Is Rita going to be worse than Katrina?

[cynatnite]

The anxiety seems to be much higher this time. It could be that people are frightened due to what happened with Katrina.

What do you think?

[Horse with no Name]

1. I don't think so.

I honestly think even if it comes inland as a 5, it won't do as much damage because we aren't dealing with the levee situation in New Orleans.

[KoKo]

11. Dr. Masters of "Weather Underground" says 90% of Katrina's strength

when it lands...for what it's worth.

[GreenPartyVoter]

22. What is the difference in diameter? Wasn't Katrina wider?

[KoKo]

24. yes...it was wider. Master's blog says that Rita will start to widen when

it gets over that pocket of colder water in the Gulf that was left after Katrina sucked up all the warm water.

His feeling (and I trust him) is that "Rita" could go down to a Cat-4 but enlarge as she deteriorates and her circumference would get larger than the now "50 Miles outside the eyewall."

Weather Underground has said that "powerful hurricanes' can tend to "spin themselves down in power" the longer they are over open water...but that there is always a strong possibility that strengthening can occur after a "downgrade."

So that seems to maybe make "Rita" a Cat-4 after she goes over cooler Gulf Water left after "Katrina" and then moving back over Warm Gulf Waters she has another "uptick."

:shrug:

[AValdoux]

2. Its not that we are more afraid ...

...of the storms, but we don't trust our government to help us. We know now we are on our own.



AValdoux

[KyndCulture]

4. BINGO!

[Bucky]

3. Good theory. Also Rita is moving into Cat5 status. But it still won't be..

It still won't be as bad as Katrina. New Orleans has long been known as our worst flood risk because so much of it is below sea level. Houston is low--about 50ft above sea level and 50 miles inland--but less of a risk than Nola.

(on edit)

After the PR embarrassment of hundreds of needless deaths in New Orleans, the chances are that the Republicans are really going to treat the storm dangers seriously this time around. If they botch this... Nevermind, I can't even finish that thought.

[JTsc]

5. Probably not.

But if the current track continues, Galveston will be Atlantis.

[LiberalArkie]

6. Not as bad?

Look at at the Mississippi coast. Nothing there but kindling.

[KC21304]

7. If it hits Galveston Bay with catagory 5 force

it might be. That is very close to Houston with over 5 million people.

[Silverhair]

8. Doubtful.

If by worse, you mean in terms of human loss of life and property destruction - NO. Port Lavaca is NOT as fat a target as N.O. was. And the people have much more warning time to evacuate, and an easier time getting out of the way.

Galveston is a fat target and a small tightening of the curve could put it in Galveston. However, they are already evacuating.

If you mean worse in terms of simply being a bigger storm, YES, that can definitely happen.

[phantom power]

9. certain things may be worse.

It may do even more damage to oil wells and refineries than Katrina. Which is bad news, since we still haven't even repaired the ones damage from Katrina.

It might make landfall as a stronger storm. Hard to predict that. It is likely to be at least as powerful.

To my knowledge, it's not likely to flood an entire city, since the circumstances with New Orleans were somewhat unique.

[Dudley_DUright]

10. National Hurricane Center is predicting Rita to weaken

substantially before it makes landfall. I just hope they are right.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/storm_graphics/AT18/refresh/AL1805I_sm2+gif/205648P_sm.gif

[phantom power]

14. did they say why?

I'm starting to not trust their predictions, unless they are based on actual conditions. Two days ago, they didn't predict it would become cat-5, even though it was obvious there was enough heat energy for that to happen.

[Pirate Smile]

20. One thing I've seen them mention is that the water in front of Galveston

is cooler (I'm not sure why) so that will weaken the hurricane because it won't have water as warm as the rest of the gulf to feed on. That is one specific reason I've heard for why they think it will weaken right before landfall.

[phantom power]

23. That might do it.

[Zynx]

16. So it will be "only" a very strong cat 4 when it makes landfall.

You know, the Great Galveston Hurricane had "only" 135 mph winds. It doesn't really matter if winds are 190mph or 140mph. Camille had 190mph winds and did far less damage than Katrina, which was on paper far weaker. This will be a monster even if their predictions are right. Bear in mind, they never predicted it would get even CLOSE to this strong two days ago.

[Double T]

12. We could easily be looking at another 100+ Billion Dollar Disaster.....

we are already paying for Katrina with deficit dollars. What will it take for bush to give up his tax cuts to the rich????

[cynatnite]

13. Maybe gawd's trying to tell him something

:sarcasm:

[julialnyc]

15. the govt would love to make up for katrina (which they can't in my mind)

but people won't be left to die after rita hits (for a week, which killed many in katrina) which should be better for anyone who gets stuck

[Pirate Smile]

17. I don't know but the big difference to me was the particularly vulnerable

state that NOLA was in to begin with and the fact that it was a large population center.

Terrible hurricane's hit places but then the storm surge goes back into the ocean. NOLA had its own very specific problems which is why it became such a catastrophe.

Frankly, my anxiety was much higher with Katrina specifically because it was aimed straight for the soup bowl of NOLA with its levees know to be only capable of withstanding a Cat 2, perhaps a Cat 3. It was a Cat 5 when it was bearing down on it.

I'm normally not a huge hurricane watcher but I was anxiety ridden and glued to the TV the entire weekend before Katrina hit. I knew a disaster was coming that is why when BushCo tried to act surprised it was such crap. I'm in my house in Iowa with a TV and the Internet and I have better Intelligence re what is happening on the ground and in the storm then the friggin federal government.

That is truly pathetic.

Our government not only didn't have Intelligence on 9/11 and in Iraq, it didn't have any in NOLA - before or for days after the storm.

[julialnyc]

18. remember katrina was a cat 5 at one point and lost some strength

when I was in Jamaica this summer we got grazed by Dennis and Emily and Dennis was at one point a cat 4 and Emily a cat 5. I know the terrain is much more dangerous while it is trapped in the gulf, but I hope and pray that it does lose strength as most hurricanes do.

[McCamy Taylor]

19. News wont show "loooting" or "violence" in Texas. It will all be pretty.

[npincus]

21. it looks like it will hit the remaining oil rigs not affected by Katrina

get ready for gasoline prices to soar to new heights