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HURRICANE RITA LASHES GULF COAST |
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by BBC News Saturday, 24 September 2005, 15:43 GMT 16:43 UK
But for some of those who left New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina last month, a return does not seem possible yet. Parts of the city were submerged again as water flowed over the patched flood defences.
In Beaumont, Texas, the nine-storey Elegante Hotel - where some of the New Orleans evacuees had been staying - suffered some damage. The wind blew out massive windows in the lobby, bringing down a chandelier and ripped the roof off another section of the building.
The port town of Lake Charles - just east of where Hurricane Rita made landfall - was hard hit by the storm. Parts of the Louisiana city reported floodwaters of up to 10ft (3m). Hurricane Rita has pounded the US Gulf Coast with driving wind and rains, leaving a trail of destruction. Electricity stations exploded and fires erupted as power lines came down, resulting in the loss of power for about a million people in the region. The cities of Houston and Galveston, which were braced for severe weather, escaped a direct hit, as the storm strayed east from its original path. Rita has weakened to a Category One hurricane but heavy rains continue. The US National Hurricane Center said winds of up to 120mph (193km/h) were recorded when the hurricane hit land at about 0600 GMT (0100 local) but winds had since dropped to around 75mph. Rita crashed ashore with a 20ft (6m) storm surge into low-lying areas along the Texas-Louisiana border, prompting fears of flooding. The towns of Sabine Pass in Texas and Cameron in Louisiana took the initial fury of the hurricane. It is not yet clear what damage has been done to the oil refineries and facilities near Beaumont and Port Arthur. There was however renewed flooding in New Orleans. A surge of water flowed over one of the protective levees which had been patched up after the floods caused by Hurricane Katrina last month. The storm following the violent winds was also expected to dump up to 25in (60cm) of rain. Heavy rains fell in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and powerful winds are reported to have caused considerable structural damage to property. As well as ripping off rooftops, the storm knocked a container ship from its moorings in Lake Charles and the vessel threatened to hit a highway bridge, news reports said. Hotel worker Rainey Chretien, of the Elegante Hotel in Beaumont, Texas, said the storm blew out windows, brought down a chandelier and ripped the roof off another section of lobby. "We stayed in a stairwell most of the time," he said. "I didn't think it was going to be this bad." Damage assessment Chief Micky Bertrand, of the Beaumont Fire and Rescue, said it had been a rough night with a number of house fires and power lines down across the region. Flood waters and winds had prevented some emergency services from reaching the fires. But they are now starting to to get out to assess the damage, officials said. "I believe we might come out a little better than we may have thought, but there is still going to be a lot of damage," said Chief Bertrand. "It's going to be in the millions of dollars for Texas but it could have been worse." In Jasper County, north of Beaumont, a house with seven people inside floated in floodwaters after it came off its foundation, a sheriff's spokeswoman said. There were 16 arrests for burglary in Houston overnight but few reports of lawlessness in other areas. The BBC's Matt Frei, in Houston, which was evacuated over the last few days, said some people were already returning to their homes. But the state authorities have urged people taking shelter in the region to remain where they were for the time being. Houston Mayor Bill White said his city was weathering the storm, but he said there were lessons to be learned for the future. He said the miles of traffic jams that snarled up highways out of the city during the evacuation ahead of Rita and the fuel shortages highlighted flaws in the emergency planning programme. "I think everybody knows that it was just totally unacceptable that there was not adequate fuel supplies stashed around the state," he told reporters. "That is a part of the state plan that is going to need improvement."
Hurricane Rita smashed onto the coast at 0738 GMT as a category three storm, with winds of up to 120mph (193km/h). |
