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Undid revision 861001671 by Undescribed (talk)
{{for|other storms of the same name|Tropical Storm Rita (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|Hurricane Rina}}
{{Infobox Hurricane
| Name=Hurricane Rita
| Type=hurricane
| Year=2005
| Basin=Atl
| Image location=HurricaneRita21Sept05a.jpg
| Image name=Hurricane Rita near peak intensity on September 21
| Formed=September 18, 2005
| Dissipated=September 26, 2005
| 1-min winds=155
| Pressure=895
| Damages=18500
| Fatalities=97–125 total
| Areas=[[Hispaniola]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Bahamas]], [[Cuba]], [[Florida]], [[Mississippi]], [[Louisiana]], [[Texas]], [[Arkansas]], [[Missouri]], [[Illinois]], [[Great Lakes region]]
| Hurricane season=[[2005 Atlantic hurricane season]]
}}
'''Hurricane Rita''' was the fourth-most intense [[Atlantic hurricane]] ever recorded and the most intense [[tropical cyclone]] ever observed in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Part of the record-breaking [[2005 Atlantic hurricane season]], which included three of the top ten [[List of the most intense tropical cyclones#North Atlantic Ocean|most intense Atlantic hurricanes]] ever recorded (along with #1 [[Hurricane Wilma|Wilma]] and #7 [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]]), Rita was the seventeenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 2005 [[Atlantic hurricane season|season]]. Rita formed near [[The Bahamas]] from a [[tropical wave]] on September 18, 2005 that originally developed off the coast of [[West Africa]]. It moved westward, and after passing through the [[Florida Straits]], Rita entered an environment of abnormally warm waters. Moving west-northwest, it [[rapid deepening|rapidly intensified]] to reach peak winds of 180 mph (285 km/h), achieving Category 5 status on September 21st. However, it weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, between [[Sabine Pass, Texas]] and [[Holly Beach, Louisiana]], with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Rapidly weakening over land, Rita degenerated into a large [[low-pressure area]] over the lower [[Mississippi Valley]] by September 26th.
In [[Louisiana]], Rita's [[storm surge]] inundated low-lying communities along the entire coast, worsening effects caused by Hurricane Katrina less than a month prior, such as topping the hurriedly-repaired Katrina-damaged [[levee]]s at New Orleans. Parishes in Southwest Louisiana and counties in Southeast Texas where Rita made landfall suffered from severe to catastrophic flooding and wind damage. According to an October 25, 2005 Disaster Center report, 4,526 single-family dwellings were destroyed in Orange and Jefferson counties located in Southeast Texas. Major damage was sustained by 14,256 additional single-family dwellings, and another 26,211 single-family dwellings received minor damage. Mobile homes and apartments also sustained significant damage or total destruction.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Disaster Center's Tropical Storm - Hurricane Rita Page|url=http://www.disastercenter.com/Tropical%20Storm%20-%20Hurricane%20-%20Rita.html|publisher=disastercenter.com|accessdate=January 2, 2015|date=October 25, 2005}}</ref> In all, nine Texas counties and five Louisiana Parishes were declared [[disaster area]]s after the storm. Electric service was [[power outage|disrupted]] in some areas of both Texas and Louisiana for several weeks. Texas reported the most deaths from the hurricane, where 113 deaths were reported, 107 of which were associated with the evacuation of the [[Houston]] metropolitan area.
Moderate to severe damage was reported across the lower Mississippi Valley. Rainfall from the storm and its associated remnants extended from Louisiana to [[Michigan]]. Rainfall peaked at {{convert|16.00|in|mm|abbr=on}} in Central Louisiana. Several [[tornado]]es were also associated with the hurricane and its subsequent remnants. Throughout the path of Rita, damage totaled about $18.5 billion (2005 USD).<ref>{{cite report|title=Costliest U.S. tropical cyclones tables updated|url=https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/news/UpdatedCostliest.pdf|publisher=National Hurricane Center|date=January 26, 2018|accessdate=January 28, 2018}}</ref> As many as 120 deaths in four U.S. states were directly related to the hurricane.
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==Meteorological history==
{{storm path|Rita 2005 track.png|alt=The path of a tropical cyclone on a map as represented by colored dots. Each dot represents the storm's intensity at six-hour intervals.}}
On September 7, 2005, a [[tropical wave]] emerged off the west coast of Africa and moved westward into the Atlantic Ocean. Failing to produce organized, deep [[convection|atmospheric convection]],<ref name=TCR /> the disturbance was not monitored by the [[National Hurricane Center]] (NHC) for [[tropical cyclogenesis]].<ref name=TWOAT>{{cite web|title=2005 Archive of Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook Text Products|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/|work=Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlooks|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|year=2005}}</ref> Convection associated with the system increased briefly late on September 13 before dissipating shortly thereafter. At roughly the same time, a remnant surface [[trough (meteorology)|trough]] had developed from a dissipating [[stationary front]] and began to drift westward north of the [[Lesser Antilles]].<ref name=TCR /> Meanwhile, the tropical wave slowly became better organized and was first noted in the NHC's Tropical Weather Outlooks on September 15 while northeast of [[Puerto Rico]].<ref name=TWO152123>{{cite web|title=Tropical Weather Outlook For 5:30 PM, EDT, September 15, 2005|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/TWOAT.200509152123|work=Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlooks|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|date=September 15, 2005|author=Pasch, Richard}}</ref> The wave merged with the surface trough two days later, triggering an increase in convective activity and organization. A subsequent decrease in [[wind shear]] enabled for additional organization, and at 0000 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on September 18, the NHC estimated that the storm system had organized enough to be classified as a tropical depression,<ref name=TCR /> the eighteenth disturbance during the [[2005 Atlantic hurricane season|hurricane season]] to do so. At the time, the disturbance, classified as Tropical Depression Eighteen,<ref name=ADV1>{{cite web|title=Tropical Depression Eighteen Advisory Number 1|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/pub/al182005.public.001.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Public Advisories|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Stewart, Stacy R.|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 17, 2005}}</ref> was roughly {{convert|80|mi|km|abbr=on}} east of [[Grand Turk Island]] in the [[Turks and Caicos]] and had developed [[rainband|banding features]].<ref name=TCR /><ref name=DISC1>{{cite web|title=Tropical Depression Eighteen Discussion Number 1|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.001.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Stewart, Stacy R.|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 17, 2005}}</ref>
In generally favorable conditions for tropical development, the depression quickly organized, and attained [[tropical storm]] strength at 1800 UTC that day based on data from [[Hurricane Hunters|reconnaissance flights]] and nearby ships and [[weather buoy]]s. As a result, the tropical storm was named Rita.<ref name=TCR /><ref name=DISC4>{{cite web|title=Tropical Storm Rita Discussion Number 4 |url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.004.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Knabb, Richard|location=Miami, Florida |date=September 18, 2005}}</ref> However, an increase in moderate southerly vertical wind shear as the result of a nearby [[upper-level low]] subdued continued intensification and displaced convective activity to the north of Rita's center of circulation. Once the upper-level low weakened, Rita's center of circulation reformed to the north, compensating for the disorganization that resulted from the wind shear. Consequently, the tropical storm resumed its previous strengthening trend as it was steered westward across [[The Bahamas]] along the south periphery of a [[ridge (meteorology)|ridge]].<ref name=TCR />{{Atlantic hurricane best track}} Upon entering the [[Straits of Florida]] on September 20, Rita strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane by 1200 UTC,<ref name=DISC11>{{cite web |title=Hurricane Rita Discussion Number 11|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.011.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Avila, Lixion|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 20, 2005}}</ref> while maintaining a minimum [[barometric pressure]] of 985 [[bar (unit)|mbar]] ([[pascal (unit)|hPa]]; 29.09 [[inches of mercury|inHg]]). Six hours later, Rita intensified further into Category 2 before subsequently passing approximately {{convert|45|mi|km|abbr=on}} south of [[Key West, Florida]].<ref name=TCR /> Aided by a favorable [[outflow (meteorology)|outflow]] pattern and anomalously warm [[sea surface temperature]]s (SSTs), the trend of [[rapid deepening]] continued,<ref name=DISC14>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita Discussion Number 14 |url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.014.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Stewart, Stacy R.|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 20, 2005}}</ref> and Rita reached Category 3 status upon entering the [[Gulf of Mexico]] by 0600 UTC on September 21, making it a [[tropical cyclone scales|major hurricane]].<ref name=TCR />{{Atlantic hurricane best track}}
Once in the Gulf of Mexico, Rita passed over the extremely warm [[Loop Current]] during the midday hours of September 21, enabling continued strengthening. As a result, the hurricane's wind field significantly expanded and the storm's barometric pressure quickly fell.<ref name=TCR /> By 1800 UTC that day, Rita attained [[List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes|Category 5 hurricane]] intensity,<ref name=DISC17>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita Discussion Number 17 |url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.017.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Avila, Lixion|location=Miami, Florida |date=September 21, 2005}}</ref> the highest category on the [[Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale]].<ref name=SSHWS>{{cite web |title=Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.017.shtml?|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|location=Miami, Florida|date=May 24, 2013}}</ref> Favorable conditions allowed for additional development, and at 0300 UTC on September 22, Rita reached its peak intensity with [[maximum sustained wind]]s of 180 mph (285 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 895 mbar (hPa; 26.43 inHg), making it the strongest [[tropical cyclone]] ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. At the time, it was located 310 mi (500 km) south of the [[Mississippi River Delta]].
Rita maintained Category 5 hurricane intensity for 18 hours before an [[eyewall replacement cycle]] took place, weakening the hurricane to Category 4 intensity by 1800 UTC on September 22. At the same time, the tropical cyclone began to curve northwestward around the southwestern periphery of a ridge of high pressure over the [[Southeastern United States]]. As a result of the cycle, a new, larger [[eyewall]] consolidated, resulting in Rita's wind field expanding. Due to wind shear and cooler [[continental shelf]] waters, the hurricane continued to weaken. Rita weakened to Category 3 strength before making [[landfall (meteorology)|landfall]] at 0740 UTC on September 24 in extreme southwestern [[Louisiana]] between [[Johnson Bayou, Louisiana|Johnson Bayou]] and [[Sabine Pass]]. At the time of landfall, Rita was a Category 3 hurricane with winds of {{convert|115|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and a barometric pressure of 937 mbar (hPa; 27.67 inHg).<ref name=TCR />
Once inland on September 24, Rita began to rapidly weaken.<ref name=DISC29>{{cite web|title=Tropical Storm Rita Discussion Number 29|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.029.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Avila, Lixion|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 24, 2005}}</ref> The tropical cyclone had been downgraded to tropical storm intensity nearly 12 hours after landfall. Proceeding northward roughly parallel to the state border between Louisiana and [[Texas]],<ref name=TCR /> [[weather radar|radar imagery]] indicated that the storm soon lacked winds of tropical storm-force. Therefore, the NHC classified the system as a tropical depression while it was over [[Arkansas]] by 0600 UTC on September 25,<ref name=DISC30>{{cite web|title=Tropical Depression Rita Discussion Number0|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.030.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions |publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Knabb, Richard|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 24, 2005}}</ref> shortly before it turned northeastward ahead of an approaching [[weather front|frontal boundary]]. Early the next day, the depression lost much of its convection over southeastern [[Illinois]], and degenerated into a remnant low by 0600 UTC that day. The frontal boundary subsequently absorbed the remaining system six hours later over the southern [[Great Lakes]] region.<ref name=TCR />
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==Preparations==
===Bahamas===
[[File:TS Rita 18 sept 2005 1540Z.jpg|thumb|right|Tropical Storm Rita over the eastern Bahamas on September 18|alt=Satellite image of a rather weak tropical cyclone - the storm is an elongated mass of clouds, stretching horizontally.]]
At 0300 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on September 18, a [[Tropical cyclone warnings and watches|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]].<ref name="TCR"/> Residents in the Bahamas were urged to board up their homes and stock up on emergency supplies.<ref name="RO2">{{cite web|author=Reuters |publisher=Red Orbit|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Prepares for Tropical Storm Rita |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/243625/florida_prepares_for_tropical_storm_rita/}}</ref> At least one shelter was opened and schools throughout the country were closed.<ref name="CDERA1">{{cite web|author=Macushla N. Pinder|publisher=Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 16, 2009|title=Rita gave NEMA (Bahamas) chance to test level of preparedness|url=http://www.cdera.org/cunews/news/bahamas/article_1287.php|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807160027/http://www.cdera.org/cunews/news/bahamas/article_1287.php|archivedate=August 7, 2008|df=}}</ref> The [[Nassau International Airport]] was also closed due to the storm on September 19 and would remain closed until the evening of September 20.<ref>{{cite web|author=Barbara Walkin|publisher=''The Freeport News''|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009|title=GB residents took precautions as Rita strengthened over Bahamas|url=http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/national_local/296244704656296.php|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721162103/http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/national_local/296244704656296.php|archivedate=July 21, 2011|df=}}</ref>
===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.<ref name="CMR1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=Cubaminrex|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Tropical storm Rita Cruising on Northern Caribbean Waters|url=http://www.cubaminrex.cu/english/currentissues/2005/Tropical%20storm%20Rita%20Cruising%20on%20Northern.htm|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607045428/http://www.cubaminrex.cu/english/currentissues/2005/Tropical%20storm%20Rita%20Cruising%20on%20Northern.htm|archivedate=June 7, 2011|df=}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=AFX News|publisher=Forbes|date=September 21, 2005|accessdate=March 23, 2009|title=Hurricane Rita hits Cuba; 150,000 evacuated |url=https://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2005/09/21/afx2235267.html}}</ref> In Havana, power was turned off at noon on September 19 to protect transformers, this also led to the disruption of natural gas lines.<ref name="RWCuba">{{cite web|author=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|publisher=ReliefWeb|date=September 22, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009 |title=Hurricane Rita - Cuba/Gulf of Mexico: OCHA Situation Report No. 1|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-6GGNK5?OpenDocument}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Cuban Ministry of Health|publisher=''Vanguardia''|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=April 20, 2009 |title=Medidas adoptadas por Salud Pública en Cuba ante huracán Rita|url=http://www.vanguardia.co.cu/index.php?tpl=design/secciones/lectura/portada.tpl.html&newsid_obj_id=8473|language=es}}</ref>
===Florida===
[[File:Rita 9-20-05 1835UTC.jpg|thumb|right|Hurricane Rita as a [[Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale#Category 2|Category 2 hurricane]] crossing the [[Straits of Florida|Florida Straits]]|alt=Satellite image of a strengthening hurricane passing between two landmasses. The hurricane has also developed an eye.]]
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.<ref name="RO1">{{cite web |author=Reuters |publisher=Red Orbit|date=September 18, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Tropical Storm Rita forms near Bahamas |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/243505/tropical_storm_rita_forms_near_bahamas/index.html}}</ref> By September 20, mandatory evacuations were in place for the 80,000 residents of the Keys. Both lanes on [[U.S. Route 1 (Florida)|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, Florida|Miami-Dade County]] were warned about the possibility of a direct hit on [[Miami]] and told to prepare to evacuate.<ref name="TA1">{{cite web|author=Reuters|publisher=The Age|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=New Orleans facing new threat|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/new-orleans-facing-new-threat/2005/09/20/1126982027767.html}}</ref> 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.<ref name="FEMAFL1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=[[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=President Approves Emergency Declaration for Florida|url=http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115101545/http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|archivedate=January 15, 2009|df=}}</ref> Throughout Florida, a total of 340,000 people were placed under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders.<ref name="SP1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=Crawford & Company|date=September 28, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Hurricane Rita September 20–24, 2005 Situation Paper|url=http://www.crawfordandcompany.com/UserUploads/Storm%20Center/Crawford_Rita_situation_paper.pdf|format=[[PDF]]|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919165916/http://crawfordandcompany.com/UserUploads/Storm%20Center/Crawford_Rita_situation_paper.pdf|archivedate=September 19, 2010|df=}}</ref>
Five shelters were opened in southern Florida with a total capacity of 4,335 people. Tolls on northbound roads were lifted in [[Monroe County, Florida|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 [[UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk helicopters]], two [[CH-47 Chinook|Chinook helicopters]], three [[OH-58 Kiowa|Kiowa helicopters]], one [[C-12 Huron|Huron aircraft]], one [[Short 360|Short 360 aircraft]], one [[C-130 Hercules|Hercules aircraft]], and one [[C-26 Metroliner|Metroliner aircraft]] was provided. A task force was put on standby in [[Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base]] to quickly deploy in affected areas.<ref name="SR3">{{cite web|publisher=Florida State Emergency Response Team|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida: Tropical Storm Rita Situation Report No.3 |url=http://www.floridadisaster.org/eoc/eoc_Activations/Rita05/Reports/Sitrep_Rita_091905_3.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref>
The [[United States Department of Agriculture]] prepared food 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.<ref name="FEMAFL2">{{cite web|publisher=International Association of Fire Chiefs|author=[[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Federal Government Readies for Tropical Storm Rita|url=http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115101545/http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|archivedate=January 15, 2009|df=}}</ref> Military cargo planes evacuated hospital patients from three acute-care hospitals in the Keys.<ref name="RO3">{{cite web |publisher=Red Orbit|author=Jane Sutton|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Tropical Storm Rita heads for Florida Keys |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/244763/tropical_storm_rita_heads_for_florida_keys/}}</ref>
===Louisiana===
On Tuesday Sept. 20th, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco issued a state of emergency for all parishes in the southwestern region of Louisiana, and requested in writing of President George W. Bush that he issue a federal state of emergency for the entire state. Refugees still at the New Orleans Convention Center and Superdome were being evacuated as a precaution, and national guard troops and other emergency personnel in for the Hurricane Katrina aftermath were being mobilized to evacuate.<ref>{{cite news|title=Louisiana braces for Rita|url=http://www.cnn.com//2005/US/09/20/katrina.impact/index.html|work=[[CNN]]|date=September 20, 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061222165916/http://www.cnn.com//2005/US/09/20/katrina.impact/index.html|archivedate=December 22, 2006}}</ref> Select military personnel stayed in New Orleans for Hurricane Rita including Task Force California (2-185 Armor and 1-184 Infantry).<ref name="184_Katrina1"/>
<ref name=184_Katrina2>{{cite web |title=Joint Task Force California Press Accounts of the California State Military Forces’ Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita |url=http://californiamilitaryhistory.org/CMHP20-116.pdf |work=California Military State Publication |date=December 2005}}</ref>
By the morning of Wednesday Sept. 21st, as Rita's strength, course and speed became clearer, officials of [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]], [[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu Parish]], and parts of [[Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jefferson Davis Parish]], [[Acadia Parish, Louisiana|Acadia Parish]], [[Iberia Parish]], [[Beauregard Parish]], and [[Vermillion Parish]] began to strongly encourage residents to evacuate ahead of the storm, with a 6:00 PM Thursday deadline set. Most residents followed the recommendations of their respective officials, hitting the road by the deadline, though many returned home and waited until early the next morning after encountering severe traffic delays. Southern Cameron Parish residents, used to frequent evacuations, were gone by noon on Thursday; when parish officials returned to the Hwy. 27 "Gibbstown Bridge" that crosses the Intracoastal Canal into Lower Cameron Parish two days later in preparation of damage inspection and rescue of any stranded and/or injured residents, no one was known to have remained.<ref name = 184_Katrina1>{{cite web| title = After Katrina: 184 Infantry Soldiers to the Rescue| url = http://spectrummagazine.net/pdfs/2005_10_SpectrumArchive.pdf| publisher= The Spectrum, October 2005}}</ref>
===Texas===
[[File:Stranded on Highway 60.jpg|right|thumb|Motorists stranded on [[Texas State Highway 60|Highway 60]] during Hurricane Rita evacuation.]]
[[Governor of Texas|Texas Governor]] [[Rick Perry]] recalled all emergency personnel, including almost 1,200 [[Texas National Guard]], 1,100 [[Texas State Guard]], and several hundred Texas Game Wardens from [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] recovery efforts in anticipation of Hurricane Rita's arrival. In addition, the Federal Government deployed 11 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs),<ref>{{cite web| title = Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT)| publisher = U.S. Department of Health & Human Services| url = http://hhs.gov/aspr/opeo/ndms/teams/dmat.html| accessdate = 2008-08-07| deadurl = yes| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080722223248/http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opeo/ndms/teams/dmat.html| archivedate = 2008-07-22| df = }}</ref> staging them in mobile field hospitals across eastern Texas. The teams treated 7500 patients during the response.<ref>{{cite press release| title = FEMA Salutes Response Teams| publisher = FEMA| date = October 12, 2005| url = http://fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19640| accessdate = 2008-08-07| deadurl = yes| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081026130406/http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19640| archivedate = October 26, 2008| df = }}</ref><ref name="Coastal Evacuations in Texas">{{cite news|url=http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169845,00.html|author=Associated Press|title=Coastal Evacuations in Texas|accessdate=June 26, 2007 | work=Fox News | date=September 20, 2005}}</ref> On September 22, Governor Perry and the Texas Department of Transportation implemented a [[contraflow lane reversal]] on [[Interstate 45]] north towards [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], on [[Interstate 10]] west towards [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], [[U.S. Highway 290]] northwest to [[Austin, Texas|Austin]].<ref name="Gridlock in Houston as Texans Flee">{{cite news|url=http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170145,00.html|author=Associated Press|title=Gridlock in Houston as Texans Flee|accessdate=June 29, 2008 | work=Fox News | date=September 22, 2005}}</ref>
As part of the evacuation, [[Johnson Space Center]] in Houston handed off control of the [[International Space Station]] to their [[Russian Federal Space Agency|Russian]] counterparts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita pushes space station control to Russia |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8036-hurricane-rita-pushes-space-station-control-to-russia/ |website=newscientist.com |publisher=New Scientist|accessdate=14 April 2017}}</ref>
Concerns had been raised over the state of the oil industry in response to Rita. The storm threatened a large amount of oil infrastructure that was left undamaged by [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]].<ref name="Oil companies prep for hurricane, prices drop">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2005-09-22-oil-rita-prep_x.htm|author=David J. Lynch|title=Oil companies prep for hurricane, prices drop|accessdate=June 30, 2008| work=USA Today | date=September 23, 2005}}</ref> The [[Texas Coastal Bend|Texas Gulf Coast]] is home to 23% of the United States' refining capacity, and numerous offshore production platforms were in Rita's path.<ref name="Big Oil Braces for Rita">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/sep2005/nf20050922_3717.htm|author=Platts Oilgram News|title=Big Oil Braces for Rita|accessdate=June 30, 2008}}</ref> A direct strike on Houston could disable more than a quarter of the United States' fuel-making capacity.<ref>{{cite news| last = Douglass| first = Elizabeth| title = Rita Could Deal Blow to Oil Industry| publisher = Los Angeles Times| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/22/business/fi-energy22|accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> [[Valero Energy Corp]], the nation's largest refiner, stated on September 21 that Rita could have caused gasoline prices to rise well above [[United States dollar|$]]3 per US [[gallon]] ($0.79/L), at a time when the U.S. average price was $2.77/gal.<ref name="Rita shuts down US refineries">{{cite news|url=http://theage.com.au/news/world/rita-shuts-down-us-refineries/2005/09/22/1126982154325.html|author=Reuters|title=Rita shuts down US refineries|accessdate=June 30, 2008 | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | date=September 22, 2005}}</ref>
====Mass evacuation====
Just three weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the northern Gulf Coast, the threat of yet another major hurricane prompted mass evacuations in coastal Texas. An estimated 2.5 – 3.7 million people fled prior to Rita's landfall,<ref name="TXHroReport"/><ref name="EvacDeaths"/> making it one of the largest evacuations in United States' history.<ref name="TCR"/>
Officials in [[Galveston County, Texas|Galveston County]] (which includes the city of [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]]), which was devastated by the [[Galveston Hurricane of 1900]], ordered mandatory evacuations, effective September 21 at 6 p.m., in a staggered sequence. Officials designated geographical zones in the area to facilitate an orderly evacuation. People were scheduled to leave at different times over a 24-hour period depending on the zone in which the people were located. The scheduled times were set well in advance of the storm's possible landfall later in the week, but not soon enough to ensure that all residents could evacuate safely in advance of the storm.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror">{{cite news| last = O'Driscoll| first = Patrick |author2=Richard Wolf |author3=Rick Hampson| title = Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror| publisher = USA Today| date = 2005-09-26| url = http://usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-25-evacuation-cover_x.htm| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Nonetheless, many residents remained in the county because they were either unaware of the danger of the storm or believed that it was more important to protect their belongings, particularly in the wake of [[looting]] following Hurricane Katrina.<ref>{{cite news| last = Romero| first = Simon| title = With Faith and Hope, Some Stay Put in Galveston| publisher = New York Times| date = September 23, 2005| url = http://nytimes.com/2005/09/23/national/nationalspecial/23holdouts.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> The evacuation included transfer of all inpatients from the [[University of Texas Medical Branch]] hospital to other regional hospitals.<ref>{{cite news| last = Mangan| first = Katherine S.| title = Texas Colleges Ready for Rita, as Some of Katrina's Academic Evacuees Are Uprooted Again| publisher = [[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm| accessdate = 2008-08-04 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070218112845/http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm |archivedate = February 18, 2007}}</ref> 400 patients were prisoners under the ward of the [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]].<ref>{{cite news| last = Clark| first = Noelene| title = I'm not ever leaving again| publisher = [[The Daily Texan]]| date = 2005-09-26| url = http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2005/09/26/TopStories/im.Not.Ever.Leaving.Again-997963.shtml| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> These patients were systematically transferred to the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler.<ref name="Texas Colleges Ready for Rita, as Some of Katrina's Academic Evacuees Are Uprooted Again">{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm|author=Katherine S. Mangan|title=Texas Colleges Ready for Rita, as Some of Katrina's Academic Evacuees Are Uprooted Again|accessdate=June 30, 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070218112845/http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm |archivedate = February 18, 2007}}</ref>
Officials of Harris County hoped that the designation of zones A, B, and C would help prevent bottlenecks in traffic leaving the area similar to those seen at New Orleans prior to [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] and [[Hurricane Dennis]] earlier that year.<ref>{{cite news| last = Sallee| first = Rad| title = 'Smoother' evacuation in works| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = October 6, 2005| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/05/rita/3384399.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Also, people in certain zones were to be forced to go to certain cities in Texas and were not allowed to exit their designated routes except for food and gas — another feature of the evacuation plan which officials hoped would keep traffic flow orderly.
The evacuation-destination cities included [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], [[College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Huntsville, Texas|Huntsville]], and [[Lufkin, Texas|Lufkin]], Texas. Evacuees were asked to try hotels in the [[Midland, Texas|Midland]]/[[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]] area when hotels began to sell out in other areas.<ref>{{cite news| last = Grisales| first = Claudia| title = No room at Texas inns with Rita threatening| publisher = Cox News Service| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://oxfordpress.com/business/content/shared/news/nation/stories/09/0922_COXRITA_HOTELS.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081205140341/http://www.oxfordpress.com/business/content/shared/news/nation/stories/09/0922_COXRITA_HOTELS.html| archive-date = 2008-12-05| dead-url = yes| df = }}</ref>
On Wednesday, [[Houston]] mayor [[Bill White (Texas politician)|Bill White]] urged residents to evacuate the city, telling residents, "Don't wait; the time for waiting is over," reminding residents of the disaster in New Orleans.<ref name="Miles of Traffic as Texans Heed Order to Leave">{{cite news| last = Blumenthal| first = Ralph| title = Miles of Traffic as Texans Heed Order to Leave| publisher = New York Times| date = September 23, 2005| url = http://nytimes.com/2005/09/23/national/nationalspecial/23storm.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> After heavy traffic snarled roads leading out of town and gas shortages left numerous vehicles stranded, Mayor White backed off his earlier statement with, "If you're not in the evacuation zone, follow the news," advising people to use common sense.<ref name="Miles of Traffic as Texans Heed Order to Leave"/> However, by 3:00 p.m. that afternoon, the freeway system in Houston was at a stand-still.<ref>{{cite news| title = TxDOT Traffic Update - 3:00 p.m.| publisher = KTRE| date = 2005-09-23| url = http://ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=3890929| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref>
To the east of Houston, officials had set up evacuation routes in response to the slow evacuation of residents prior to [[Hurricane Lili]].<ref>{{cite news| last = Moran| first = Kevin| title = Hurricane that missed Kemah started crusade| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = April 14, 2006| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3793245.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> During the Rita evacuation, these preparations and their execution were overwhelmed by the enormous and unprecedented number of people fleeing from the Houston area prior to the departure of local residents.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror"/> By the time [[Jefferson County, Texas|Jefferson County]] began their mandatory evacuation, local roads were already full of Houstonians.<ref>{{cite news| last = Struck| first = Doug|author2=Dana Milbank| title = Rita Spares Cities, Devastates Rural Areas| publisher = Washington Post| date = September 26, 2005| url = http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/25/AR2005092500335.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Traffic on designated evacuation routes was forced to go far slower than the speeds experienced with any previous hurricane.<ref>{{cite news| title = With Rita strengthening, Galveston orders evacuation| publisher = CNN| date = September 21, 2005| url = http://cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/20/rita/index.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last = Litman| first = Todd|date=January 2006| title = Lessons From Katrina and Rita What Major Disasters Can Teach Transportation Planners| journal = Journal of Transportation Engineering| volume = 132| issue = 1| pages = 11–18| url = http://vtpi.org/katrina.pdf| format = pdf| accessdate = 2008-08-04| doi = 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-947X(2006)132:1(11)}}</ref>
By late Thursday (22nd) morning, the [[contraflow]] lanes had been ordered opened after officials determined that the state's highway system had become [[gridlock]]ed.<ref>{{cite news| last = Horswell| first = Cindy|author2=Edward Hegstrom| title = Evacuation Lessons come at high cost: 107 lives| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = September 29, 2005| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/topfront/3374468.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> The Texas Department of Transportation was unprepared to execute such a large-scale evacuation.<ref>{{cite news| title = Gridlock: I-10, I-45 contraflow lanes implemented| publisher = KHOU| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou050922_mh_gburroads.80ccd245.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20051205101648/http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou050922_mh_gburroads.80ccd245.html |archivedate = December 5, 2005}}</ref> Coordination and implementation of the contraflow plan took 8 to 10 hours as inbound traffic was forced to exit. Police were stationed to assist with traffic flow. Evacuees fought traffic Wednesday afternoon through mid-day Friday, moving only a fraction of the normal distance expected.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror"/> Average travel times to Dallas were 24–36 hours, travel times to Austin were 12–18 hours and travel times to San Antonio were 10–16 hours, depending on the point of departure in Houston.<ref>{{cite news| title = Havoc from hurricane comes early to Houston's freeways| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/topstory/3364562.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Many motorists ran out of gas or experienced breakdowns in temperatures that neared {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Traffic volumes did not ease for nearly 48 hours as more than three million residents evacuated the area in advance of the storm.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror"/>
====Evacuation deaths====
As an estimated 2.5 – 3.7 million people evacuated the Texas coastline, a significant [[heat wave]] affected the region. The combination of severe gridlock and excessive heat led to between 90 and 118 deaths even before the storm arrived.<ref name="TXHroReport">{{cite web|work=Texas House of Representatives|publisher=Government of Texas|date=February 14, 2006|accessdate=February 25, 2012 |title=Evacuation Planning in Texas: Before and After Rita|url=http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us/interim/int79-2.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="EvacDeaths"/> Reports from the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' indicated 107 evacuation-related fatalities. [[Texas Legislature|Texas Representative]] [[Garnet Coleman]] criticized the downplay of the deaths in the evacuation and questioned whether the storm would be deadlier than the preparations.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Cindy Horswell |author2=Edward Hegstrom |publisher=''Houston Chronicle'' |date=September 29, 2005|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=Exodus weighs heavily in death toll: 107 |url=http://www.chron.com/news/hurricanes/article/Exodus-weighs-heavily-in-death-toll-107-1502590.php}}</ref> According to local officials, the traffic reached a point where residents felt safer riding out the storm at home rather than being stuck in traffic when Rita struck.<ref name="TXHroReport"/> Many evacuees periodically turned off their air conditioning to reduce fuel consumption as well as drank less water to limit the number of "restroom stops." According to a post-storm study, which reported 90 evacuation-related deaths, nine people perished solely as a result of [[hyperthermia]]. However, it was suspected that most of the 67 deaths attributed to heat stress were a combination of hyperthermia and chronic health conditions.<ref name="EvacDeaths">{{cite web |author1=Anthony Zachria |author2=Bela Patel |work=University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston |publisher=American College of Chest Physicians |date=October 24, 2006 |accessdate=February 25, 2012 |title=Deaths Related to Hurricane Rita and Mass Evacuation |url=http://meeting.chestpubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/130/4/124S-c |archive-url=https://archive.is/20130414111534/http://meeting.chestpubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/130/4/124S-c |dead-url=yes |archive-date=April 14, 2013 }}</ref> In addition to the heat-related deaths, 23 nursing home evacuees were killed after a bus caught fire on [[Interstate 45]] near [[Wilmer, Texas|Wilmer]].<ref name="EvacDeaths"/> The bus erupted into flames after the vehicle's rear [[axle]] overheated, due to insufficient lubrication, and ignited [[therapeutic oxygen]] tanks on board.<ref name="BusSettlement">{{cite web|author=Terri Langford|publisher=''Houston Chronicle''|date=June 4, 2009|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=Settlement over Hurricane Rita bus fire brings closure|url=http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Settlement-over-Hurricane-Rita-bus-fire-brings-1736019.php}}</ref> According to a resident near the site of the accident, there were three explosions.<ref>{{cite web|work=Associated Press|publisher=MSNBC|date=September 24, 2005|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=Bus carrying elderly evacuees burns; 24 dead |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9449949/ns/us_news-katrina_the_long_road_back/t/bus-carrying-elderly-evacuees-burns-dead/#.T0kCTcpIabI}}</ref> Many of the passengers were mobility-impaired making escape difficult or impossible.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Anne Belli |author2=Lisa Falkenberg |publisher=''Houston Chronicle''|date=September 24, 2005|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=24 nursing home evacuees die in bus fire|url=http://www.chron.com/news/hurricanes/article/24-nursing-home-evacuees-die-in-bus-fire-1946742.php}}</ref> In June 2009, nearly four years after the fire, families of those who died in the accident won an $80 million settlement against the manufacturer of the bus and the company that provided the nursing home with it.<ref name="BusSettlement"/>
==Impact==
{{see also|Hurricane Rita tornado outbreak}}
[[File:Rita 2005 rainfall.gif|thumb|Hurricane Rita Rainfall]]
In some areas, the effects of Hurricane Rita were not nearly as severe as anticipated. The [[storm surge]] feared in Galveston and Houston struck farther east as the storm's center came ashore at the Louisiana border. Winds blowing offshore in Texas actually flattened the surge, which was only {{convert|7|ft|m}} in Galveston, well below the height of the [[seawall]]. The {{convert|5|in|mm}} of rain expected to fall overnight in New Orleans as Rita came ashore also did not happen, and the pressure on the levee system was eased. Still, a storm surge of up to {{convert|18|ft|m}} struck southwestern Louisiana, and coastal parishes experienced extensive damage. In [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]], the communities of [[Holly Beach, Louisiana|Holly Beach]], [[Hackberry, Louisiana|Hackberry]], [[Cameron, Louisiana|Cameron]], Creole and Grand Chenier were essentially destroyed.<ref name="New York Review">{{cite web |url=http://newyorkreview.org/mag/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=308&Itemid=36|author=Margaret Saizan|title=A Visual Story of Hurricane Rita|accessdate=June 26, 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070814022725/http://newyorkreview.org/mag/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=308&Itemid=36 |archivedate = August 14, 2007}}</ref> There were also severe impacts, mainly due to wind, in inland parishes and counties across [[Southwest Louisiana]] and [[Southeast Texas]], respectively. Cities such as [[Beaumont, Texas]] and [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]], as well as surrounding communities, suffered extensive wind damage.
An estimated two million people lost [[electricity]].<ref name="Benfield">{{cite web|url=http://benfieldgroup.com/StormCentre/2005+Storm+Season/Atlantic/|author=Benfield Inc.|title=Storm Centre|accessdate=June 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930152249/http://www.benfieldgroup.com/StormCentre/2005+Storm+Season/Atlantic/|archive-date=2007-09-30|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref> Total damage is estimated at approximately $18.5 billion.
===Deaths===
{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 250px; font-size: 95%; float: right; clear:right;" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"
|-
! State !! State total !! County/Parish !! Reported<br />deaths !! Direct<br />deaths
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Florida]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''2''' <ref name="WKRN"/>
|[[Escambia County, Florida|Escambia]]
|1<ref name="WKRN">{{cite web|url=http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=3898247|author=WKRN Nashville|title=WKRN|accessdate=June 26, 2007}}</ref>
|1
|-
|[[Walton County, Florida|Walton]]
|1<ref name="WKRN"/>
|1
|-
|rowspan="1" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Louisiana]]
|rowspan="1" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''1''' <ref name="WKRN"/>
|[[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu]]
|1<ref name="TCR"/>
|1
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Mississippi]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''4''' <ref name=autogenerated5>https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/ap_on_re_us/rita_bus_explosion_hk1</ref>
|[[Humphreys County, Mississippi|Humphreys]]
|1<ref name=autogenerated1>http://www.wjtv.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WJTV/MGArticle/JTV_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785260428&path={{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|1
|-
|[[Pike County, Mississippi|Pike]]
|3<ref>[http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3889493 Our Apologies<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028073633/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3889493 |date=2005-10-28 }}</ref>
|0
|-
|rowspan="9" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Texas]]
|rowspan="9" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''113''' <ref name=autogenerated5 />
|[[Angelina County, Texas|Angelina]]
|2<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ktbs.com/news-detail.html?cityid%3D1%26hid%3D27050 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2005-10-02 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://archive.is/20051018061609/http://www.ktbs.com/news-detail.html?cityid=1&hid=27050 |archivedate=2005-10-18 |df= }}</ref>
|1
|-
|[[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas]]
|23<ref name=autogenerated5 />
|0
|-
|[[Galveston County, Texas|Galveston]]
|36<ref>[http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050928_cd_galvctydeaths.9fb1b409.html TOP STORIES | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051227101718/http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050928_cd_galvctydeaths.9fb1b409.html |date=2005-12-27 }}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Harris County, Texas|Harris]]
|35<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/rssstory.mpl/metropolitan/3378405|title=Rita death toll keeps rising - Chron.com - Houston Chronicle<!-- Bot generated title -->|author=|date=|website=chron.com|accessdate=26 March 2018}}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Jefferson County, Texas|Jefferson]]
|6<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kfdm.com/engine.pl?station%3Dkfdm%26id%3D12094%26template%3Dbreakout_local.shtml |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2005-10-02 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214190940/http://www.kfdm.com/engine.pl?station=kfdm&id=12094&template=breakout_local.shtml |archivedate=2005-12-14 |df= }}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Liberty County, Texas|Liberty]]
|2<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=F15F01A3-B512-4882-9C0C-BACA8AC5A579|title=WOAI Local News - Sponsored by Five Star Cleaners|work=News Radio 1200 WOAI|accessdate=5 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213232649/http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=F15F01A3-B512-4882-9C0C-BACA8AC5A579|archive-date=2006-02-13|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref>
|2
|-
|[[Montgomery County, Texas|Montgomery]]
|2<ref name=autogenerated3 />
|0
|-
|[[Shelby County, Texas|Shelby]]
|1<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wpmi.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id%3DE601A5C1-B61B-46D1-8068-579FDCE076AB |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2005-09-28 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109225045/http://www.wpmi.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=E601A5C1-B61B-46D1-8068-579FDCE076AB |archivedate=2006-01-09 |df= }}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Walker County, Texas|Walker]]
|5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/US|title=U.S. News - National News|first=A. B. C.|last=News|date=|website=ABC News|accessdate=26 March 2018}}</ref>
|0
|- bgcolor="#e6e9ff"
| Totals
| '''120''' <ref>https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050922/ap_on_re_us/rita;_ylt=Au1rtNlWxs7m1F0I9e2eanvqbr8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-</ref>
|
|'''120'''
|'''7'''
|- class="small"
|colspan="5"| Because of differing sources, totals may not match.
|}
The reported death toll for Hurricane Rita was 120. Only seven were direct deaths. One was caused by a tornado spawned in the storm's outer bands, one was due to storm surge flooding and three others were caused by trees blown down in the storm. The two Florida deaths both occurred in [[rip current]]s caused by Rita's distant waves.
Direct deaths are those caused by the direct effects of the [[winds]], [[flood]]ing, [[tornadoes]], storm surge or [[ocean]]ic effects of Rita. Indirect deaths are caused by hurricane-related accidents (including [[automobile|car]] accidents, [[crime]]s, [[fire]]s or other incidents), cleanup and evacuation incidents and health issues (such as [[poison]]ing, [[illness]]es, lack of emergency aid).
===Caribbean===
As Rita developed near the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], it dropped up to {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rain but caused little damage. Throughout the [[Bahamas]], swells produced by Rita reached {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} and storm surge was estimated at {{convert|3|to|5|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|author=Associated Press|publisher=''The Jamaica Observer''|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009|title=Strong winds, heavy rain hit Bahamas as Tropical Storm Rita gathers strength, heads West|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20050920T010000-0500_88759_OBS_STRONG_WINDS__HEAVY_RAIN_HIT_BAHAMAS_AS_TROPICAL_STORM_RITA_GATHERS_STRENGTH__HEADS_WEST_.asp|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060107083302/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20050920T010000-0500_88759_OBS_STRONG_WINDS__HEAVY_RAIN_HIT_BAHAMAS_AS_TROPICAL_STORM_RITA_GATHERS_STRENGTH__HEADS_WEST_.asp|archivedate=January 7, 2006|df=}}</ref> Strong winds were reported across the islands, but no damage resulted from the storm.<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=Associated Press|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=August 20, 2009|title=Tropical Storm Rita brings heavy rain, strong winds to Bahamas as it moves west|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-113266797.html}}</ref>
In Cuba, Rita produced winds up to {{convert|65|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and more than 5 in (127 mm) of rain in some areas. This resulted in significant structural damage but no loss of life.<ref name="RWCuba"/><ref name="MSNBC1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=MSNBC News|date=September 21, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009|title=Cuba appears to escape Rita’s wrath |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9402098/}}</ref> In the Bay Shore area of Havana, water levels rose and inundated 20 blocks of the city.<ref name="RWCuba"/> An estimated 400,000 people in the city lost power a result of the storm.<ref name="CC1"/> In a two-hour span, more than {{convert|8.2|in|mm}} of rain fell in [[Bauta, Cuba|Bauta]].<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=''Bolivarian News Agency''|date=September 21, 2005|accessdate=April 20, 2009|title=Huracán Rita pasó por Cuba sin dejar pérdidas humanas |url=http://www.aporrea.org/ideologia/n66318.html|language=es}}</ref> The torrential rains led to 34 homes collapsing in Havana. Storm surge produced by Rita penetrated an estimated {{convert|330|ft|m|abbr=on}} inland, flooding several towns.<ref name="CC1">{{cite web |author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=''Cuba En Cuentro''|date=September 22, 2005|accessdate=April 20, 2009|title=El huracán Rita afectó a ocho provincias|url=http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cuba/noticias/el-huracan-rita-afecto-a-ocho-provincias-5211|language=es}}</ref>
===Florida===
Rita produced moderate rains across southern [[Florida]], peaking at {{convert|5.13|in|mm}} in [[Tenraw, Florida|Tenraw]].<ref name="TCR"/> A band of rain, estimated to be {{convert|20|mi|km|abbr=on}} wide produced heavier rain, with doppler radar estimating some totals over {{convert|10|in|mm}}.<ref name="NCDCFL1">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009 |title=Florida Event Report: Tropical Storm|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569238}}</ref> Most of the [[Florida Keys]] received 3 in (76.2 mm) of rain or more. The [[maximum sustained wind|highest sustained winds]] were recorded at 20:32 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (3:32 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]) on September 20 in [[Key West]] at {{convert|62|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Gusts in Key West were recorded at {{convert|76|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. A maximum storm surge of {{convert|5|ft|m|abbr=on}} was recorded,<ref name="TCR">{{cite web|author1=Richard D. Knabb|author2=Daniel P. Brown |author3=Jamie R. Rhome |publisher=[[National Hurricane Center]]|date=March 17, 2006|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Hurricane Rita Tropical Cyclone Report|url={{NHC TCR url|id=AL182005_Rita}}|format=PDF}}</ref> which flooded at least 200 homes throughout four blocks in Key West.<ref name="NCDCFL2">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Event Report: Storm Surge|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569241}}</ref> Floodwaters up to {{convert|3|ft|m|abbr=on}} deep reached the runways at [[Key West International Airport]].<ref name="TCR"/> A storm surge of {{convert|1.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} 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.<ref name="NCDCFL1"/> One [[funnel cloud]] was reported along [[Interstate 95 in Florida|Interstate 95]] in [[Lake Worth, Florida|Lake Worth]]. Winds were estimated at {{convert|30|-|40|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NCDCFL3">{{cite web |publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Event Report: Funnel Cloud |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569240}}</ref> High seas from Rita on September 22 flooded parts of coastal [[Walton County, Florida|Walton County]]. Moderate beach erosion also occurred as a result of the high seas. Damages from the flooding estimated at $200,000.<ref name="NCDCFL4">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009 |title=Florida Event Report: High Seas|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569245}}</ref> Damages in southern Florida were minimal.<ref name="TCR"/> On September 24, strong rip currents produced by the remnants of Rita resulted in the death of one person near [[Miramar Beach, Florida|Miramar Beach]].<ref name="NCDCFL5">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005 |accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Event Report: Rip Current|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569246}}</ref>
===Louisiana===
[[File:FEMA - 16669 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 10-03-2005 in Louisiana.jpg|thumb|right|[[Holly Beach]], a town along the Gulf Coast completely destroyed by Rita]]
With an estimated cost of $8 billion in damages, Hurricane Rita's impact across Louisiana varied. One person is known to have drowned during the event.<ref name="TCR"/><ref name="NCDCLA1"/> Due to the hurricane's storm surge, which topped levees and inundated low-lying coastal communities, the greatest amount of damage extended across most of southern Louisiana, from the Mississippi River delta to the Sabine River. Widespread power outages affected roughly 1 million customers, with Entergy Louisiana reporting the largest outage of 601,183 customers losing power.<ref name="PowerRpt4">{{cite web|author=Staff Writers|publisher=United States Department of Energy| date=September 27, 2005|accessdate=August 20, 2009|title=Gulf Coast Hurricanes Situation report #4 |url=http://www.oe.netl.doe.gov/docs/gulf_coast/gulf_092705_1500.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref>
In southeast Louisiana's [[Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana|Terrebonne Parish]], storm surge reached {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=on}} flooding an estimated 10,000 homes. Virtually every levee was breached.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buildings burn, roofs gone as soutwest Louisiana bears hurricane's worst|url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3892692|publisher=KATC|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028073231/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3892692|archivedate=October 28, 2005}}</ref> Some people were stranded in flooded communities and had to be rescued by boat. At least 100 people were reported rescued from rooftops.<ref>{{cite web|title='It just kept coming' Rita swamps Louisiana coast, stranding scores of people|url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3893500|publisher=KATC|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028073400/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3893500|archivedate=October 28, 2005}}</ref> Already devastated by [[Hurricane Katrina]], the [[Industrial Canal]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] was again flooded by Hurricane Rita as the recently-and-hurriedly-repaired levees were breached once more.
In south-central [[Vermilion Parish, Louisiana|Vermilion Parish]], storm surge reached all the way up to the communities of [[Abbeville, Louisiana|Abbeville]], [[Gueydan, Louisiana|Gueydan]], and [[Lake Arthur, Louisiana|Lake Arthur]]. The {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} surge completely flooded [[Pecan Island, Louisiana|Pecan Island]], [[Intracoastal City, Louisiana|Intracoastal City]], and [[Delcambre, Louisiana|Delcambre]].<ref name="NCDCLA1">{{cite web|author=Stuart Hinson|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005 |accessdate=August 20, 2009|title=Louisiana Event Report: Hurricane|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~577623}}</ref> Nearly all of the structures on Pecan Island were destroyed.<ref name="TCR"/> Rescue efforts were undertaken for up to 1,000 people stranded by local flooding. On Saturday, September 24 alone, 250 people were rescued.<ref name=cnn092005>{{cite news| url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/09/24/news.update.sat/| work=CNN | title=CNN.com - The latest on Rita and Katrina - Sep 24, 2005 | accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref>
However, the southwestern region of the state near where Rita made landfall was undeniably the worst impacted region in Louisiana.<ref name="TCR"/>
In [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]], the damage was catastrophic, particularly along the coastline and north to the Intracoastal Waterway. Coastal storm surge was estimated around {{convert|18|ft|m|abbr=on}}, with lower levels farther inland from the coast, yet much of north-western and north-central Cameron Parish experienced significant flooding. The southern Cameron Parish communities of Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier, Holly Beach, Johnson Bayou, Little Chenier and Oak Grove were either heavily devastated or entirely wiped out by the storm surge, with nearly 95 percent of homes, businesses, and infrastructure completely destroyed. Closer to the Intracoastal Waterway, communities shared a similar fate; Big Lake, Deatonville, Gibbstown and [[Hackberry, Louisiana|Hackberry]] were all devastated or heavily damaged. In Hackberry, an unofficial wind gust of 180 mph was recorded on a boat tied up to a local dock. Above the Intracoastal Waterway in northern Cameron Parish, damage was devastating, with the communities of Grand Lake, Hebert's Camp, Lowry, Pelican Point, and Sweetlake suffering from extensive flooding and wind damage. Over a decade later, many communities south of the Intracoastal Waterway are still recovering, with their populations significantly lower than pre-Rita levels.
To the north in [[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu Parish]], the cities and communities of [[Iowa, Louisiana|Iowa]], [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]], [[Moss Bluff, Louisiana|Moss Bluff]], [[Sulphur, Louisiana|Sulphur]], and [[Westlake, Louisiana|Westlake]] suffered severe wind damage, and some areas also received flooding due to both storm surge and heavy rain. In Lake Charles, the storm surge that traveled up the Calcasieu Ship Channel from the coast was estimated to be up to {{convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on}}. A [[casino]] boat secured at the north end of the lake, and several barges secured at the Port of Lake Charles, broke free from their moorings, floating loose until running into the Interstate 10 bridge over the Calcasieu River, causing minor damage. Other areas of Lake Charles also experienced severe flooding, with reports of water rising 6–8 feet, at one point inundating the lower floors of the Lake Charles Civic Center. At a hotel on a section of the [[Contraband Bayou]] near Interstate 210 and Prien Lake Road, water reportedly rose as high as the second floor. There was extensive minor-to-major structural wind damage across the entire area, including the near-devastation of the Lake Charles Regional Airport south of the city.<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/24/rita.assess/index.html| work=CNN | title=CNN.com - Rita's impact, city by city - Sep 24, 2005 | accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref> Damage to the entire region's electrical and communications infrastructure was severe, and authorities warned returning residents that restoration of services to some areas would take weeks to months.
[[File:FEMA - 20460 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 11-19-2005 in Louisiana.jpg|thumb|left|Holly Beach was almost completely leveled by Rita's storm surge]]
In the western Calcasieu parish communities of [[Vinton, Louisiana|Vinton]] and Starks, wind damage was also severe. The roof was torn off of the Vinton Recreation Center, and many homes were damaged by fallen trees and utility poles. Damaged utility towers made power restoration problematic, with much of the area waiting months for utilities to be restored.
[[Allen Parish, Louisiana|Allen]], [[Beauregard Parish, Louisiana|Beauregard]], [[Jeff Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jeff Davis]], and [[Vernon Parish, Louisiana|Vernon]] parishes suffered lesser, yet still significant, degrees of wind damage and flooding damage due to heavy rain.
After weakening to a tropical storm, Rita entered [[DeSoto Parish, Louisiana|DeSoto]] and [[Caddo Parish, Louisiana|Caddo Parishes]]. The center passed just west of Downtown [[Shreveport]] before crossing the [[Arkansas]] border. At the height of the storm, over 175,000 people had lost power in the [[National Weather Service]] Shreveport's forecast area, mainly across [[Deep East Texas]] into northwest Louisiana. Two fatalities occurred in the [[Ark-La-Tex]]. A tree fell on one person; the other fatality occurred when a teenager was electrocuted when picking up a "hot" power line. Shreveport recorded its 2nd lowest pressure ever recorded as the center of Rita moved through Shreveport around 6 pm Saturday evening. The pressure recorded was {{convert|29.05|inHg|mb}} which was only .01 inch higher than the lowest pressure on record of 29.04 inches back on February 27, 1902.<ref>[http://www.srh.noaa.gov/shv/Hurricane_Rita.htm WFO SHV - Hurricane Rita Archived Page<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113043044/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/shv/Hurricane_Rita.htm |date=2007-01-13 }}</ref>
===Mississippi===
In [[Mississippi]], Rita produced widespread rainfall upon its landfall in Louisiana;<ref name="HPC"/> 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 {{convert|10|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rain around the [[Big Black River (Mississippi)|Big Black River]]<ref name="NCDC Miss."/> in the span of a few hours.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 20, 2009 |title=Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581659}}</ref> The heavy rainfall caused significant flooding in [[Yazoo County, Mississippi|Yazoo]] and [[Warren County, Mississippi|Warren]] Counties. In Yazoo, numerous homes had water inside and countywide damage amounted to $6 million.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title=Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581679}}</ref> Damage in Warren County was less than Yazoo, amounting to $2.7 million.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581678}}</ref> [[Holmes County, Mississippi|Holmes]], [[Hinds County, Mississippi|Hinds]] and [[Madison County, Mississippi|Madison]] Counties also had flooding, with damage in all three counties amounting to $2 million.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581676}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581675}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher= NOAA National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581677}}</ref> Several roads were also flooded in [[Monroe County, Mississippi|Monroe County]] after {{convert|6|in|mm}} of rain fell.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Tropical Depression |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581660}}</ref> Winds up to {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} downed numerous trees throughout the state.<ref name="NCDC"/> In [[Adams County, Mississippi|Adams County]], winds caused several trees to fall on homes in [[Natchez, Mississippi|Natchez]], leaving $270,000 in damage.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Thunderstorm Wind |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581608}}</ref> In Warren County, a mobile home was destroyed after a tree was downed by high winds.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Thunderstorm Wind |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581663}}</ref>
An unusually large amount of tornadoes touched down in the state due to Rita, with 54 confirmed in Mississippi alone. The size of the [[tornado outbreak]] ranked it as the largest recorded by the [[National Weather Service]] office in [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]].<ref name="NCDC Miss.">{{cite web |publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Hurricane |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581581}}</ref> An F1 tornado killed one person after tossing a mobile home into the air and destroying it, two other occupants sustained serious injuries.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year= 2005 |accessdate=August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: F1 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581611}}</ref> Damage from tornadoes alone in the state amounted to $14.5 million.<ref name="NCDC"/> Six F2 tornadoes touched down in Mississippi,<ref name="NCDC"/> one of these tracked for nearly {{convert|18|mi|km}} and grew to a width of {{cvt|800|yd|m}}. The tornado caused $2.5 million in damage and injured three people after destroying one building and severely damaging several homes and farms.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: F2 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581613}}</ref> Another F1 tornado struck a mobile home park, destroying eleven homes, injuring seven people and leaving $2 million in damages.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: F1 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581694}}</ref> Throughout the state, 2,127 residences lost power due to high winds.<ref name="PowerRpt4"/>
===Texas===
{{clear}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2017}}<!--3 paragraphs without citations-->
[[File:HurricaneRitaFlooding AMO 20050925.jpg |thumb|Two satellite images showing the extent of flooding caused by Rita in Louisiana and Texas.]]
{{Costliest U.S. Atlantic hurricanes|align=left}}
The impact of Rita, limited to Southeast and East Texas, varied, with both wind and storm-surge damage impacting communities in various ways. Hurricane-force winds extended over {{convert|100|mi}} inland across eastern Texas, causing extensive damage to trees in the [[Piney Woods]]. Communities near and along the west side of the Sabine river, from the Gulf coast up to [[Toledo Bend Reservoir]], saw the greatest measure of damage. The worst damage in the state occurred in several counties in Southeast Texas, including [[Jefferson County, Texas|Jefferson]], [[Orange County, Texas|Orange]], [[Hardin County, Texas|Hardin]], [[Jasper County, Texas|Jasper]], [[Newton County, Texas|Newton]], and [[Tyler County, Texas|Tyler]] counties, where damage to electrical and communication services was severe. Power was not restored in some areas across the region for weeks to even months. Cities in the [[Southeast Texas#Golden Triangle|"Golden Triangle"]] formed by [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], [[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]], and [[Orange, TX]] sustained extensive wind damage, whether directly from wind, or collaterally from wind-fallen trees, tree branches and/or other detritus. In Beaumont, an estimated 25% of the trees in neighborhoods across the city were uprooted or heavily damaged, and in [[Groves, Texas|Groves]] (home of "The Texas Pecan Festival"), about the same percentage of pecan trees suffered similar fates. The water treatment plant in [[Port Neches, Texas|Port Neches]] was heavily damaged. Governor Rick Perry declared a nine-county disaster area as a result of the significant damage in those communities.
In [[Galveston, Texas]], parts of the coast not protected by the sea wall experienced minor storm-surge flooding. At the height of Rita's landfall, a fire broke out in the [[Strand Historic District]]; the Galveston [[fire department]] reacted quickly, and was able to contain and douse the wind-whipped blaze, limiting damage and preventing the fire from spreading throughout the city. Luckily, no serious injuries were reported, though several historic buildings were either gutted or damaged; a fire-weakened wall of the vacated Yaga's Cafe and Bar collapsed several hours later, likely due to lingering wind gusts.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2005-09-24-galveston-fire_x.htm |work= USA Today |title= Three buildings in historic Galveston district catch fire |date= September 25, 2005 |accessdate= May 4, 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Flooding in Galveston from Hurricane Rita.jpg |thumb |left|Floodwaters and destruction left in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, in an area located near [[Galveston Bay]], Texas.]]
For the most part, [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] escaped major damage, apart from extensive power interruptions. A few windows blew out of some [[Downtown Houston|downtown]] skyscrapers, and some trees and traffic signals were downed or damaged.<ref>"[http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050924_mh_downtowndamage.8bdf5eae.html TOP STORIES | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas]". {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051001004352/http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050924_mh_downtowndamage.8bdf5eae.html |date=2005-10-01 }}</ref> Thirty-one deaths in [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] were attributed to Rita, mostly related to the evacuation and cleanup.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/kprc/20050927/lo_kprc/2963330 |title= Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines |work=Yahoo News |accessdate=5 October 2014}}{{dead link|date=May 2018}}</ref>
[[File:FellowshipChurch.jpg |thumb|right|Church in Beaumont with roof ripped off by Hurricane Rita.]]
North of Houston, the {{convert|2.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-wide}} [[Lake Livingston]] [[dam]] sustained substantial damage from powerful waves driven by wind gusts of up to {{cvt|117|mph}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita Damages Lake Livingston Dam|url=http://www.trinityra.org/Press%20Releases/about_press_09_26_05.htm|publisher=Trinity River Authority of Texas|accessdate=September 27, 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002134424/http://www.trinityra.org/Press%20Releases/about_press_09_26_05.htm| archivedate=October 2, 2006|date=September 26, 2005}}</ref> and officials started an emergency release of water to lessen pressure on the dam. A number of news outlets reported on Sunday, September 25, 2005, that the discharge put lives at risk downstream and threatened a major bridge. Repairs to the dam were expected to take months to complete.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4281518.stm | work=BBC News | title=Town faces up to Rita challenges | date=September 25, 2005 | accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref> After water levels were lowered and an inspection was conducted by national and local experts, the dam was declared stable late on Monday, September 26, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050926006153&newsLang=en|title=Trinity River Authority of Texas: Hurricane Rita Damages Lake Livingston Dam|author=|date=|website=home.businesswire.com|accessdate=26 March 2018}}</ref>
Rita's landfall in extreme Southwest Louisiana spared southeast and east Texas far greater damage from storm surge. In particular, Texas's coastal communities around [[Galveston Bay]], located to the west of where the storm came ashore, were largely protected from Rita's storm surge by her fortuitous path. However, [[Sabine Pass, Texas|Sabine Pass]] experienced a significant storm surge, which destroyed much of the community. The town was featured on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which built a new fire station in the community. The new fire station was later destroyed in [[Hurricane Ike]], which struck the Texas coast in 2008.
Prudently, a mandatory evacuation of Southeast Texas had been issued before Rita's landfall by both local and state governments. As a result of Governor Perry's disaster declaration, many residents displaced by, and/or returning home to the aftermath of Rita were able to take advantage of up to 60 days of hotel rooms, generators, chainsaws, and monetary assistance by FEMA.
===Elsewhere===
As Hurricane Rita passed to the south of Florida on September 20,<ref name="TCR"/> outer bands to the north produced minor rainfall in parts of southern [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], peaking near {{convert|3|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC">{{cite web|author= David M. Roth |publisher= Hydrometeorological Prediction Center |year=2009 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Hurricane Rita - September 17–26, 2005 |url= http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/rita2005.html}}</ref> In [[Alabama]], the storm produced 22 weak tornadoes, mainly rated F0, causing minor isolated damage amounting to roughly $1.2 million.<ref name="NCDC">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center |year=2009 |accessdate=August 20, 2009 |title=NCDC Storm Events Database |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5a1zWeTTp?url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms |archivedate=August 13, 2008 |df=}}</ref> Heavy rains also fell in association with Rita in the state. Most of the western portions of Alabama received more than {{convert|3|in|mm}}, with south-central portions peaking around {{convert|7|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC"/> The remnants of Rita had little impact in [[Tennessee]], only consisting of moderate rainfall, peaking near {{convert|5|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC"/> Up to {{convert|3|in|mm}} 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.<ref name="HPC"/>
The weakened remnants of Hurricane Rita produced heavy rainfall and several tornadoes on September 24 in Arkansas.<ref name="NCDC"/> Most of the state received at least {{convert|1|in|mm}} of rain with maximum amounts around {{convert|5|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC"/> Three F2 tornadoes touched down in the state, the first injured five people in [[Lonoke County, Arkansas|Lonoke County]],<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate=August 19, 2009 |title=Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566162}}</ref> the second was a low-end F2 tornado that completely destroyed a double-wide mobile home.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 19, 2009|title=Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566170}}</ref> The third was rated as a high-end F2 with winds near {{convert|155|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}; it destroyed three structures and severely damaged several others.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 19, 2009|title=Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566171}}</ref> Throughout the state, winds gusted up to {{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}},<ref name="ARKNCDC1"/> leaving 2,976 residences without power.<ref name="PowerRpt4"/> Damage in Arkansas amounted to roughly $1 million.<ref name="ARKNCDC1">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 19, 2009|title=Arkansas Event Report: Hurricane|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566150}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
{{see also|List of retired Atlantic hurricane names}}
===Retirement===
Resulting from heavy destruction on the Gulf Coast, the name ''Rita'' was retired in the spring of 2006, and will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced by [[Hurricane Rina (2011)|Rina]] for the [[2011 Atlantic hurricane season]]'s list.<ref>{{cite web |author=Chris Vaccaro|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=April 6, 2006|accessdate=February 24, 2012 |title=Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan and Wilma "Retired" from List of Storm Names |url=http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2607.htm}}</ref>
===Economic effects===
[[File:Hurricane Rita projected path September 22.png|thumb|left|Projected path of Hurricane Rita on September 22 highlighting refineries and oil rigs across southeast Texas and southern Louisiana.]]
The heavy concentration of oil infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico makes hurricanes of Rita's intensity very problematic. Currently, very little spare crude oil capacity exists in the United States, and the Gulf of Mexico produces some {{convert|2|Moilbbl|m3}} per day total, as well as having some 30% of the total refining capacity of the United States. Rita's path traveled through a dense area of offshore pipelines and [[oil platform]]s, and on land to an area with large refineries. With over half of Gulf production still shut down in the wake of Katrina, some economists have stated that a worst-case scenario is for gasoline prices to briefly touch $5/US gallon ($1.30/L), which would be easily the highest real price for gasoline paid in the United States during the internal combustion era. The most serious incident was the capsizing of the [[tension-leg platform]] Typhoon. Despite this, post-storm predictions estimated only minor price rises. With some 200,000 [[jobless claims]] attributed to Katrina, Rita may have been a further drag on a weakened US economy.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
The most pessimistic projections had [[GDP]] growth cut by 1% on an annualized basis in the United States in the second half of 2005, with as many as 500,000 people made [[unemployment rate|unemployed]]. Some economists argued that the rebuilding effort could buoy the economy in 2006, while others argued that the energy spike could decrease consumer confidence by enough to send the economy into a full-fledged [[recession]] when combined with the Federal Reserve's recent increases in interest rates. While the above did happen, it did not [[2008 energy crisis|occur until 2008]], nearly three years after Rita's impact.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
Due to the impending oil shortage and increasing gas prices, Georgia Governor [[Sonny Perdue]] declared what he termed "snow days," closing all Georgia public primary and secondary schools on September 26 and 27 to conserve fuel for buses.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
The combined effect of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was the destruction of an estimated {{convert|562|km2|sqmi}} of coastal wetlands in Louisiana.<ref>Rosenzweig, C., G. Casassa, D.J. Karoly, A. Imeson, C. Liu, A. Menzel, S. Rawlins, T.L. Root, B. Seguin, P. Tryjanowski. (2007). "Assessment of observed changes and responses in natural and managed systems. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability". Chapter 1 in ''Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change'', (M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. (url : http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-chapter1.pdf). Pp 92. Accessed 19 December 2011.
</ref>
===Military relief operations===
[[File:JTF Rita.jpg|thumb|right|Soldiers load hundreds of [[Meals, Ready-to-Eat]] and [[water]] onto a [[CH-47 Chinook]] helicopter at [[Ellington Field, Texas]]]]
On September 24, 2005, following the havoc caused by Hurricanes [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] and Rita, the [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] named Brig. Gen. [[Douglas Pritt]] of the [[41st Brigade Combat Team]], [[Oregon Army National Guard]], head of Joint Task Force Rita (formally called JTF Ponchartrain).<ref>{{cite web|title=Oregon Guard assumes command over troops from other states|url=http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8CQSDL80.html|publisher=KWG-TV|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111223326/http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8CQSDL80.html|archivedate=January 11, 2009|date=September 24, 2005}}</ref> The 1,400 Oregonian soldiers and airmen, including the 1st Battalion of the 186th Infantry which is designated a quick response unit, are joined by engineers and [[military police]] from Louisiana, the 56th [[Stryker]] brigade from [[Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milvet.state.pa.us/PAO/pr/09_27_05.htm|title=Keystone Kindness Clobbers Katrina Catastrophe|last=Ostrich|first=Jay|date=September 27, 2005|website=www.milvet.state.pa.us|accessdate=March 26, 2018}}</ref> and an engineering battalion from [[Missouri]]. It is their mission to provide relief support for all of the areas in Texas and Louisiana affected by the two storms and to remove obstructions that might otherwise hinder help to those affected.
===American Red Cross operations===
The American Red Cross continued to provide disaster relief to Hurricane Katrina affected areas, but as a result of Hurricane Rita, had to open additional shelters in other [[Gulf Coast of the United States|gulf states]]. The Red Cross also expanded their Hurricane Katrina internet "Safe List" for use by those affected by Hurricane Rita.
===AmeriCorps relief operations===
[[AmeriCorps]] sent several crews to Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana in response to [[Hurricane Katrina]] and Hurricane Rita. The crews originated from two main organizations, the [[National Civilian Community Corps]] (NCCC) and the Washington Conservation Corps (WCC), as well as from smaller Americorps organizations such as Americorps St. Louis' Emergency Response Team (ERT). The crews performed a number of relief tasks for hurricane survivors, including support on the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA)/[[Carnival Cruise Lines]] shelter ship, tarping damaged roofs, and debris removal. As of the beginning of 2006, AmeriCorps teams have been involved in the rebuilding efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi. Teams have also operated volunteer camps like Camp Premier as well as assisted with the Made with Love cafe. As of May 2006, AmeriCorps reported that it would continue to send relief to affected areas.
==See also==
{{Portalbar|Tropical cyclones|Disaster|United States|Louisiana|2000s}}
* [[List of tropical cyclones]]
* [[List of Atlantic hurricanes]]
* [[List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes]]
* [[List of 2005 Atlantic hurricane season storms]]
* [[FEMA Trailer]]
* [[Timeline of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season]]
* [[List of Florida hurricanes (2000–present)]]
* [[List of Texas hurricanes (1980-present)]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Hurricane Rita}}
{{Wikinewshas|related news|
* [[n:Florida Keys evacuated in preparation for Rita|Florida Keys evacuated in preparation for Rita]]
* [[n:Houston mayor urges evacuations as Hurricane Rita moves closer to shore|Houston mayor urges evacuations as Hurricane Rita moves closer to shore]]
* [[n:Hurricane Rita turns toward Texas-Louisiana border|Hurricane Rita turns toward Texas-Louisiana border]]
* [[n:Hurricane Rita makes landfall|Hurricane Rita makes landfall]]
* [[n:Massive traffic jams, gas shortages plug evacuation routes near Houston|Massive traffic jams, gas shortages plug evacuation routes near Houston]]
* [[n:Oil price jumps as Rita heads to refineries|Oil price jumps as Rita heads to refineries]]}}
* The NHC's [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/refresh/RITA+shtml/ archive on Hurricane Rita]
* The HPC's [http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical2005/RITA/RITA_archive.shtml archive on Tropical Depression Rita]
* The HPC's [http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/rita2005.html rainfall page for Rita]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061214184302/http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/site/news.asp?brd=2287 Hurricane Rita: from wreckage to rebirth], from [http://www.beaumontenterprise.com The Beaumont Enterprise]
* [http://www.newsnow.co.uk/newsfeed/?name=Hurricane+Watch NewsNow.co.uk's Hurricane Watch newsfeed]
* [http://www.disastercenter.com/Tropical%20Storm%20-%20Hurricane%20-%20Rita.html The Disaster Center's Rita coverage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050923200114/http://hurricane.methaz.org/hurapak/ TAOS Autorun] - Real-time damage estimates
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060423091836/http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/hurricane/gas/ Hurricane Rita Supply Availability Map]
* [http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2005/9/20/144722/791 "The Oil Drum: Rita Resource Page for Oil and Natural Gas Infrastructure Damage"] The Oil Drum: Rita Oil and Gas Resources
* [http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2005/wrf.shtml Research Model Advances Hurricane Intensity Prediction]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051030083600/http://mindfully.org/Air/2005/Cyclone-Increasing-Destructive4aug05.htm Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones]
* [http://sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/309/5742/1844 Changes in Tropical Cyclone Number, Duration, and Intensity in a Warming Environment]
* [http://www.hurricane-katrina.org Beyond Katrina - Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, continuing recovery news, information, and resources five years post]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080804105955/http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/katrina/ Science Magazine Katrina/Rita page]
* [http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/archive/2005/storms/rita/rita-ir.avi Color Enhanced Infrared Satellite Video of Hurricane Rita]
* [http://www.hurricanearchive.org/ Hurricane Digital Memory Bank] Preserving the Stories of Katrina, Rita, and Wilma
* [http://www.workforcealliance.org/policy/WorkforceReDevelopmentintheGulfCoastFINAL.pdf Workforce Redevelopment in the Gulf Coast]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060523235216/http://websearch.archive.org/katrina/ Hurricanes Katrina & Rita Web Archive]
{{Retired Atlantic hurricanes}}
{{Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes}}
{{2005_Atlantic_hurricane_season_buttons}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rita (2005)}}
[[Category:Hurricane Rita| ]]
[[Category:Retired Atlantic hurricanes]]
[[Category:2005 Atlantic hurricane season]]
[[Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes]]
[[Category:Lake Charles, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Florida]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Texas]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Arkansas]]
[[Category:September 2005 events]]
{{distinguish|Hurricane Rina}}
{{Infobox Hurricane
| Name=Hurricane Rita
| Type=hurricane
| Year=2005
| Basin=Atl
| Image location=HurricaneRita21Sept05a.jpg
| Image name=Hurricane Rita near peak intensity on September 21
| Formed=September 18, 2005
| Dissipated=September 26, 2005
| 1-min winds=155
| Pressure=895
| Damages=18500
| Fatalities=97–125 total
| Areas=[[Hispaniola]], [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], [[Bahamas]], [[Cuba]], [[Florida]], [[Mississippi]], [[Louisiana]], [[Texas]], [[Arkansas]], [[Missouri]], [[Illinois]], [[Great Lakes region]]
| Hurricane season=[[2005 Atlantic hurricane season]]
}}
'''Hurricane Rita''' was the fourth-most intense [[Atlantic hurricane]] ever recorded and the most intense [[tropical cyclone]] ever observed in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Part of the record-breaking [[2005 Atlantic hurricane season]], which included three of the top ten [[List of the most intense tropical cyclones#North Atlantic Ocean|most intense Atlantic hurricanes]] ever recorded (along with #1 [[Hurricane Wilma|Wilma]] and #7 [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]]), Rita was the seventeenth named storm, tenth hurricane, and fifth major hurricane of the 2005 [[Atlantic hurricane season|season]]. Rita formed near [[The Bahamas]] from a [[tropical wave]] on September 18, 2005 that originally developed off the coast of [[West Africa]]. It moved westward, and after passing through the [[Florida Straits]], Rita entered an environment of abnormally warm waters. Moving west-northwest, it [[rapid deepening|rapidly intensified]] to reach peak winds of 180 mph (285 km/h), achieving Category 5 status on September 21st. However, it weakened to a Category 3 hurricane before making landfall in Johnson's Bayou, Louisiana, between [[Sabine Pass, Texas]] and [[Holly Beach, Louisiana]], with winds of 115 mph (185 km/h). Rapidly weakening over land, Rita degenerated into a large [[low-pressure area]] over the lower [[Mississippi Valley]] by September 26th.
In [[Louisiana]], Rita's [[storm surge]] inundated low-lying communities along the entire coast, worsening effects caused by Hurricane Katrina less than a month prior, such as topping the hurriedly-repaired Katrina-damaged [[levee]]s at New Orleans. Parishes in Southwest Louisiana and counties in Southeast Texas where Rita made landfall suffered from severe to catastrophic flooding and wind damage. According to an October 25, 2005 Disaster Center report, 4,526 single-family dwellings were destroyed in Orange and Jefferson counties located in Southeast Texas. Major damage was sustained by 14,256 additional single-family dwellings, and another 26,211 single-family dwellings received minor damage. Mobile homes and apartments also sustained significant damage or total destruction.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Disaster Center's Tropical Storm - Hurricane Rita Page|url=http://www.disastercenter.com/Tropical%20Storm%20-%20Hurricane%20-%20Rita.html|publisher=disastercenter.com|accessdate=January 2, 2015|date=October 25, 2005}}</ref> In all, nine Texas counties and five Louisiana Parishes were declared [[disaster area]]s after the storm. Electric service was [[power outage|disrupted]] in some areas of both Texas and Louisiana for several weeks. Texas reported the most deaths from the hurricane, where 113 deaths were reported, 107 of which were associated with the evacuation of the [[Houston]] metropolitan area.
Moderate to severe damage was reported across the lower Mississippi Valley. Rainfall from the storm and its associated remnants extended from Louisiana to [[Michigan]]. Rainfall peaked at {{convert|16.00|in|mm|abbr=on}} in Central Louisiana. Several [[tornado]]es were also associated with the hurricane and its subsequent remnants. Throughout the path of Rita, damage totaled about $18.5 billion (2005 USD).<ref>{{cite report|title=Costliest U.S. tropical cyclones tables updated|url=https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/news/UpdatedCostliest.pdf|publisher=National Hurricane Center|date=January 26, 2018|accessdate=January 28, 2018}}</ref> As many as 120 deaths in four U.S. states were directly related to the hurricane.
__TOC__
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==Meteorological history==
{{storm path|Rita 2005 track.png|alt=The path of a tropical cyclone on a map as represented by colored dots. Each dot represents the storm's intensity at six-hour intervals.}}
On September 7, 2005, a [[tropical wave]] emerged off the west coast of Africa and moved westward into the Atlantic Ocean. Failing to produce organized, deep [[convection|atmospheric convection]],<ref name=TCR /> the disturbance was not monitored by the [[National Hurricane Center]] (NHC) for [[tropical cyclogenesis]].<ref name=TWOAT>{{cite web|title=2005 Archive of Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook Text Products|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/|work=Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlooks|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|year=2005}}</ref> Convection associated with the system increased briefly late on September 13 before dissipating shortly thereafter. At roughly the same time, a remnant surface [[trough (meteorology)|trough]] had developed from a dissipating [[stationary front]] and began to drift westward north of the [[Lesser Antilles]].<ref name=TCR /> Meanwhile, the tropical wave slowly became better organized and was first noted in the NHC's Tropical Weather Outlooks on September 15 while northeast of [[Puerto Rico]].<ref name=TWO152123>{{cite web|title=Tropical Weather Outlook For 5:30 PM, EDT, September 15, 2005|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/text/TWOAT/2005/TWOAT.200509152123|work=Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlooks|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|date=September 15, 2005|author=Pasch, Richard}}</ref> The wave merged with the surface trough two days later, triggering an increase in convective activity and organization. A subsequent decrease in [[wind shear]] enabled for additional organization, and at 0000 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on September 18, the NHC estimated that the storm system had organized enough to be classified as a tropical depression,<ref name=TCR /> the eighteenth disturbance during the [[2005 Atlantic hurricane season|hurricane season]] to do so. At the time, the disturbance, classified as Tropical Depression Eighteen,<ref name=ADV1>{{cite web|title=Tropical Depression Eighteen Advisory Number 1|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/pub/al182005.public.001.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Public Advisories|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Stewart, Stacy R.|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 17, 2005}}</ref> was roughly {{convert|80|mi|km|abbr=on}} east of [[Grand Turk Island]] in the [[Turks and Caicos]] and had developed [[rainband|banding features]].<ref name=TCR /><ref name=DISC1>{{cite web|title=Tropical Depression Eighteen Discussion Number 1|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.001.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Stewart, Stacy R.|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 17, 2005}}</ref>
In generally favorable conditions for tropical development, the depression quickly organized, and attained [[tropical storm]] strength at 1800 UTC that day based on data from [[Hurricane Hunters|reconnaissance flights]] and nearby ships and [[weather buoy]]s. As a result, the tropical storm was named Rita.<ref name=TCR /><ref name=DISC4>{{cite web|title=Tropical Storm Rita Discussion Number 4 |url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.004.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Knabb, Richard|location=Miami, Florida |date=September 18, 2005}}</ref> However, an increase in moderate southerly vertical wind shear as the result of a nearby [[upper-level low]] subdued continued intensification and displaced convective activity to the north of Rita's center of circulation. Once the upper-level low weakened, Rita's center of circulation reformed to the north, compensating for the disorganization that resulted from the wind shear. Consequently, the tropical storm resumed its previous strengthening trend as it was steered westward across [[The Bahamas]] along the south periphery of a [[ridge (meteorology)|ridge]].<ref name=TCR />{{Atlantic hurricane best track}} Upon entering the [[Straits of Florida]] on September 20, Rita strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane by 1200 UTC,<ref name=DISC11>{{cite web |title=Hurricane Rita Discussion Number 11|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.011.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Avila, Lixion|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 20, 2005}}</ref> while maintaining a minimum [[barometric pressure]] of 985 [[bar (unit)|mbar]] ([[pascal (unit)|hPa]]; 29.09 [[inches of mercury|inHg]]). Six hours later, Rita intensified further into Category 2 before subsequently passing approximately {{convert|45|mi|km|abbr=on}} south of [[Key West, Florida]].<ref name=TCR /> Aided by a favorable [[outflow (meteorology)|outflow]] pattern and anomalously warm [[sea surface temperature]]s (SSTs), the trend of [[rapid deepening]] continued,<ref name=DISC14>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita Discussion Number 14 |url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.014.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Stewart, Stacy R.|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 20, 2005}}</ref> and Rita reached Category 3 status upon entering the [[Gulf of Mexico]] by 0600 UTC on September 21, making it a [[tropical cyclone scales|major hurricane]].<ref name=TCR />{{Atlantic hurricane best track}}
Once in the Gulf of Mexico, Rita passed over the extremely warm [[Loop Current]] during the midday hours of September 21, enabling continued strengthening. As a result, the hurricane's wind field significantly expanded and the storm's barometric pressure quickly fell.<ref name=TCR /> By 1800 UTC that day, Rita attained [[List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes|Category 5 hurricane]] intensity,<ref name=DISC17>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita Discussion Number 17 |url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.017.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Avila, Lixion|location=Miami, Florida |date=September 21, 2005}}</ref> the highest category on the [[Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale]].<ref name=SSHWS>{{cite web |title=Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.017.shtml?|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|location=Miami, Florida|date=May 24, 2013}}</ref> Favorable conditions allowed for additional development, and at 0300 UTC on September 22, Rita reached its peak intensity with [[maximum sustained wind]]s of 180 mph (285 km/h) and a minimum barometric pressure of 895 mbar (hPa; 26.43 inHg), making it the strongest [[tropical cyclone]] ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico. At the time, it was located 310 mi (500 km) south of the [[Mississippi River Delta]].
Rita maintained Category 5 hurricane intensity for 18 hours before an [[eyewall replacement cycle]] took place, weakening the hurricane to Category 4 intensity by 1800 UTC on September 22. At the same time, the tropical cyclone began to curve northwestward around the southwestern periphery of a ridge of high pressure over the [[Southeastern United States]]. As a result of the cycle, a new, larger [[eyewall]] consolidated, resulting in Rita's wind field expanding. Due to wind shear and cooler [[continental shelf]] waters, the hurricane continued to weaken. Rita weakened to Category 3 strength before making [[landfall (meteorology)|landfall]] at 0740 UTC on September 24 in extreme southwestern [[Louisiana]] between [[Johnson Bayou, Louisiana|Johnson Bayou]] and [[Sabine Pass]]. At the time of landfall, Rita was a Category 3 hurricane with winds of {{convert|115|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and a barometric pressure of 937 mbar (hPa; 27.67 inHg).<ref name=TCR />
Once inland on September 24, Rita began to rapidly weaken.<ref name=DISC29>{{cite web|title=Tropical Storm Rita Discussion Number 29|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.029.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions|publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Avila, Lixion|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 24, 2005}}</ref> The tropical cyclone had been downgraded to tropical storm intensity nearly 12 hours after landfall. Proceeding northward roughly parallel to the state border between Louisiana and [[Texas]],<ref name=TCR /> [[weather radar|radar imagery]] indicated that the storm soon lacked winds of tropical storm-force. Therefore, the NHC classified the system as a tropical depression while it was over [[Arkansas]] by 0600 UTC on September 25,<ref name=DISC30>{{cite web|title=Tropical Depression Rita Discussion Number0|url=http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/dis/al182005.discus.030.shtml?|work=Tropical Cyclone Discussions |publisher=United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Hurricane Center|accessdate=June 10, 2013|author=Knabb, Richard|location=Miami, Florida|date=September 24, 2005}}</ref> shortly before it turned northeastward ahead of an approaching [[weather front|frontal boundary]]. Early the next day, the depression lost much of its convection over southeastern [[Illinois]], and degenerated into a remnant low by 0600 UTC that day. The frontal boundary subsequently absorbed the remaining system six hours later over the southern [[Great Lakes]] region.<ref name=TCR />
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==Preparations==
===Bahamas===
[[File:TS Rita 18 sept 2005 1540Z.jpg|thumb|right|Tropical Storm Rita over the eastern Bahamas on September 18|alt=Satellite image of a rather weak tropical cyclone - the storm is an elongated mass of clouds, stretching horizontally.]]
At 0300 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on September 18, a [[Tropical cyclone warnings and watches|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]].<ref name="TCR"/> Residents in the Bahamas were urged to board up their homes and stock up on emergency supplies.<ref name="RO2">{{cite web|author=Reuters |publisher=Red Orbit|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Prepares for Tropical Storm Rita |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/243625/florida_prepares_for_tropical_storm_rita/}}</ref> At least one shelter was opened and schools throughout the country were closed.<ref name="CDERA1">{{cite web|author=Macushla N. Pinder|publisher=Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 16, 2009|title=Rita gave NEMA (Bahamas) chance to test level of preparedness|url=http://www.cdera.org/cunews/news/bahamas/article_1287.php|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080807160027/http://www.cdera.org/cunews/news/bahamas/article_1287.php|archivedate=August 7, 2008|df=}}</ref> The [[Nassau International Airport]] was also closed due to the storm on September 19 and would remain closed until the evening of September 20.<ref>{{cite web|author=Barbara Walkin|publisher=''The Freeport News''|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009|title=GB residents took precautions as Rita strengthened over Bahamas|url=http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/national_local/296244704656296.php|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721162103/http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/national_local/296244704656296.php|archivedate=July 21, 2011|df=}}</ref>
===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.<ref name="CMR1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=Cubaminrex|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Tropical storm Rita Cruising on Northern Caribbean Waters|url=http://www.cubaminrex.cu/english/currentissues/2005/Tropical%20storm%20Rita%20Cruising%20on%20Northern.htm|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607045428/http://www.cubaminrex.cu/english/currentissues/2005/Tropical%20storm%20Rita%20Cruising%20on%20Northern.htm|archivedate=June 7, 2011|df=}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=AFX News|publisher=Forbes|date=September 21, 2005|accessdate=March 23, 2009|title=Hurricane Rita hits Cuba; 150,000 evacuated |url=https://www.forbes.com/feeds/afx/2005/09/21/afx2235267.html}}</ref> In Havana, power was turned off at noon on September 19 to protect transformers, this also led to the disruption of natural gas lines.<ref name="RWCuba">{{cite web|author=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|publisher=ReliefWeb|date=September 22, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009 |title=Hurricane Rita - Cuba/Gulf of Mexico: OCHA Situation Report No. 1|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-6GGNK5?OpenDocument}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|author=Cuban Ministry of Health|publisher=''Vanguardia''|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=April 20, 2009 |title=Medidas adoptadas por Salud Pública en Cuba ante huracán Rita|url=http://www.vanguardia.co.cu/index.php?tpl=design/secciones/lectura/portada.tpl.html&newsid_obj_id=8473|language=es}}</ref>
===Florida===
[[File:Rita 9-20-05 1835UTC.jpg|thumb|right|Hurricane Rita as a [[Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale#Category 2|Category 2 hurricane]] crossing the [[Straits of Florida|Florida Straits]]|alt=Satellite image of a strengthening hurricane passing between two landmasses. The hurricane has also developed an eye.]]
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.<ref name="RO1">{{cite web |author=Reuters |publisher=Red Orbit|date=September 18, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Tropical Storm Rita forms near Bahamas |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/243505/tropical_storm_rita_forms_near_bahamas/index.html}}</ref> By September 20, mandatory evacuations were in place for the 80,000 residents of the Keys. Both lanes on [[U.S. Route 1 (Florida)|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, Florida|Miami-Dade County]] were warned about the possibility of a direct hit on [[Miami]] and told to prepare to evacuate.<ref name="TA1">{{cite web|author=Reuters|publisher=The Age|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=New Orleans facing new threat|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/new-orleans-facing-new-threat/2005/09/20/1126982027767.html}}</ref> 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.<ref name="FEMAFL1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=[[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=President Approves Emergency Declaration for Florida|url=http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115101545/http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|archivedate=January 15, 2009|df=}}</ref> Throughout Florida, a total of 340,000 people were placed under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders.<ref name="SP1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=Crawford & Company|date=September 28, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Hurricane Rita September 20–24, 2005 Situation Paper|url=http://www.crawfordandcompany.com/UserUploads/Storm%20Center/Crawford_Rita_situation_paper.pdf|format=[[PDF]]|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919165916/http://crawfordandcompany.com/UserUploads/Storm%20Center/Crawford_Rita_situation_paper.pdf|archivedate=September 19, 2010|df=}}</ref>
Five shelters were opened in southern Florida with a total capacity of 4,335 people. Tolls on northbound roads were lifted in [[Monroe County, Florida|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 [[UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk helicopters]], two [[CH-47 Chinook|Chinook helicopters]], three [[OH-58 Kiowa|Kiowa helicopters]], one [[C-12 Huron|Huron aircraft]], one [[Short 360|Short 360 aircraft]], one [[C-130 Hercules|Hercules aircraft]], and one [[C-26 Metroliner|Metroliner aircraft]] was provided. A task force was put on standby in [[Homestead Joint Air Reserve Base]] to quickly deploy in affected areas.<ref name="SR3">{{cite web|publisher=Florida State Emergency Response Team|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida: Tropical Storm Rita Situation Report No.3 |url=http://www.floridadisaster.org/eoc/eoc_Activations/Rita05/Reports/Sitrep_Rita_091905_3.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref>
The [[United States Department of Agriculture]] prepared food 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.<ref name="FEMAFL2">{{cite web|publisher=International Association of Fire Chiefs|author=[[Federal Emergency Management Agency]]|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Federal Government Readies for Tropical Storm Rita|url=http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115101545/http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19025|archivedate=January 15, 2009|df=}}</ref> Military cargo planes evacuated hospital patients from three acute-care hospitals in the Keys.<ref name="RO3">{{cite web |publisher=Red Orbit|author=Jane Sutton|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Tropical Storm Rita heads for Florida Keys |url=http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/244763/tropical_storm_rita_heads_for_florida_keys/}}</ref>
===Louisiana===
On Tuesday Sept. 20th, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco issued a state of emergency for all parishes in the southwestern region of Louisiana, and requested in writing of President George W. Bush that he issue a federal state of emergency for the entire state. Refugees still at the New Orleans Convention Center and Superdome were being evacuated as a precaution, and national guard troops and other emergency personnel in for the Hurricane Katrina aftermath were being mobilized to evacuate.<ref>{{cite news|title=Louisiana braces for Rita|url=http://www.cnn.com//2005/US/09/20/katrina.impact/index.html|work=[[CNN]]|date=September 20, 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061222165916/http://www.cnn.com//2005/US/09/20/katrina.impact/index.html|archivedate=December 22, 2006}}</ref> Select military personnel stayed in New Orleans for Hurricane Rita including Task Force California (2-185 Armor and 1-184 Infantry).<ref name="184_Katrina1"/>
<ref name=184_Katrina2>{{cite web |title=Joint Task Force California Press Accounts of the California State Military Forces’ Response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita |url=http://californiamilitaryhistory.org/CMHP20-116.pdf |work=California Military State Publication |date=December 2005}}</ref>
By the morning of Wednesday Sept. 21st, as Rita's strength, course and speed became clearer, officials of [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]], [[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu Parish]], and parts of [[Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jefferson Davis Parish]], [[Acadia Parish, Louisiana|Acadia Parish]], [[Iberia Parish]], [[Beauregard Parish]], and [[Vermillion Parish]] began to strongly encourage residents to evacuate ahead of the storm, with a 6:00 PM Thursday deadline set. Most residents followed the recommendations of their respective officials, hitting the road by the deadline, though many returned home and waited until early the next morning after encountering severe traffic delays. Southern Cameron Parish residents, used to frequent evacuations, were gone by noon on Thursday; when parish officials returned to the Hwy. 27 "Gibbstown Bridge" that crosses the Intracoastal Canal into Lower Cameron Parish two days later in preparation of damage inspection and rescue of any stranded and/or injured residents, no one was known to have remained.<ref name = 184_Katrina1>{{cite web| title = After Katrina: 184 Infantry Soldiers to the Rescue| url = http://spectrummagazine.net/pdfs/2005_10_SpectrumArchive.pdf| publisher= The Spectrum, October 2005}}</ref>
===Texas===
[[File:Stranded on Highway 60.jpg|right|thumb|Motorists stranded on [[Texas State Highway 60|Highway 60]] during Hurricane Rita evacuation.]]
[[Governor of Texas|Texas Governor]] [[Rick Perry]] recalled all emergency personnel, including almost 1,200 [[Texas National Guard]], 1,100 [[Texas State Guard]], and several hundred Texas Game Wardens from [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] recovery efforts in anticipation of Hurricane Rita's arrival. In addition, the Federal Government deployed 11 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs),<ref>{{cite web| title = Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMAT)| publisher = U.S. Department of Health & Human Services| url = http://hhs.gov/aspr/opeo/ndms/teams/dmat.html| accessdate = 2008-08-07| deadurl = yes| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080722223248/http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opeo/ndms/teams/dmat.html| archivedate = 2008-07-22| df = }}</ref> staging them in mobile field hospitals across eastern Texas. The teams treated 7500 patients during the response.<ref>{{cite press release| title = FEMA Salutes Response Teams| publisher = FEMA| date = October 12, 2005| url = http://fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19640| accessdate = 2008-08-07| deadurl = yes| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20081026130406/http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=19640| archivedate = October 26, 2008| df = }}</ref><ref name="Coastal Evacuations in Texas">{{cite news|url=http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169845,00.html|author=Associated Press|title=Coastal Evacuations in Texas|accessdate=June 26, 2007 | work=Fox News | date=September 20, 2005}}</ref> On September 22, Governor Perry and the Texas Department of Transportation implemented a [[contraflow lane reversal]] on [[Interstate 45]] north towards [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], on [[Interstate 10]] west towards [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], [[U.S. Highway 290]] northwest to [[Austin, Texas|Austin]].<ref name="Gridlock in Houston as Texans Flee">{{cite news|url=http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170145,00.html|author=Associated Press|title=Gridlock in Houston as Texans Flee|accessdate=June 29, 2008 | work=Fox News | date=September 22, 2005}}</ref>
As part of the evacuation, [[Johnson Space Center]] in Houston handed off control of the [[International Space Station]] to their [[Russian Federal Space Agency|Russian]] counterparts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita pushes space station control to Russia |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8036-hurricane-rita-pushes-space-station-control-to-russia/ |website=newscientist.com |publisher=New Scientist|accessdate=14 April 2017}}</ref>
Concerns had been raised over the state of the oil industry in response to Rita. The storm threatened a large amount of oil infrastructure that was left undamaged by [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]].<ref name="Oil companies prep for hurricane, prices drop">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2005-09-22-oil-rita-prep_x.htm|author=David J. Lynch|title=Oil companies prep for hurricane, prices drop|accessdate=June 30, 2008| work=USA Today | date=September 23, 2005}}</ref> The [[Texas Coastal Bend|Texas Gulf Coast]] is home to 23% of the United States' refining capacity, and numerous offshore production platforms were in Rita's path.<ref name="Big Oil Braces for Rita">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/sep2005/nf20050922_3717.htm|author=Platts Oilgram News|title=Big Oil Braces for Rita|accessdate=June 30, 2008}}</ref> A direct strike on Houston could disable more than a quarter of the United States' fuel-making capacity.<ref>{{cite news| last = Douglass| first = Elizabeth| title = Rita Could Deal Blow to Oil Industry| publisher = Los Angeles Times| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/22/business/fi-energy22|accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> [[Valero Energy Corp]], the nation's largest refiner, stated on September 21 that Rita could have caused gasoline prices to rise well above [[United States dollar|$]]3 per US [[gallon]] ($0.79/L), at a time when the U.S. average price was $2.77/gal.<ref name="Rita shuts down US refineries">{{cite news|url=http://theage.com.au/news/world/rita-shuts-down-us-refineries/2005/09/22/1126982154325.html|author=Reuters|title=Rita shuts down US refineries|accessdate=June 30, 2008 | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | date=September 22, 2005}}</ref>
====Mass evacuation====
Just three weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the northern Gulf Coast, the threat of yet another major hurricane prompted mass evacuations in coastal Texas. An estimated 2.5 – 3.7 million people fled prior to Rita's landfall,<ref name="TXHroReport"/><ref name="EvacDeaths"/> making it one of the largest evacuations in United States' history.<ref name="TCR"/>
Officials in [[Galveston County, Texas|Galveston County]] (which includes the city of [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]]), which was devastated by the [[Galveston Hurricane of 1900]], ordered mandatory evacuations, effective September 21 at 6 p.m., in a staggered sequence. Officials designated geographical zones in the area to facilitate an orderly evacuation. People were scheduled to leave at different times over a 24-hour period depending on the zone in which the people were located. The scheduled times were set well in advance of the storm's possible landfall later in the week, but not soon enough to ensure that all residents could evacuate safely in advance of the storm.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror">{{cite news| last = O'Driscoll| first = Patrick |author2=Richard Wolf |author3=Rick Hampson| title = Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror| publisher = USA Today| date = 2005-09-26| url = http://usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-09-25-evacuation-cover_x.htm| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Nonetheless, many residents remained in the county because they were either unaware of the danger of the storm or believed that it was more important to protect their belongings, particularly in the wake of [[looting]] following Hurricane Katrina.<ref>{{cite news| last = Romero| first = Simon| title = With Faith and Hope, Some Stay Put in Galveston| publisher = New York Times| date = September 23, 2005| url = http://nytimes.com/2005/09/23/national/nationalspecial/23holdouts.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> The evacuation included transfer of all inpatients from the [[University of Texas Medical Branch]] hospital to other regional hospitals.<ref>{{cite news| last = Mangan| first = Katherine S.| title = Texas Colleges Ready for Rita, as Some of Katrina's Academic Evacuees Are Uprooted Again| publisher = [[The Chronicle of Higher Education]]| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm| accessdate = 2008-08-04 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070218112845/http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm |archivedate = February 18, 2007}}</ref> 400 patients were prisoners under the ward of the [[Texas Department of Criminal Justice]].<ref>{{cite news| last = Clark| first = Noelene| title = I'm not ever leaving again| publisher = [[The Daily Texan]]| date = 2005-09-26| url = http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2005/09/26/TopStories/im.Not.Ever.Leaving.Again-997963.shtml| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> These patients were systematically transferred to the University of Texas Health Center at Tyler.<ref name="Texas Colleges Ready for Rita, as Some of Katrina's Academic Evacuees Are Uprooted Again">{{cite web|url=http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm|author=Katherine S. Mangan|title=Texas Colleges Ready for Rita, as Some of Katrina's Academic Evacuees Are Uprooted Again|accessdate=June 30, 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070218112845/http://chronicle.com/free/2005/09/2005092201n.htm |archivedate = February 18, 2007}}</ref>
Officials of Harris County hoped that the designation of zones A, B, and C would help prevent bottlenecks in traffic leaving the area similar to those seen at New Orleans prior to [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] and [[Hurricane Dennis]] earlier that year.<ref>{{cite news| last = Sallee| first = Rad| title = 'Smoother' evacuation in works| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = October 6, 2005| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/special/05/rita/3384399.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Also, people in certain zones were to be forced to go to certain cities in Texas and were not allowed to exit their designated routes except for food and gas — another feature of the evacuation plan which officials hoped would keep traffic flow orderly.
The evacuation-destination cities included [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], [[College Station, Texas|College Station]], [[San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio]], [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Huntsville, Texas|Huntsville]], and [[Lufkin, Texas|Lufkin]], Texas. Evacuees were asked to try hotels in the [[Midland, Texas|Midland]]/[[Odessa, Texas|Odessa]] area when hotels began to sell out in other areas.<ref>{{cite news| last = Grisales| first = Claudia| title = No room at Texas inns with Rita threatening| publisher = Cox News Service| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://oxfordpress.com/business/content/shared/news/nation/stories/09/0922_COXRITA_HOTELS.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081205140341/http://www.oxfordpress.com/business/content/shared/news/nation/stories/09/0922_COXRITA_HOTELS.html| archive-date = 2008-12-05| dead-url = yes| df = }}</ref>
On Wednesday, [[Houston]] mayor [[Bill White (Texas politician)|Bill White]] urged residents to evacuate the city, telling residents, "Don't wait; the time for waiting is over," reminding residents of the disaster in New Orleans.<ref name="Miles of Traffic as Texans Heed Order to Leave">{{cite news| last = Blumenthal| first = Ralph| title = Miles of Traffic as Texans Heed Order to Leave| publisher = New York Times| date = September 23, 2005| url = http://nytimes.com/2005/09/23/national/nationalspecial/23storm.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> After heavy traffic snarled roads leading out of town and gas shortages left numerous vehicles stranded, Mayor White backed off his earlier statement with, "If you're not in the evacuation zone, follow the news," advising people to use common sense.<ref name="Miles of Traffic as Texans Heed Order to Leave"/> However, by 3:00 p.m. that afternoon, the freeway system in Houston was at a stand-still.<ref>{{cite news| title = TxDOT Traffic Update - 3:00 p.m.| publisher = KTRE| date = 2005-09-23| url = http://ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=3890929| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref>
To the east of Houston, officials had set up evacuation routes in response to the slow evacuation of residents prior to [[Hurricane Lili]].<ref>{{cite news| last = Moran| first = Kevin| title = Hurricane that missed Kemah started crusade| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = April 14, 2006| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3793245.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> During the Rita evacuation, these preparations and their execution were overwhelmed by the enormous and unprecedented number of people fleeing from the Houston area prior to the departure of local residents.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror"/> By the time [[Jefferson County, Texas|Jefferson County]] began their mandatory evacuation, local roads were already full of Houstonians.<ref>{{cite news| last = Struck| first = Doug|author2=Dana Milbank| title = Rita Spares Cities, Devastates Rural Areas| publisher = Washington Post| date = September 26, 2005| url = http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/25/AR2005092500335.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Traffic on designated evacuation routes was forced to go far slower than the speeds experienced with any previous hurricane.<ref>{{cite news| title = With Rita strengthening, Galveston orders evacuation| publisher = CNN| date = September 21, 2005| url = http://cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/09/20/rita/index.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last = Litman| first = Todd|date=January 2006| title = Lessons From Katrina and Rita What Major Disasters Can Teach Transportation Planners| journal = Journal of Transportation Engineering| volume = 132| issue = 1| pages = 11–18| url = http://vtpi.org/katrina.pdf| format = pdf| accessdate = 2008-08-04| doi = 10.1061/(ASCE)0733-947X(2006)132:1(11)}}</ref>
By late Thursday (22nd) morning, the [[contraflow]] lanes had been ordered opened after officials determined that the state's highway system had become [[gridlock]]ed.<ref>{{cite news| last = Horswell| first = Cindy|author2=Edward Hegstrom| title = Evacuation Lessons come at high cost: 107 lives| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = September 29, 2005| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/topfront/3374468.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> The Texas Department of Transportation was unprepared to execute such a large-scale evacuation.<ref>{{cite news| title = Gridlock: I-10, I-45 contraflow lanes implemented| publisher = KHOU| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou050922_mh_gburroads.80ccd245.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20051205101648/http://www.khou.com/news/local/houstonmetro/stories/khou050922_mh_gburroads.80ccd245.html |archivedate = December 5, 2005}}</ref> Coordination and implementation of the contraflow plan took 8 to 10 hours as inbound traffic was forced to exit. Police were stationed to assist with traffic flow. Evacuees fought traffic Wednesday afternoon through mid-day Friday, moving only a fraction of the normal distance expected.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror"/> Average travel times to Dallas were 24–36 hours, travel times to Austin were 12–18 hours and travel times to San Antonio were 10–16 hours, depending on the point of departure in Houston.<ref>{{cite news| title = Havoc from hurricane comes early to Houston's freeways| publisher = Houston Chronicle| date = September 22, 2005| url = http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/topstory/3364562.html| accessdate = 2008-08-04}}</ref> Many motorists ran out of gas or experienced breakdowns in temperatures that neared {{convert|100|°F|°C|abbr=on}}. Traffic volumes did not ease for nearly 48 hours as more than three million residents evacuated the area in advance of the storm.<ref name="Evacuation worked, but created a highway horror"/>
====Evacuation deaths====
As an estimated 2.5 – 3.7 million people evacuated the Texas coastline, a significant [[heat wave]] affected the region. The combination of severe gridlock and excessive heat led to between 90 and 118 deaths even before the storm arrived.<ref name="TXHroReport">{{cite web|work=Texas House of Representatives|publisher=Government of Texas|date=February 14, 2006|accessdate=February 25, 2012 |title=Evacuation Planning in Texas: Before and After Rita|url=http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us/interim/int79-2.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref><ref name="EvacDeaths"/> Reports from the ''[[Houston Chronicle]]'' indicated 107 evacuation-related fatalities. [[Texas Legislature|Texas Representative]] [[Garnet Coleman]] criticized the downplay of the deaths in the evacuation and questioned whether the storm would be deadlier than the preparations.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Cindy Horswell |author2=Edward Hegstrom |publisher=''Houston Chronicle'' |date=September 29, 2005|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=Exodus weighs heavily in death toll: 107 |url=http://www.chron.com/news/hurricanes/article/Exodus-weighs-heavily-in-death-toll-107-1502590.php}}</ref> According to local officials, the traffic reached a point where residents felt safer riding out the storm at home rather than being stuck in traffic when Rita struck.<ref name="TXHroReport"/> Many evacuees periodically turned off their air conditioning to reduce fuel consumption as well as drank less water to limit the number of "restroom stops." According to a post-storm study, which reported 90 evacuation-related deaths, nine people perished solely as a result of [[hyperthermia]]. However, it was suspected that most of the 67 deaths attributed to heat stress were a combination of hyperthermia and chronic health conditions.<ref name="EvacDeaths">{{cite web |author1=Anthony Zachria |author2=Bela Patel |work=University of Texas Health Science Center-Houston |publisher=American College of Chest Physicians |date=October 24, 2006 |accessdate=February 25, 2012 |title=Deaths Related to Hurricane Rita and Mass Evacuation |url=http://meeting.chestpubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/130/4/124S-c |archive-url=https://archive.is/20130414111534/http://meeting.chestpubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/130/4/124S-c |dead-url=yes |archive-date=April 14, 2013 }}</ref> In addition to the heat-related deaths, 23 nursing home evacuees were killed after a bus caught fire on [[Interstate 45]] near [[Wilmer, Texas|Wilmer]].<ref name="EvacDeaths"/> The bus erupted into flames after the vehicle's rear [[axle]] overheated, due to insufficient lubrication, and ignited [[therapeutic oxygen]] tanks on board.<ref name="BusSettlement">{{cite web|author=Terri Langford|publisher=''Houston Chronicle''|date=June 4, 2009|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=Settlement over Hurricane Rita bus fire brings closure|url=http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Settlement-over-Hurricane-Rita-bus-fire-brings-1736019.php}}</ref> According to a resident near the site of the accident, there were three explosions.<ref>{{cite web|work=Associated Press|publisher=MSNBC|date=September 24, 2005|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=Bus carrying elderly evacuees burns; 24 dead |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9449949/ns/us_news-katrina_the_long_road_back/t/bus-carrying-elderly-evacuees-burns-dead/#.T0kCTcpIabI}}</ref> Many of the passengers were mobility-impaired making escape difficult or impossible.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Anne Belli |author2=Lisa Falkenberg |publisher=''Houston Chronicle''|date=September 24, 2005|accessdate=February 25, 2012|title=24 nursing home evacuees die in bus fire|url=http://www.chron.com/news/hurricanes/article/24-nursing-home-evacuees-die-in-bus-fire-1946742.php}}</ref> In June 2009, nearly four years after the fire, families of those who died in the accident won an $80 million settlement against the manufacturer of the bus and the company that provided the nursing home with it.<ref name="BusSettlement"/>
==Impact==
{{see also|Hurricane Rita tornado outbreak}}
[[File:Rita 2005 rainfall.gif|thumb|Hurricane Rita Rainfall]]
In some areas, the effects of Hurricane Rita were not nearly as severe as anticipated. The [[storm surge]] feared in Galveston and Houston struck farther east as the storm's center came ashore at the Louisiana border. Winds blowing offshore in Texas actually flattened the surge, which was only {{convert|7|ft|m}} in Galveston, well below the height of the [[seawall]]. The {{convert|5|in|mm}} of rain expected to fall overnight in New Orleans as Rita came ashore also did not happen, and the pressure on the levee system was eased. Still, a storm surge of up to {{convert|18|ft|m}} struck southwestern Louisiana, and coastal parishes experienced extensive damage. In [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]], the communities of [[Holly Beach, Louisiana|Holly Beach]], [[Hackberry, Louisiana|Hackberry]], [[Cameron, Louisiana|Cameron]], Creole and Grand Chenier were essentially destroyed.<ref name="New York Review">{{cite web |url=http://newyorkreview.org/mag/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=308&Itemid=36|author=Margaret Saizan|title=A Visual Story of Hurricane Rita|accessdate=June 26, 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070814022725/http://newyorkreview.org/mag/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=308&Itemid=36 |archivedate = August 14, 2007}}</ref> There were also severe impacts, mainly due to wind, in inland parishes and counties across [[Southwest Louisiana]] and [[Southeast Texas]], respectively. Cities such as [[Beaumont, Texas]] and [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]], as well as surrounding communities, suffered extensive wind damage.
An estimated two million people lost [[electricity]].<ref name="Benfield">{{cite web|url=http://benfieldgroup.com/StormCentre/2005+Storm+Season/Atlantic/|author=Benfield Inc.|title=Storm Centre|accessdate=June 26, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930152249/http://www.benfieldgroup.com/StormCentre/2005+Storm+Season/Atlantic/|archive-date=2007-09-30|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref> Total damage is estimated at approximately $18.5 billion.
===Deaths===
{| class="infobox bordered" style="width: 250px; font-size: 95%; float: right; clear:right;" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0"
|-
! State !! State total !! County/Parish !! Reported<br />deaths !! Direct<br />deaths
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Florida]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''2''' <ref name="WKRN"/>
|[[Escambia County, Florida|Escambia]]
|1<ref name="WKRN">{{cite web|url=http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=3898247|author=WKRN Nashville|title=WKRN|accessdate=June 26, 2007}}</ref>
|1
|-
|[[Walton County, Florida|Walton]]
|1<ref name="WKRN"/>
|1
|-
|rowspan="1" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Louisiana]]
|rowspan="1" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''1''' <ref name="WKRN"/>
|[[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu]]
|1<ref name="TCR"/>
|1
|-
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Mississippi]]
|rowspan="2" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''4''' <ref name=autogenerated5>https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050923/ap_on_re_us/rita_bus_explosion_hk1</ref>
|[[Humphreys County, Mississippi|Humphreys]]
|1<ref name=autogenerated1>http://www.wjtv.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WJTV/MGArticle/JTV_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785260428&path={{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
|1
|-
|[[Pike County, Mississippi|Pike]]
|3<ref>[http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3889493 Our Apologies<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028073633/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3889493 |date=2005-10-28 }}</ref>
|0
|-
|rowspan="9" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|[[Texas]]
|rowspan="9" bgcolor="#e6e9ff"|'''113''' <ref name=autogenerated5 />
|[[Angelina County, Texas|Angelina]]
|2<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ktbs.com/news-detail.html?cityid%3D1%26hid%3D27050 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2005-10-02 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://archive.is/20051018061609/http://www.ktbs.com/news-detail.html?cityid=1&hid=27050 |archivedate=2005-10-18 |df= }}</ref>
|1
|-
|[[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas]]
|23<ref name=autogenerated5 />
|0
|-
|[[Galveston County, Texas|Galveston]]
|36<ref>[http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050928_cd_galvctydeaths.9fb1b409.html TOP STORIES | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051227101718/http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050928_cd_galvctydeaths.9fb1b409.html |date=2005-12-27 }}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Harris County, Texas|Harris]]
|35<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/rssstory.mpl/metropolitan/3378405|title=Rita death toll keeps rising - Chron.com - Houston Chronicle<!-- Bot generated title -->|author=|date=|website=chron.com|accessdate=26 March 2018}}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Jefferson County, Texas|Jefferson]]
|6<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kfdm.com/engine.pl?station%3Dkfdm%26id%3D12094%26template%3Dbreakout_local.shtml |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2005-10-02 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051214190940/http://www.kfdm.com/engine.pl?station=kfdm&id=12094&template=breakout_local.shtml |archivedate=2005-12-14 |df= }}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Liberty County, Texas|Liberty]]
|2<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=F15F01A3-B512-4882-9C0C-BACA8AC5A579|title=WOAI Local News - Sponsored by Five Star Cleaners|work=News Radio 1200 WOAI|accessdate=5 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213232649/http://www.woai.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=F15F01A3-B512-4882-9C0C-BACA8AC5A579|archive-date=2006-02-13|dead-url=yes|df=}}</ref>
|2
|-
|[[Montgomery County, Texas|Montgomery]]
|2<ref name=autogenerated3 />
|0
|-
|[[Shelby County, Texas|Shelby]]
|1<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wpmi.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id%3DE601A5C1-B61B-46D1-8068-579FDCE076AB |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2005-09-28 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060109225045/http://www.wpmi.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=E601A5C1-B61B-46D1-8068-579FDCE076AB |archivedate=2006-01-09 |df= }}</ref>
|0
|-
|[[Walker County, Texas|Walker]]
|5<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/US|title=U.S. News - National News|first=A. B. C.|last=News|date=|website=ABC News|accessdate=26 March 2018}}</ref>
|0
|- bgcolor="#e6e9ff"
| Totals
| '''120''' <ref>https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050922/ap_on_re_us/rita;_ylt=Au1rtNlWxs7m1F0I9e2eanvqbr8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-</ref>
|
|'''120'''
|'''7'''
|- class="small"
|colspan="5"| Because of differing sources, totals may not match.
|}
The reported death toll for Hurricane Rita was 120. Only seven were direct deaths. One was caused by a tornado spawned in the storm's outer bands, one was due to storm surge flooding and three others were caused by trees blown down in the storm. The two Florida deaths both occurred in [[rip current]]s caused by Rita's distant waves.
Direct deaths are those caused by the direct effects of the [[winds]], [[flood]]ing, [[tornadoes]], storm surge or [[ocean]]ic effects of Rita. Indirect deaths are caused by hurricane-related accidents (including [[automobile|car]] accidents, [[crime]]s, [[fire]]s or other incidents), cleanup and evacuation incidents and health issues (such as [[poison]]ing, [[illness]]es, lack of emergency aid).
===Caribbean===
As Rita developed near the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]], it dropped up to {{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rain but caused little damage. Throughout the [[Bahamas]], swells produced by Rita reached {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} and storm surge was estimated at {{convert|3|to|5|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|author=Associated Press|publisher=''The Jamaica Observer''|date=September 20, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009|title=Strong winds, heavy rain hit Bahamas as Tropical Storm Rita gathers strength, heads West|url=http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20050920T010000-0500_88759_OBS_STRONG_WINDS__HEAVY_RAIN_HIT_BAHAMAS_AS_TROPICAL_STORM_RITA_GATHERS_STRENGTH__HEADS_WEST_.asp|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060107083302/http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20050920T010000-0500_88759_OBS_STRONG_WINDS__HEAVY_RAIN_HIT_BAHAMAS_AS_TROPICAL_STORM_RITA_GATHERS_STRENGTH__HEADS_WEST_.asp|archivedate=January 7, 2006|df=}}</ref> Strong winds were reported across the islands, but no damage resulted from the storm.<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=Associated Press|date=September 19, 2005|accessdate=August 20, 2009|title=Tropical Storm Rita brings heavy rain, strong winds to Bahamas as it moves west|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-113266797.html}}</ref>
In Cuba, Rita produced winds up to {{convert|65|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} and more than 5 in (127 mm) of rain in some areas. This resulted in significant structural damage but no loss of life.<ref name="RWCuba"/><ref name="MSNBC1">{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=MSNBC News|date=September 21, 2005|accessdate=April 19, 2009|title=Cuba appears to escape Rita’s wrath |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9402098/}}</ref> In the Bay Shore area of Havana, water levels rose and inundated 20 blocks of the city.<ref name="RWCuba"/> An estimated 400,000 people in the city lost power a result of the storm.<ref name="CC1"/> In a two-hour span, more than {{convert|8.2|in|mm}} of rain fell in [[Bauta, Cuba|Bauta]].<ref>{{cite web|author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=''Bolivarian News Agency''|date=September 21, 2005|accessdate=April 20, 2009|title=Huracán Rita pasó por Cuba sin dejar pérdidas humanas |url=http://www.aporrea.org/ideologia/n66318.html|language=es}}</ref> The torrential rains led to 34 homes collapsing in Havana. Storm surge produced by Rita penetrated an estimated {{convert|330|ft|m|abbr=on}} inland, flooding several towns.<ref name="CC1">{{cite web |author=<!--Staff Writer-->|publisher=''Cuba En Cuentro''|date=September 22, 2005|accessdate=April 20, 2009|title=El huracán Rita afectó a ocho provincias|url=http://www.cubaencuentro.com/es/cuba/noticias/el-huracan-rita-afecto-a-ocho-provincias-5211|language=es}}</ref>
===Florida===
Rita produced moderate rains across southern [[Florida]], peaking at {{convert|5.13|in|mm}} in [[Tenraw, Florida|Tenraw]].<ref name="TCR"/> A band of rain, estimated to be {{convert|20|mi|km|abbr=on}} wide produced heavier rain, with doppler radar estimating some totals over {{convert|10|in|mm}}.<ref name="NCDCFL1">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009 |title=Florida Event Report: Tropical Storm|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569238}}</ref> Most of the [[Florida Keys]] received 3 in (76.2 mm) of rain or more. The [[maximum sustained wind|highest sustained winds]] were recorded at 20:32 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (3:32 p.m. [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]) on September 20 in [[Key West]] at {{convert|62|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Gusts in Key West were recorded at {{convert|76|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. A maximum storm surge of {{convert|5|ft|m|abbr=on}} was recorded,<ref name="TCR">{{cite web|author1=Richard D. Knabb|author2=Daniel P. Brown |author3=Jamie R. Rhome |publisher=[[National Hurricane Center]]|date=March 17, 2006|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Hurricane Rita Tropical Cyclone Report|url={{NHC TCR url|id=AL182005_Rita}}|format=PDF}}</ref> which flooded at least 200 homes throughout four blocks in Key West.<ref name="NCDCFL2">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Event Report: Storm Surge|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569241}}</ref> Floodwaters up to {{convert|3|ft|m|abbr=on}} deep reached the runways at [[Key West International Airport]].<ref name="TCR"/> A storm surge of {{convert|1.5|ft|m|abbr=on}} 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.<ref name="NCDCFL1"/> One [[funnel cloud]] was reported along [[Interstate 95 in Florida|Interstate 95]] in [[Lake Worth, Florida|Lake Worth]]. Winds were estimated at {{convert|30|-|40|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NCDCFL3">{{cite web |publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Event Report: Funnel Cloud |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569240}}</ref> High seas from Rita on September 22 flooded parts of coastal [[Walton County, Florida|Walton County]]. Moderate beach erosion also occurred as a result of the high seas. Damages from the flooding estimated at $200,000.<ref name="NCDCFL4">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=January 15, 2009 |title=Florida Event Report: High Seas|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569245}}</ref> Damages in southern Florida were minimal.<ref name="TCR"/> On September 24, strong rip currents produced by the remnants of Rita resulted in the death of one person near [[Miramar Beach, Florida|Miramar Beach]].<ref name="NCDCFL5">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005 |accessdate=January 15, 2009|title=Florida Event Report: Rip Current|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~569246}}</ref>
===Louisiana===
[[File:FEMA - 16669 - Photograph by Win Henderson taken on 10-03-2005 in Louisiana.jpg|thumb|right|[[Holly Beach]], a town along the Gulf Coast completely destroyed by Rita]]
With an estimated cost of $8 billion in damages, Hurricane Rita's impact across Louisiana varied. One person is known to have drowned during the event.<ref name="TCR"/><ref name="NCDCLA1"/> Due to the hurricane's storm surge, which topped levees and inundated low-lying coastal communities, the greatest amount of damage extended across most of southern Louisiana, from the Mississippi River delta to the Sabine River. Widespread power outages affected roughly 1 million customers, with Entergy Louisiana reporting the largest outage of 601,183 customers losing power.<ref name="PowerRpt4">{{cite web|author=Staff Writers|publisher=United States Department of Energy| date=September 27, 2005|accessdate=August 20, 2009|title=Gulf Coast Hurricanes Situation report #4 |url=http://www.oe.netl.doe.gov/docs/gulf_coast/gulf_092705_1500.pdf|format=PDF}}</ref>
In southeast Louisiana's [[Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana|Terrebonne Parish]], storm surge reached {{convert|7|ft|m|abbr=on}} flooding an estimated 10,000 homes. Virtually every levee was breached.<ref>{{cite web|title=Buildings burn, roofs gone as soutwest Louisiana bears hurricane's worst|url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3892692|publisher=KATC|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028073231/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3892692|archivedate=October 28, 2005}}</ref> Some people were stranded in flooded communities and had to be rescued by boat. At least 100 people were reported rescued from rooftops.<ref>{{cite web|title='It just kept coming' Rita swamps Louisiana coast, stranding scores of people|url=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3893500|publisher=KATC|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028073400/http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=3893500|archivedate=October 28, 2005}}</ref> Already devastated by [[Hurricane Katrina]], the [[Industrial Canal]] in [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] was again flooded by Hurricane Rita as the recently-and-hurriedly-repaired levees were breached once more.
In south-central [[Vermilion Parish, Louisiana|Vermilion Parish]], storm surge reached all the way up to the communities of [[Abbeville, Louisiana|Abbeville]], [[Gueydan, Louisiana|Gueydan]], and [[Lake Arthur, Louisiana|Lake Arthur]]. The {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}} surge completely flooded [[Pecan Island, Louisiana|Pecan Island]], [[Intracoastal City, Louisiana|Intracoastal City]], and [[Delcambre, Louisiana|Delcambre]].<ref name="NCDCLA1">{{cite web|author=Stuart Hinson|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005 |accessdate=August 20, 2009|title=Louisiana Event Report: Hurricane|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~577623}}</ref> Nearly all of the structures on Pecan Island were destroyed.<ref name="TCR"/> Rescue efforts were undertaken for up to 1,000 people stranded by local flooding. On Saturday, September 24 alone, 250 people were rescued.<ref name=cnn092005>{{cite news| url=http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/09/24/news.update.sat/| work=CNN | title=CNN.com - The latest on Rita and Katrina - Sep 24, 2005 | accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref>
However, the southwestern region of the state near where Rita made landfall was undeniably the worst impacted region in Louisiana.<ref name="TCR"/>
In [[Cameron Parish, Louisiana|Cameron Parish]], the damage was catastrophic, particularly along the coastline and north to the Intracoastal Waterway. Coastal storm surge was estimated around {{convert|18|ft|m|abbr=on}}, with lower levels farther inland from the coast, yet much of north-western and north-central Cameron Parish experienced significant flooding. The southern Cameron Parish communities of Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier, Holly Beach, Johnson Bayou, Little Chenier and Oak Grove were either heavily devastated or entirely wiped out by the storm surge, with nearly 95 percent of homes, businesses, and infrastructure completely destroyed. Closer to the Intracoastal Waterway, communities shared a similar fate; Big Lake, Deatonville, Gibbstown and [[Hackberry, Louisiana|Hackberry]] were all devastated or heavily damaged. In Hackberry, an unofficial wind gust of 180 mph was recorded on a boat tied up to a local dock. Above the Intracoastal Waterway in northern Cameron Parish, damage was devastating, with the communities of Grand Lake, Hebert's Camp, Lowry, Pelican Point, and Sweetlake suffering from extensive flooding and wind damage. Over a decade later, many communities south of the Intracoastal Waterway are still recovering, with their populations significantly lower than pre-Rita levels.
To the north in [[Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana|Calcasieu Parish]], the cities and communities of [[Iowa, Louisiana|Iowa]], [[Lake Charles, Louisiana|Lake Charles]], [[Moss Bluff, Louisiana|Moss Bluff]], [[Sulphur, Louisiana|Sulphur]], and [[Westlake, Louisiana|Westlake]] suffered severe wind damage, and some areas also received flooding due to both storm surge and heavy rain. In Lake Charles, the storm surge that traveled up the Calcasieu Ship Channel from the coast was estimated to be up to {{convert|8|ft|m|abbr=on}}. A [[casino]] boat secured at the north end of the lake, and several barges secured at the Port of Lake Charles, broke free from their moorings, floating loose until running into the Interstate 10 bridge over the Calcasieu River, causing minor damage. Other areas of Lake Charles also experienced severe flooding, with reports of water rising 6–8 feet, at one point inundating the lower floors of the Lake Charles Civic Center. At a hotel on a section of the [[Contraband Bayou]] near Interstate 210 and Prien Lake Road, water reportedly rose as high as the second floor. There was extensive minor-to-major structural wind damage across the entire area, including the near-devastation of the Lake Charles Regional Airport south of the city.<ref name=autogenerated4>{{cite news| url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/24/rita.assess/index.html| work=CNN | title=CNN.com - Rita's impact, city by city - Sep 24, 2005 | accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref> Damage to the entire region's electrical and communications infrastructure was severe, and authorities warned returning residents that restoration of services to some areas would take weeks to months.
[[File:FEMA - 20460 - Photograph by Marvin Nauman taken on 11-19-2005 in Louisiana.jpg|thumb|left|Holly Beach was almost completely leveled by Rita's storm surge]]
In the western Calcasieu parish communities of [[Vinton, Louisiana|Vinton]] and Starks, wind damage was also severe. The roof was torn off of the Vinton Recreation Center, and many homes were damaged by fallen trees and utility poles. Damaged utility towers made power restoration problematic, with much of the area waiting months for utilities to be restored.
[[Allen Parish, Louisiana|Allen]], [[Beauregard Parish, Louisiana|Beauregard]], [[Jeff Davis Parish, Louisiana|Jeff Davis]], and [[Vernon Parish, Louisiana|Vernon]] parishes suffered lesser, yet still significant, degrees of wind damage and flooding damage due to heavy rain.
After weakening to a tropical storm, Rita entered [[DeSoto Parish, Louisiana|DeSoto]] and [[Caddo Parish, Louisiana|Caddo Parishes]]. The center passed just west of Downtown [[Shreveport]] before crossing the [[Arkansas]] border. At the height of the storm, over 175,000 people had lost power in the [[National Weather Service]] Shreveport's forecast area, mainly across [[Deep East Texas]] into northwest Louisiana. Two fatalities occurred in the [[Ark-La-Tex]]. A tree fell on one person; the other fatality occurred when a teenager was electrocuted when picking up a "hot" power line. Shreveport recorded its 2nd lowest pressure ever recorded as the center of Rita moved through Shreveport around 6 pm Saturday evening. The pressure recorded was {{convert|29.05|inHg|mb}} which was only .01 inch higher than the lowest pressure on record of 29.04 inches back on February 27, 1902.<ref>[http://www.srh.noaa.gov/shv/Hurricane_Rita.htm WFO SHV - Hurricane Rita Archived Page<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113043044/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/shv/Hurricane_Rita.htm |date=2007-01-13 }}</ref>
===Mississippi===
In [[Mississippi]], Rita produced widespread rainfall upon its landfall in Louisiana;<ref name="HPC"/> 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 {{convert|10|in|mm|abbr=on}} of rain around the [[Big Black River (Mississippi)|Big Black River]]<ref name="NCDC Miss."/> in the span of a few hours.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 20, 2009 |title=Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581659}}</ref> The heavy rainfall caused significant flooding in [[Yazoo County, Mississippi|Yazoo]] and [[Warren County, Mississippi|Warren]] Counties. In Yazoo, numerous homes had water inside and countywide damage amounted to $6 million.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title=Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581679}}</ref> Damage in Warren County was less than Yazoo, amounting to $2.7 million.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581678}}</ref> [[Holmes County, Mississippi|Holmes]], [[Hinds County, Mississippi|Hinds]] and [[Madison County, Mississippi|Madison]] Counties also had flooding, with damage in all three counties amounting to $2 million.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581676}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher= ncdc.noaa.gov |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581675}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |publisher= NOAA National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Flash Flood |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581677}}</ref> Several roads were also flooded in [[Monroe County, Mississippi|Monroe County]] after {{convert|6|in|mm}} of rain fell.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Tropical Depression |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581660}}</ref> Winds up to {{convert|70|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} downed numerous trees throughout the state.<ref name="NCDC"/> In [[Adams County, Mississippi|Adams County]], winds caused several trees to fall on homes in [[Natchez, Mississippi|Natchez]], leaving $270,000 in damage.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Thunderstorm Wind |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581608}}</ref> In Warren County, a mobile home was destroyed after a tree was downed by high winds.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Thunderstorm Wind |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581663}}</ref>
An unusually large amount of tornadoes touched down in the state due to Rita, with 54 confirmed in Mississippi alone. The size of the [[tornado outbreak]] ranked it as the largest recorded by the [[National Weather Service]] office in [[Jackson, Mississippi|Jackson]].<ref name="NCDC Miss.">{{cite web |publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: Hurricane |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581581}}</ref> An F1 tornado killed one person after tossing a mobile home into the air and destroying it, two other occupants sustained serious injuries.<ref>{{cite web |publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year= 2005 |accessdate=August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: F1 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581611}}</ref> Damage from tornadoes alone in the state amounted to $14.5 million.<ref name="NCDC"/> Six F2 tornadoes touched down in Mississippi,<ref name="NCDC"/> one of these tracked for nearly {{convert|18|mi|km}} and grew to a width of {{cvt|800|yd|m}}. The tornado caused $2.5 million in damage and injured three people after destroying one building and severely damaging several homes and farms.<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: F2 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581613}}</ref> Another F1 tornado struck a mobile home park, destroying eleven homes, injuring seven people and leaving $2 million in damages.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Mississippi Event Report: F1 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~581694}}</ref> Throughout the state, 2,127 residences lost power due to high winds.<ref name="PowerRpt4"/>
===Texas===
{{clear}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2017}}<!--3 paragraphs without citations-->
[[File:HurricaneRitaFlooding AMO 20050925.jpg |thumb|Two satellite images showing the extent of flooding caused by Rita in Louisiana and Texas.]]
{{Costliest U.S. Atlantic hurricanes|align=left}}
The impact of Rita, limited to Southeast and East Texas, varied, with both wind and storm-surge damage impacting communities in various ways. Hurricane-force winds extended over {{convert|100|mi}} inland across eastern Texas, causing extensive damage to trees in the [[Piney Woods]]. Communities near and along the west side of the Sabine river, from the Gulf coast up to [[Toledo Bend Reservoir]], saw the greatest measure of damage. The worst damage in the state occurred in several counties in Southeast Texas, including [[Jefferson County, Texas|Jefferson]], [[Orange County, Texas|Orange]], [[Hardin County, Texas|Hardin]], [[Jasper County, Texas|Jasper]], [[Newton County, Texas|Newton]], and [[Tyler County, Texas|Tyler]] counties, where damage to electrical and communication services was severe. Power was not restored in some areas across the region for weeks to even months. Cities in the [[Southeast Texas#Golden Triangle|"Golden Triangle"]] formed by [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], [[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]], and [[Orange, TX]] sustained extensive wind damage, whether directly from wind, or collaterally from wind-fallen trees, tree branches and/or other detritus. In Beaumont, an estimated 25% of the trees in neighborhoods across the city were uprooted or heavily damaged, and in [[Groves, Texas|Groves]] (home of "The Texas Pecan Festival"), about the same percentage of pecan trees suffered similar fates. The water treatment plant in [[Port Neches, Texas|Port Neches]] was heavily damaged. Governor Rick Perry declared a nine-county disaster area as a result of the significant damage in those communities.
In [[Galveston, Texas]], parts of the coast not protected by the sea wall experienced minor storm-surge flooding. At the height of Rita's landfall, a fire broke out in the [[Strand Historic District]]; the Galveston [[fire department]] reacted quickly, and was able to contain and douse the wind-whipped blaze, limiting damage and preventing the fire from spreading throughout the city. Luckily, no serious injuries were reported, though several historic buildings were either gutted or damaged; a fire-weakened wall of the vacated Yaga's Cafe and Bar collapsed several hours later, likely due to lingering wind gusts.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2005-09-24-galveston-fire_x.htm |work= USA Today |title= Three buildings in historic Galveston district catch fire |date= September 25, 2005 |accessdate= May 4, 2010}}</ref>
[[File:Flooding in Galveston from Hurricane Rita.jpg |thumb |left|Floodwaters and destruction left in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, in an area located near [[Galveston Bay]], Texas.]]
For the most part, [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] escaped major damage, apart from extensive power interruptions. A few windows blew out of some [[Downtown Houston|downtown]] skyscrapers, and some trees and traffic signals were downed or damaged.<ref>"[http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050924_mh_downtowndamage.8bdf5eae.html TOP STORIES | KHOU.com | News for Houston, Texas]". {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051001004352/http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou050924_mh_downtowndamage.8bdf5eae.html |date=2005-10-01 }}</ref> Thirty-one deaths in [[Harris County, Texas|Harris County]] were attributed to Rita, mostly related to the evacuation and cleanup.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/kprc/20050927/lo_kprc/2963330 |title= Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines |work=Yahoo News |accessdate=5 October 2014}}{{dead link|date=May 2018}}</ref>
[[File:FellowshipChurch.jpg |thumb|right|Church in Beaumont with roof ripped off by Hurricane Rita.]]
North of Houston, the {{convert|2.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-wide}} [[Lake Livingston]] [[dam]] sustained substantial damage from powerful waves driven by wind gusts of up to {{cvt|117|mph}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Hurricane Rita Damages Lake Livingston Dam|url=http://www.trinityra.org/Press%20Releases/about_press_09_26_05.htm|publisher=Trinity River Authority of Texas|accessdate=September 27, 2005|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002134424/http://www.trinityra.org/Press%20Releases/about_press_09_26_05.htm| archivedate=October 2, 2006|date=September 26, 2005}}</ref> and officials started an emergency release of water to lessen pressure on the dam. A number of news outlets reported on Sunday, September 25, 2005, that the discharge put lives at risk downstream and threatened a major bridge. Repairs to the dam were expected to take months to complete.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4281518.stm | work=BBC News | title=Town faces up to Rita challenges | date=September 25, 2005 | accessdate=May 4, 2010}}</ref> After water levels were lowered and an inspection was conducted by national and local experts, the dam was declared stable late on Monday, September 26, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050926006153&newsLang=en|title=Trinity River Authority of Texas: Hurricane Rita Damages Lake Livingston Dam|author=|date=|website=home.businesswire.com|accessdate=26 March 2018}}</ref>
Rita's landfall in extreme Southwest Louisiana spared southeast and east Texas far greater damage from storm surge. In particular, Texas's coastal communities around [[Galveston Bay]], located to the west of where the storm came ashore, were largely protected from Rita's storm surge by her fortuitous path. However, [[Sabine Pass, Texas|Sabine Pass]] experienced a significant storm surge, which destroyed much of the community. The town was featured on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which built a new fire station in the community. The new fire station was later destroyed in [[Hurricane Ike]], which struck the Texas coast in 2008.
Prudently, a mandatory evacuation of Southeast Texas had been issued before Rita's landfall by both local and state governments. As a result of Governor Perry's disaster declaration, many residents displaced by, and/or returning home to the aftermath of Rita were able to take advantage of up to 60 days of hotel rooms, generators, chainsaws, and monetary assistance by FEMA.
===Elsewhere===
As Hurricane Rita passed to the south of Florida on September 20,<ref name="TCR"/> outer bands to the north produced minor rainfall in parts of southern [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], peaking near {{convert|3|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC">{{cite web|author= David M. Roth |publisher= Hydrometeorological Prediction Center |year=2009 |accessdate= August 20, 2009 |title= Hurricane Rita - September 17–26, 2005 |url= http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/rita2005.html}}</ref> In [[Alabama]], the storm produced 22 weak tornadoes, mainly rated F0, causing minor isolated damage amounting to roughly $1.2 million.<ref name="NCDC">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center |year=2009 |accessdate=August 20, 2009 |title=NCDC Storm Events Database |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5a1zWeTTp?url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms |archivedate=August 13, 2008 |df=}}</ref> Heavy rains also fell in association with Rita in the state. Most of the western portions of Alabama received more than {{convert|3|in|mm}}, with south-central portions peaking around {{convert|7|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC"/> The remnants of Rita had little impact in [[Tennessee]], only consisting of moderate rainfall, peaking near {{convert|5|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC"/> Up to {{convert|3|in|mm}} 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.<ref name="HPC"/>
The weakened remnants of Hurricane Rita produced heavy rainfall and several tornadoes on September 24 in Arkansas.<ref name="NCDC"/> Most of the state received at least {{convert|1|in|mm}} of rain with maximum amounts around {{convert|5|in|mm}}.<ref name="HPC"/> Three F2 tornadoes touched down in the state, the first injured five people in [[Lonoke County, Arkansas|Lonoke County]],<ref>{{cite web|publisher= National Climatic Data Center |year=2005 |accessdate=August 19, 2009 |title=Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado |url= http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566162}}</ref> the second was a low-end F2 tornado that completely destroyed a double-wide mobile home.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 19, 2009|title=Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566170}}</ref> The third was rated as a high-end F2 with winds near {{convert|155|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}; it destroyed three structures and severely damaged several others.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 19, 2009|title=Arkansas Event Report: F2 Tornado |url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566171}}</ref> Throughout the state, winds gusted up to {{convert|50|mph|km/h|abbr=on}},<ref name="ARKNCDC1"/> leaving 2,976 residences without power.<ref name="PowerRpt4"/> Damage in Arkansas amounted to roughly $1 million.<ref name="ARKNCDC1">{{cite web|publisher=National Climatic Data Center|year=2005|accessdate=August 19, 2009|title=Arkansas Event Report: Hurricane|url=http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~566150}}</ref>
==Aftermath==
{{see also|List of retired Atlantic hurricane names}}
===Retirement===
Resulting from heavy destruction on the Gulf Coast, the name ''Rita'' was retired in the spring of 2006, and will never again be used for an Atlantic hurricane. It was replaced by [[Hurricane Rina (2011)|Rina]] for the [[2011 Atlantic hurricane season]]'s list.<ref>{{cite web |author=Chris Vaccaro|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=April 6, 2006|accessdate=February 24, 2012 |title=Dennis, Katrina, Rita, Stan and Wilma "Retired" from List of Storm Names |url=http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2607.htm}}</ref>
===Economic effects===
[[File:Hurricane Rita projected path September 22.png|thumb|left|Projected path of Hurricane Rita on September 22 highlighting refineries and oil rigs across southeast Texas and southern Louisiana.]]
The heavy concentration of oil infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico makes hurricanes of Rita's intensity very problematic. Currently, very little spare crude oil capacity exists in the United States, and the Gulf of Mexico produces some {{convert|2|Moilbbl|m3}} per day total, as well as having some 30% of the total refining capacity of the United States. Rita's path traveled through a dense area of offshore pipelines and [[oil platform]]s, and on land to an area with large refineries. With over half of Gulf production still shut down in the wake of Katrina, some economists have stated that a worst-case scenario is for gasoline prices to briefly touch $5/US gallon ($1.30/L), which would be easily the highest real price for gasoline paid in the United States during the internal combustion era. The most serious incident was the capsizing of the [[tension-leg platform]] Typhoon. Despite this, post-storm predictions estimated only minor price rises. With some 200,000 [[jobless claims]] attributed to Katrina, Rita may have been a further drag on a weakened US economy.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
The most pessimistic projections had [[GDP]] growth cut by 1% on an annualized basis in the United States in the second half of 2005, with as many as 500,000 people made [[unemployment rate|unemployed]]. Some economists argued that the rebuilding effort could buoy the economy in 2006, while others argued that the energy spike could decrease consumer confidence by enough to send the economy into a full-fledged [[recession]] when combined with the Federal Reserve's recent increases in interest rates. While the above did happen, it did not [[2008 energy crisis|occur until 2008]], nearly three years after Rita's impact.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
Due to the impending oil shortage and increasing gas prices, Georgia Governor [[Sonny Perdue]] declared what he termed "snow days," closing all Georgia public primary and secondary schools on September 26 and 27 to conserve fuel for buses.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}
The combined effect of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita was the destruction of an estimated {{convert|562|km2|sqmi}} of coastal wetlands in Louisiana.<ref>Rosenzweig, C., G. Casassa, D.J. Karoly, A. Imeson, C. Liu, A. Menzel, S. Rawlins, T.L. Root, B. Seguin, P. Tryjanowski. (2007). "Assessment of observed changes and responses in natural and managed systems. Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability". Chapter 1 in ''Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change'', (M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof, P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, Eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. (url : http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-chapter1.pdf). Pp 92. Accessed 19 December 2011.
</ref>
===Military relief operations===
[[File:JTF Rita.jpg|thumb|right|Soldiers load hundreds of [[Meals, Ready-to-Eat]] and [[water]] onto a [[CH-47 Chinook]] helicopter at [[Ellington Field, Texas]]]]
On September 24, 2005, following the havoc caused by Hurricanes [[Hurricane Katrina|Katrina]] and Rita, the [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] named Brig. Gen. [[Douglas Pritt]] of the [[41st Brigade Combat Team]], [[Oregon Army National Guard]], head of Joint Task Force Rita (formally called JTF Ponchartrain).<ref>{{cite web|title=Oregon Guard assumes command over troops from other states|url=http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8CQSDL80.html|publisher=KWG-TV|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111223326/http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8CQSDL80.html|archivedate=January 11, 2009|date=September 24, 2005}}</ref> The 1,400 Oregonian soldiers and airmen, including the 1st Battalion of the 186th Infantry which is designated a quick response unit, are joined by engineers and [[military police]] from Louisiana, the 56th [[Stryker]] brigade from [[Pennsylvania]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.milvet.state.pa.us/PAO/pr/09_27_05.htm|title=Keystone Kindness Clobbers Katrina Catastrophe|last=Ostrich|first=Jay|date=September 27, 2005|website=www.milvet.state.pa.us|accessdate=March 26, 2018}}</ref> and an engineering battalion from [[Missouri]]. It is their mission to provide relief support for all of the areas in Texas and Louisiana affected by the two storms and to remove obstructions that might otherwise hinder help to those affected.
===American Red Cross operations===
The American Red Cross continued to provide disaster relief to Hurricane Katrina affected areas, but as a result of Hurricane Rita, had to open additional shelters in other [[Gulf Coast of the United States|gulf states]]. The Red Cross also expanded their Hurricane Katrina internet "Safe List" for use by those affected by Hurricane Rita.
===AmeriCorps relief operations===
[[AmeriCorps]] sent several crews to Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana in response to [[Hurricane Katrina]] and Hurricane Rita. The crews originated from two main organizations, the [[National Civilian Community Corps]] (NCCC) and the Washington Conservation Corps (WCC), as well as from smaller Americorps organizations such as Americorps St. Louis' Emergency Response Team (ERT). The crews performed a number of relief tasks for hurricane survivors, including support on the [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA)/[[Carnival Cruise Lines]] shelter ship, tarping damaged roofs, and debris removal. As of the beginning of 2006, AmeriCorps teams have been involved in the rebuilding efforts in Louisiana and Mississippi. Teams have also operated volunteer camps like Camp Premier as well as assisted with the Made with Love cafe. As of May 2006, AmeriCorps reported that it would continue to send relief to affected areas.
==See also==
{{Portalbar|Tropical cyclones|Disaster|United States|Louisiana|2000s}}
* [[List of tropical cyclones]]
* [[List of Atlantic hurricanes]]
* [[List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes]]
* [[List of 2005 Atlantic hurricane season storms]]
* [[FEMA Trailer]]
* [[Timeline of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season]]
* [[List of Florida hurricanes (2000–present)]]
* [[List of Texas hurricanes (1980-present)]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Hurricane Rita}}
{{Wikinewshas|related news|
* [[n:Florida Keys evacuated in preparation for Rita|Florida Keys evacuated in preparation for Rita]]
* [[n:Houston mayor urges evacuations as Hurricane Rita moves closer to shore|Houston mayor urges evacuations as Hurricane Rita moves closer to shore]]
* [[n:Hurricane Rita turns toward Texas-Louisiana border|Hurricane Rita turns toward Texas-Louisiana border]]
* [[n:Hurricane Rita makes landfall|Hurricane Rita makes landfall]]
* [[n:Massive traffic jams, gas shortages plug evacuation routes near Houston|Massive traffic jams, gas shortages plug evacuation routes near Houston]]
* [[n:Oil price jumps as Rita heads to refineries|Oil price jumps as Rita heads to refineries]]}}
* The NHC's [http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/refresh/RITA+shtml/ archive on Hurricane Rita]
* The HPC's [http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical2005/RITA/RITA_archive.shtml archive on Tropical Depression Rita]
* The HPC's [http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/tropical/rain/rita2005.html rainfall page for Rita]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061214184302/http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/site/news.asp?brd=2287 Hurricane Rita: from wreckage to rebirth], from [http://www.beaumontenterprise.com The Beaumont Enterprise]
* [http://www.newsnow.co.uk/newsfeed/?name=Hurricane+Watch NewsNow.co.uk's Hurricane Watch newsfeed]
* [http://www.disastercenter.com/Tropical%20Storm%20-%20Hurricane%20-%20Rita.html The Disaster Center's Rita coverage]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050923200114/http://hurricane.methaz.org/hurapak/ TAOS Autorun] - Real-time damage estimates
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060423091836/http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/hurricane/gas/ Hurricane Rita Supply Availability Map]
* [http://www.theoildrum.com/story/2005/9/20/144722/791 "The Oil Drum: Rita Resource Page for Oil and Natural Gas Infrastructure Damage"] The Oil Drum: Rita Oil and Gas Resources
* [http://www.ucar.edu/news/releases/2005/wrf.shtml Research Model Advances Hurricane Intensity Prediction]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051030083600/http://mindfully.org/Air/2005/Cyclone-Increasing-Destructive4aug05.htm Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones]
* [http://sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/309/5742/1844 Changes in Tropical Cyclone Number, Duration, and Intensity in a Warming Environment]
* [http://www.hurricane-katrina.org Beyond Katrina - Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, continuing recovery news, information, and resources five years post]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080804105955/http://www.sciencemag.org/sciext/katrina/ Science Magazine Katrina/Rita page]
* [http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/archive/2005/storms/rita/rita-ir.avi Color Enhanced Infrared Satellite Video of Hurricane Rita]
* [http://www.hurricanearchive.org/ Hurricane Digital Memory Bank] Preserving the Stories of Katrina, Rita, and Wilma
* [http://www.workforcealliance.org/policy/WorkforceReDevelopmentintheGulfCoastFINAL.pdf Workforce Redevelopment in the Gulf Coast]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060523235216/http://websearch.archive.org/katrina/ Hurricanes Katrina & Rita Web Archive]
{{Retired Atlantic hurricanes}}
{{Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes}}
{{2005_Atlantic_hurricane_season_buttons}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rita (2005)}}
[[Category:Hurricane Rita| ]]
[[Category:Retired Atlantic hurricanes]]
[[Category:2005 Atlantic hurricane season]]
[[Category:Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes]]
[[Category:Lake Charles, Louisiana]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Florida]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Mississippi]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Louisiana]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Texas]]
[[Category:Hurricanes in Arkansas]]
[[Category:September 2005 events]]
