The potential impact from Rita is huge. Not only is it one of the strongest hurricanes ever in the Atlantic Basin, it is also moving toward northeastern Texas, a highly populated area. Evacuation of the people who were displaced to eastern Texas by Katrina has already occurred and now the residents of this region themselves are streaming away from the coast. Katrina caused quite a bit of damage to the oil producing and refining capacity along the central Gulf coast and now Rita is poised to cause similar damage to the oil production and refining capacity around the western Gulf. As Rita storms ashore, it will be accompanied by winds of 130 to 150 mph with a storm surge of 18-24 feet. This will cause incredible damage, similar to what we saw from Katrina in southern Mississippi.

Patty