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Hurricane Katrina - Florida
Hurricane Rita - US, Cuba
Earthquake - Pakistan
Hurricane Wilma - US, Mexio, Cuba
Landslide - Philippines
Hurricane Stan - Mexico
Explosion & fire - UK
Other events
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Catastrophe Report 8
August 8th to February 23rd 2006 |
Hurricane Rita - US, Cuba
| Territory: |
|
United States |
| Region: |
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Texas, Louisiana, Florida |
| Date: |
|
18 – 24 September 2005 |
| Event: |
|
Hurricane Rita |
| Impact: |
|
Economic losses arising from Hurricane Rita are
estimated at US$15 billion, with insured losses set at US$10
billion. 340,000 people were ordered to evacuate in Cuba and
the Florida Keys, where – in the latter case – storm
surge flooding led to the closure of the Overseas Highway segment
of US1. Precipitation from Rita’s outer rain bands compounded
the flood problem in New Orleans, a month after Katrina, leading
to water level rise and further severe flooding. Several communities
in SW Louisiana were destroyed or seriously damaged as a result
of strong winds, a 7m storm surge and levee breaches, and 700,000
people were left without power. Mississippi was also affected,
particularly by tornadoes spawned from the outer parts of the
storm, but east Texas bore the brunt of the storm. Massive destruction
was caused in the Beaumont, Orange and Port Arthur region of
east Texas, but the Port Arthur levee system held. Large areas
of Pecan trees were destroyed and the Lake Livingston dam was
badly damaged by wave action. Power supplies were disrupted
for up to 6 weeks, with 1.4 million people affected. Houston
escaped relatively lightly, barring window and traffic signal
damage and extensive power loss. Seven major refineries in east
Texas and west Louisiana were forced to temporarily cease operations
due to storm damage and loss of power, resulting in the loss
of 1.5 million barrels a day. Total losses due to Katrina and
Rita are estimated at 34.8 million barrels, accounting for 6.4
percent of the Gulf’s annual oil production. 119 deaths
were reported, 113 of these in Texas. |
| Summary: |
|
Rita developed on September 18th from a tropical
disturbance east of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It achieved
hurricane status two days later and passed between Cuba and
the Florida Keys as a category 1 storm on the same day. Once
in the Gulf, high sea-surface temperatures caused rapid intensification
to a category 5 storm on September 21st. The central pressure
dropped as low as 897 mb, making Rita the third most intense
hurricane on record at the time. Rita continued to travel north-westwards,
weakening to a category 3 storm, before making landfall close
to Sabine Pass (Jefferson County) in eastern Texas early on
September 24th. Wind speeds at landfall were estimated at close
to 200 km h. After landfall the storm was downgraded to a tropical
depression, although it went on to spawn numerous damaging tornadoes
in Arkansas. |
| Data sources: |
|
Global Security.Org
http://www.globalsecurity.org/security/ops/hurricane-rita.htm
Colorado State University summary of 2005 Atlantic tropical
cyclone activity
http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts/2005/nov2005/
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| Additional sources: |
|
OilOnline
http://www.oilonline.com/news/headlines/rita/
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