HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT...CORRECTED TO INCLUDE
GALVESTON COUNTY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HOUSTON/GALVESTON TX
430 PM CST TUE SEP 20 2005
...RITA MOVING INTO GULF OF MEXICO AND INCREASING IN INTENSITY...
...THIS STATEMENT APPLIES TO THE RESIDENTS
OF...JACKSON...MATAGORDA...FORT BEND...WHARTON...HARRIS...BRAZORIA...LIBERTY...CHAMBERS...AND GALVESTON COUNTIES...
...WATCHES/WARNINGS IN EFFECT...
NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE UPPER TEXAS COAST.
...CURRENT STORM INFORMATION...
.LOCATION...
AT 4 PM CDT...THE CENTER OF HURRICANE RITA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE
24.0 NORTH...LONGITUDE 82.4 WEST...OR ABOUT 850 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
GALVESTON TEXAS.
.MOVEMENT...
HURRICANE RITA WAS MOVING WEST AT 15 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS
WERE 100 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. A GRADUAL INCREASE IN INTENSITY IS
FORECAST DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
...PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
.EVACUATION INFORMATION...
FOR GALVESTON AND BRAZORIA COUNTIES...VOLUNTARY EVACUATION IS IN
PROGRESS. MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED-LIVING
FACILITIES WILL BEGIN AT 6 AM WEDNESDAY MORNING. ON GALVESTON
ISLAND... BUSSES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE ISLAND COMMUNITY CENTER ON
BROADWAY WEDNESDAY MORNING AFTER 10 AM FOR PERSONS WITH NO OTHER
MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. IF THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE OF RITA'S
TRACK IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS...A MANDATORY EVACUATION OF GALVESTON AND
BRAZORIA COUNTIES IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AT 6 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING.
VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS ARE ALSO IN PROGRESS THIS EVENING FOR LOW LYING
AREAS OF CHAMBERS COUNTY... HARRIS COUNTY... AND THE CITIES OF
HOUSTON...SEABROOK AND BAYTOWN
DECISIONS CONCERNING EVACUATIONS FOR OTHER COUNTIES AND COMMUNITIES
WILL BE MADE EITHER LATER THIS EVENING OR ON WEDNESDAY.
.SCHOOL AND GOVERNMENT FACILITY CLOSINGS...
CLEAR CREEK...GALVESTON...FRIENDSWOOD AND HIGH ISLAND ISD SCHOOLS
WILL BE CLOSED BEGINNING WEDNESDAY. GALVESTON COUNTY FACILITIES
WILL ALSO BE CLOSED BEGINNING WEDNESDAY.
.STORM SURGE AND TIDES...
TIDE LEVELS ARE CURRENTLY RUNNING NEAR NORMAL ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS
COAST AND ARE NOT EXPECTED TO RISE SIGNIFICANTLY BEFORE
THURSDAY NIGHT OR FRIDAY MORNING.
.WIND IMPACTS...
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH THE UPPER TEXAS
COAST BEFORE FRIDAY MORNING.
.RAINFALL...
NO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS EXPECTED ALONG THE UPPER TEXAS COAST
DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
FOR MORE TROPICAL WEATHER INFORMATION...SEE THE NATIONAL HURRICANE
CENTER WEB PAGE AT HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV OR THE WEB PAGE OF THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HOUSTON/GALVESTON AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/HGX.
THE NEXT HURRICANE RITA STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AROUND 11PM CST.
