Information about Hurricane Rita
UPDATED: September 21, 11:00 a.m.

 

Hurricane Rita has grown to Category 4 strength with sustained winds near 140 mph, and could reach Category Five intensity in the central Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center continues to post a 10-to-19% chance that its center would pass within 75 miles of Houston in the next 72 hours. The center lists the same 10-19% chance of landfall for everywhere from the northeastern portion of Mexico to eastern Louisiana. Landfall continues to be projected for Saturday morning at least 150 miles southwest of Houston.

Houston Mayor Bill White asked all public schools to close for the rest of the week, which the Houston Independent School District has done, and for employers to release non-essential employees from work on Thursday and Friday. Rice officials are meeting this morning (Wednesday) and will announce their plans later today. Rice already has cancelled Families Weekend, which was scheduled to start Thursday.

Mayor White also called for evacuation of people living in low-lying areas along Galveston Bay, in storm surge areas or flood plains or in mobile homes or dwellings that cannot withstand strong wind. The evacuation for those people will become mandatory for those people at 6 p.m. today.

Rice is not in any of those areas and, indeed, official planning does not require large parts of Houston, including the Rice area, to be evacuated even in a Category Five hurricane.

Plans continue to be for Rice students to be sheltered in place on campus. Given the campus facilities and preparations this is judged to be the safest place to be.

Rice buildings are almost all strong stone and brick construction, with roofs that are sturdy and well-maintained. The Rice campus is one of the higher spots in its area, with the ground-level thresholds of campus buildings built 45 feet above sea level. This contrasts with the portions of New Orleans flooded by Hurricane Katrina, which were below sea level and protected from Lake Ponchartrain only by levees. Major storm surges also could send water from the Gulf up Houston's bayous. However, unlike the situation in New Orleans, most water drains from Houston via storm sewers, bayous and gullies to the Gulf in a matter of hours, not days.

Campus officials would designate the safest buildings, and areas within those buildings (e.g., away from windows), for students to take shelter. Undergraduates living off campus generally would be directed to the residential college with which they are affiliated.

Graduate students would be directed to the safest large spaces, such as the Grand Hall and Sammy's restaurant in the Ley Student Center.

The Rice administration is rechecking emergency plans and supplies.

In place are:

* Food and water sufficient for all campus residents for at least three days.

* A well to provide potable water sufficient to campus needs.

* The campus power co-generation plant, which can provide power for essential operations of the campus so long as natural gas lines remain operational.

* Emergency electrical generators, whose fuel tanks are being topped off, as back-up to regular power sources and the co-generation plant.

* Checks to ensure that all storm drains and storm sewers are clear and pumps are in full working condition.

During Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, Rice fared far better than most locations because of its relative height and the work of Facilities, Engineering & Planning crews to keep storm drains clear and pumps operating. The campus suffered relatively minor damage and operations were not interrupted. Since then, Rice has made further improvements, including a new overland flow channel to move water off campus.

Should you hear rumors and wish to check with an informed source, please e-mail Mark Scheid, assistant to the president, at mss@rice.edu.

 Resources:

 

*In Houston, tune to KTRU (91.7 FM) for the latest emergency information.