain.
The storm has since weakened to a tropical depression, with its centre located about 40 miles north of Shreveport Louisiana.Although storm conditions are no longer life-threatening, officials pleaded with the near 3 million evacuees not to be hasty in their return home, as essential services are still lacking in the evacuated areas.
“Be patient, stay put,” Texas Gov. Rick Perry said yesterday, according to AP. “If you are in a safe place with food, water, bedding, you are better remaining there for the time being.”
President Bush, who met with personnel at the Texas Emergency Operations Center in Austin yesterday, echoed local officials, asking evacuees to leave highways open for “military assets” and other personnel that are aiding in relief efforts.
“Even though the storm has passed the coastline, the situation is still dangerous because of potential flooding,” he said. “People who are safe now ought to remain in safe conditions.”
“I know for a lot of folks in the states, these are miserable times,” Bush continued. “I hope you can take some comfort knowing there’s a lot of people – like the people in this room who are working overtime to save you and to help you; and I think you’ll be amazed by the extraordinary compassion of the people of Texas as they rise up to help their fellow citizens in need.”
Federal relief efforts are already in place with truckloads of food, water, and ice, and emergency response teams having been pre-positioned in Texas throughout last week.
According to President Bush’s radio address given this afternoon, several Navy ships – including the Iwo Jima, the Shreveport, the Tortuga, and others – have been stationed in areas affected by Rita, and nearly 3,500 National Guardsmen have been activated in Texas.
