American Safety Zone - Hurricane Rita

Hurricane Rita

Forecasters had predicted a busy hurricane season in 2005, but nobody was ready for the hand that the 2005 hurricanes dealt.Hurricane Katrina was the worst hurricane to hit the United States in decades, and at one point, hurricane Rita was a Category 5 storm, and it was headed right for the Gulf Coast of Texas.

Hurricane Rita Strikes

By the time hurricane Rita made landfall in Texas, it was a Category 3 storm. Prior to landfall, hundreds of thousands of residents with memories of hurricane Katrina on their minds flooded highways to evacuate. It wasn't unusual for it to take an hour and a half to move a mile. It took most people as much as 12 hours in their cars to get out of the path of the storm. Many people ran out of gas before getting very far, while others turned their engines off and pushed their cars the few inches they could move at a time.

Like Katrina, hurricane Rita destroyed small towns, caused massive flooding, and left people without power for a while. Evacuating was the best way to prepare for hurricane Rita, but the same hurricane safety tips apply. A lot of weather safety tips apply before, during and after a hurricane.

Those who didn't evacuate, or those who are returning from evacuating need to make sure they bring plenty of ice, water and non-perishible food with them. In some cities, it can take weeks to restore power. (Just ask any residents of south Florida who were recently visited by hurricane Wilma!) Also, ATMs and gas stations may not be open for awhile, so it's good to get that where you can ahead of time. It also doesn't hurt to get more charcoal and lighter fluid in case you have to cook on the grill for a few days or weeks.

Those who did evacuate for hurricane Rita would have been smart to do anything they could for home safety before leaving, like putting up hurricane shutters, taking pictures and important documents with them and making sure the house is locked up tight to prevent possible looting after the storm.

All of these are smart things to do. The worst that can happen is you end up with a lot of non-perishible food, water and charcoal after the storm. It's not like you'll never use that stuff! It's just better to be safe than sorry.