Facts about Hurricane Rita

The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season can be very well called a historic season. There were five major hurricanes; Dennis, Emily, Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Hurricane Rita, which followed Hurricane Katrina made many records; it was the seventeenth named hurricane, fifth largest hurricane and third category-5 hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season in 2005.

• Hurricane Rita started on 17th September, 2005 and dissipated on 24th September, 2005.
• It was not only the strongest hurricane of 2005, but also the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Rita began as a mere tropical depression on the Turks and Caicos Islands. It developed in the same area as that of hurricane Katrina, that is South Florida and Florida Keys.
• It intensified because it was passing through the warm waters of Loop Current (similar to Katrina). Within a few hours, it became the strongest hurricane of 2005.
• The wind was recorded at a speed, as high as 180 mph. The pressure was as low as 895 mbar; this placed it ahead of Hurricane Katrina (902 mbar) and Hurricane Allen (899 mbar), which was the third strongest hurricane in the Atlantic region.
• Lt. Col. Warren Madden, a hurricane hunter and meteorologist with The Weather Channel, commented on Rita - "The strongest storm I have ever been in."
• Fortunately, Rita lost its power and landed as a category-3 hurricane between Sabine Pass, Texas and Johnson Bayou, Louisiana.
• Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin had ordered re-opening of the city on 19th September, 2005, but as Rita developed, the re-opening was canceled and a re-evacuation was ordered on 21st September, 2005.
• In Texas, the situation was the worst. The transport department was not prepared for such a large evacuation. As a result, there was a huge traffic jam. The traffic did not ease for 48 hours. Many motorists ran out of gas; there was a huge shortage of fuel, food and water. More than 3 million residents were evacuated before the storm, making it the largest evacuation in the history of the U.S.
• Due to evacuation, Johnson Space Center in Houston handed over control of International Space Station to their Russian counterparts.
• The places which were damaged by Katrina, now were again severely damaged by Rita. Rita became the ninth costliest hurricane in the U.S, with damages amounting to something around $10 billion.
• In Cameron Parish, communities like Cameron, Holly Beach, Creole and Grand Chenier were extensively destroyed. In Calcasieu Parish, communities like Moss Bluf, Sulphur, West lake, Lake Charles and Vinton suffered widespread damage.
• It also produced 19 tornadoes in Arkansas and Mississippi, killing four people. One unusual thing about the tornadoes was that, they were moving in the northwest direction due to Rita; while most tornadoes move in north-east direction.
• There was lack of coordination, storm planning and preparation. There were 120 deaths, out of which only seven were caused directly because of Rita and the rest of the casualties were a result of accidents during evacuation. Some of the deaths were due to food poisoning and illness.
• In Texas, a bus exploded killing 23 out of the 45 passengers, it was carrying. All of them were nursing home evacuees. Many were mobility-impaired, so their escape was difficult or impossible.
• In the Gulf of Mexico, where Rita developed, there was heavy concentration of oil refineries. The production which was already closed due to Katrina was further inaccessible.
• However, the oil industry escaped from huge damages and there was only a minor increase in fuel prices.
• Due to the damages caused by Katrina and Rita, some 50,000 people were unemployed in the second-half of 2009.
• Now, the name 'Rita' will never be used again for an Atlantic hurricane; it will be replaced by 'Rina' in 2011.

The mistake which was made at the time of hurricane Katrina, was repeated during hurricane Rita. If the authorities had been prepared, loss of life and property could have been avoided.