User:Cyclonebiskit/Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita was one of the most intense and costliest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Meteorological history
On September 7, 2005, a tropical wave emerged off the west coast of Africa and entered the northern Atlantic Ocean. Failing to produce organized, deep convection, the system tracked west-northwestward towards the Lesser Antilles. By September 12, a cold front became stationary several hundred miles north of the Leeward Islands and gradually weakened. A surface trough later detached from the dissipating system and moved slowly westward, north of Puerto Rico. By September 17, the ill-defined tropical wave merged with the trough, triggering the development of concentrated shower and thunderstorm activity. ADD TWD INFO HERE Aided by a decrease in wind shear, the system continued to organize and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) estimated that it developed into a tropical depression around 0000 UTC on September 18. At this time, the depression was situated roughly 80 mi (130 km) east of Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos.

Maintaining a west-northwesterly track, the depression gradually intensified throughout September 19. Following the development of a prominent banding feature along the northern side of the circulation, the system was classified Tropical Storm Rita. During the latter half of September 19, wind shear over the storm relaxed, allowing for a symmetric central dense overcast.

Bahamas
At 0300 UTC on September 18, a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos and the Southeast and Central Bahamas. At the same time, a hurricane watch was also issued for the northwest Bahamas. By 0600 UTC the following day, the hurricane watch was upgraded to a hurricane warning for the northwest Bahamas excluding Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands which were later put under a tropical storm warning. Several hours later, a hurricane warning was issued for Exuma and Andros Island. At 1800 UTC, the tropical storm warning for the Turks and Caicos was discontinued as the threat from Rita diminished. This discontinuation later included the southeast Bahamas. By 1500 UTC on September 20, all watches and warnings for the islands were discontinued as Rita moved into the Gulf of Mexico. Residents in the Bahamas were urged to board up their homes and stock up on emergency supplies. At least one shelter was opened and schools throughout the country were closed. The Nassau International Airport was also closed due to the storm on September 19 and would remain closed until the evening of September 20.

Cuba
Officials in Cuba warned residents of possible impacts from Rita and closed public facilities in northern areas. Some evacuations took place in villages near the northern coastline and several shelters were opened. An estimated 150,000 people were evacuated in northern Cuba ahead of the storm. About 600 shelters were opened in Havana which could house a total of 120,000 people. In western Cuba, more than 42,000 were given shelter in Matanzas, 31,000 in Villa Claro and 6,300 in Sancti Spiritus. In Havana, power was turned off at noon on September 19 to protect transformers, this also led to the disruption of natural gas lines. A large scale preparation was put in place by the Ministry of Health in Cuba. A total of 14,859 medical personnel were mobilized to quickly assist residents impacted by Rita. The personnel consisted of 3,767 doctors, 5,143 nurses, 2,139 specialists, 1,072 health officials, and 2,738 other staff members. A total of 519 vehicles were also mobilized; it included 241 ambulances, 36 trucks, 21 panels, and 221 other vehicles. Throughout northern Cuba, a total of 1,486 shelters were opened, most of which were filled during the evacuation.

Florida
On September 18, when Rita was declared a tropical storm, phased evacuations began in the Florida Keys. All tourists were told to evacuate the Lower Keys immediately and residents in mobile homes were told to prepare to evacuate. By September 20, mandatory evacuations were in place for the 80,000 residents of the Keys. Both lanes on Route 1 were directed northbound to speed up evacuations. City busses picked up those who did not have transportation out of the Keys. An estimated 2.3 million people in Miami-Dade County were warned about the possibility of a direct hit on Miami and told to prepare to evacuate. A State of Emergency was declared ahead of Rita later that day by President George W. Bush. This would allow federal assistance to aid the affected areas in the wake of the storm. Throughout Florida, a total of 340,000 people were placed under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders.

Five shelters were opened in southern Florida with a total capacity of 4,335 people. Tolls on northbound roads were lifted in Monroe County. A total of four hospitals, three assisted living facilities, and two nursing homes were evacuated. Military support in the form of 7,000 soldiers, eight Black Hawk helicopters, two Chinook helicopters, three Kiowa helicopters, one Huron aircraft, one Short 360 aircraft, one Hercules aircraft, and one Metroliner aircraft was provided. A task force was put on standby in Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base to quickly deploy in affected areas.

The United States Department of Agriculture prepared flood to deliver to affected areas after Rita. The United States Department of Defense deployed personnel to coordinate evacuations. The United States Department of Health and Human Services sent fully equipped medical teams and supplies if needed. The United States Department of Homeland Security pre-positioned over 100 trucks of ice and packed food to deliver following Rita. Two helicopters and one Cheyenne aircraft were also provided to assist with recovery efforts. The United States Department of the Interior shut down all national parks in Florida and evacuated workers in low-lying areas. Military cargo planes evacuated hospital patients from three acute-care hospitals in the Keys.

Caribbean
As Rita developed near the Turks and Caicos Islands, it dropped up to 5 in of rain but caused little damage. Throughout the archipelago, swells produced by Rita reached 10 ft and storm surge was estimated at 3 to 5 ft. Strong winds were reported across the islands, but no damage resulted from the storm.

In Cuba, Rita produced winds up to 65 mph (100 km/h) and with average rainfall exceeding 5 in (127 mm) which caused significant structural damage but no loss of life. In the Bay Shore area of Havana, water levels rose and inundated 20 blocks of the city. An estimated 400,000 people in the city lost power a result of the storm. In a two-hour span, more than 8.2 in (210 mm) of rain fell in Bauta. The torrential rains led to 34 homes collapsing in Havana. Storm surge produced by Rita penetrated an estimated 330 ft (100 m) inland, flooding several towns.

United States
In the United States, Hurricane Rita impacted several states, with Texas and Louisiana sustaining the most severe damage. Seven deaths were directly linked to Rita while at least 55 others occurred during the mass evacuation in Texas, 20 of whom died in a bus fire. Damages from the storm were estimated at nearly $10.1 billion, making Rita one of the costliest natural disasters in United States history.

Florida
Rita produced moderate rains across southern Florida, peaking at 5.13 in (130.3 mm) in Tenraw. A band of rain, estimated to be 20 mi (32 km) wide produced heavier rain, with doppler radar estimating some totals over 10 in (254 mm). Most of the Florida Keys received 3 in (76.2 mm) of rain or more. The highest sustained winds were recorded at 20:32 UTC (3:32 p.m. EDT) on September 20 in Key West at 62 mph (99 km/h). Gusts in Key West were recorded at 76 mph (122 km/h). A maximum storm surge of 5 ft (1.5 m) was recorded, which flooded at least 200 homes throughout four blocks in Key West. Floodwaters, with a maximum depth of 3 ft (0.9 m), reached the runways at Key West International Airport. A storm surge of 1.5 ft (0.4 m) was recorded in Miami, although no flooding was reported. Minor erosion also occurred on south-facing beaches. At the height of the storm, an estimated 126,000 people were without power. One funnel cloud was reported along Interstate 95 in Lake Worth. Winds were estimated at 30–40 mph (48–64 km/h). High seas from Rita on September 22 flooded parts of coastal Walton County. Moderate beach erosion also occurred as a result of the high seas. Damages from the flooding estimated at $200,000. Damages in southern Florida were minimal. On September 24, strong rip currents produced by the remnants of Rita drowned one person in Miramar Beach located within Walton County.

Louisiana
Hurricane Rita caused catastrophic damage in Louisiana, particularly in the southwestern areas of the state. Most of the damage resulted from the hurricane's storm surge which topped levees and inundated low-lying communities. In southern Terrebonne Parish, water rise reached 7 ft flooding an estimated 10,000 homes. Already devastated by Hurricane Katrina, the Industrial Canal in New Orleans was again flooded by Hurricane Rita as the broken levees were breached once more. Along the coastline of Cameron Parish, the towns of Creole, Holly Beach, Grand Chenier and downtown Cameron. Nearly 95 percent, roughly 5,000 homes, were severely damaged or destroyed in the parish. There, storm surge was estimated around 15 ft. The surge traveled up the Calcasieu ship channel and flooded parts of Calcasieu Parish. In downtown Lake Charles, water rise was estimated up to 8 ft, inundating the civic center. In Vermilion Parish, storm surge up to 10 ft completely flooded Pecan Island, Intracoastal City, and Delcambre. Nearly all of the structures on Pecan Island were destroyed. Throughout the state, damages were estimated to be $8 billion and one person was killed.

Throughout the state, widespread power outages occurred, with roughly 1 million residences losing power due to the storm. Entergy Louisiana reported the largest outage, with 601,183 customers losing power after Rita.

Mississippi
In Mississippi, Rita produced widespread rainfall upon its landfall in Louisiana; however, most of the rain fell early on September 25 as a band of heavy rain developed over parts of western Mississippi, northeast Louisiana and southern Arkansas, resulting in up to 10 in of rain around the Big Black River in the span of a few hours. The heavy rainfall caused significant flooding in Yazoo and Warren Counties. In Yazoo, numerous homes had water inside and countywide damage amounted to $6 million. Damages in Warren County was less than Yazoo, amounting to $2.7 million. Holmes, Hinds and Madison Counties also had flooding, with damages from all three counties amounting to $2 million. Several roads were also flooded in Monroe County after 6 in of rain fell. Winds up to 70 mph (110 km/h) downed numerous trees throughout the state. In Adams County, winds caused several trees to fall on homes in Natchez, leaving $270,000 in damages. In Warren County, a mobile home was destroyed after a tree was downed by high winds.

An unusually large amount of tornadoes touched down in the state due to Rita, with 54 confirmed tornadoes in Mississippi alone. The size of the tornado outbreak ranked it as the largest recorded by the National Weather Service in Jackson. An F1 tornado killed one person after tossing a mobile home into the air and destroying it, two other occupants sustained serious injuries. Damages from tornadoes alone in the state amounted to $14.5 million. Six F2 tornadoes touched down in Mississippi, one of these tracked for nearly 18 mi and grew to a width of 800 yd. The tornado caused $2.5 million in damages and injured three people after destroying one building and severely damaging several homes and farms. Another F1 tornado struck a mobile home park, destroying eleven homes, injuring seven people and leaving $2 million in damages. Throughout the state, 2,127 residences lost power due to high winds.

Elsewhere
As Hurricane Rita passed to the south of Florida on September 20, outer bands to the north produced minor rainfall in parts of southern Georgia, peaking near 3 in. In Alabama, the storm produced 22 weak tornadoes, mainly rated F0, causing minor isolated damage amounting to roughly $1.2 million. Heavy rains also fell in association with Rita in the state. Most of the western portions of Alabama received more than 3 in, with south-central portions peaking around 7 in. The remnants of Rita had little impact in Tennessee, only consisting of moderate rainfall, peaking near 5 in. Up to 3 in of rain fell in southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, western Kentucky, most of Indiana, east and northern Ohio and southern Michigan before the storm merged with a frontal system on September 26.

The weakened remnants of Hurricane Rita produced heavy rainfall and several tornadoes on September 24 in Arkansas. Most of the state received at least 1 in of rain with maximum amounts around 5 in. Three F2 tornadoes touched down in the state, the first injured five people in Lonoke County, the second was a low-end F2 tornado that completely destroyed a double-wide mobile home the third was rated as a high-end F2 with winds near 155 mph (250 km/h), it destroyed three structures and severely damaged several others. Throughout the state, winds gusted up to 50 mph (85 km/h), leaving 2,976 residences without power. Damages in Arkansas amounted to roughly $1 million.

Caribbean
Immediately following Rita, Matanzas and Havana Provinces in Cuba were put into recovery status.

Florida
Following the impacts of Hurricane Rita, Monroe, Miami-Dade, and Broward Counties declared local states of emergency. On September 18, governor Jeb Bush signed a state of emergency for the state to allow federal assistance to those affected by the storm. About 715 members of the Florida National Guard were deployed to assist cleanup and recovery efforts in southern Florida. All shelters opened in the state were closed on September 21 as the danger of the storm passed. Throughout all the shelters, 5,629 meals were served to evacuees. By September 22, all search and rescue operations were completed and the staging base in Homestead was being demobilized. Forty-three water trucks and 39 ice trucks were sent to Palm Beach to be handed out to residents in need. That same day, power was restored to most residents in southern Florida and the major roadways were reopened.

Texas
By September 27, Entergy Texas had deployed 10,000 personnel and set up 11 staging camps to restore power in the affected areas. CenterPoint Energy reported that their customers were steadily getting power, they stated that by September 30, all residents in their coverage would have power. SWEPCO stated that they had brought in 1,200 personnel, including out of state crews, to restore power; however, they reported it would take up to a week to finish the project. The following day, Entergy Texas added another 5,500 personnel to the power restoration workforce.

Louisiana
By September 27, power crews had assembled a workforce of 7,000 people to repair power lines throughout the affected region.