The Day After Rita: How Texas and Louisiana Fared
Sept. 25, 2005 — -- Hurricane Rita caused some heavy damage to Texas and Louisiana, but not the large-scale devastation that was seen after Hurricane Katrina. Here's how some cities in Louisiana and Texas are doing the day after Rita.
New Orleans was not directly hit by Hurricane Rita, but just over two inches of rain and the accompanying storm surge was more than enough to cause flooding.
The areas hardest hit by Katrina -- the Ninth Ward and St. Bernard's Parish -- were drying out just days before. Now they are under close to 10 feet of water again.
The fragile levees, patched together after Katrina, breached in two spots. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco fears more levees may be at risk.
National Guard helicopters will once more drop sandbags into the breach, and dump trucks will then unload stones into the gap.
And yet, in New Orleans, Hurricane Rita delivered less rain than feared.
But south of the city, a seven-foot tidal surge prompted dozens of evacuations, including a pregnant woman and her 4-year-old son, who were stranded in Lafourche. A Coast Guard rescue team hoisted them to safety.
Lake Charles survived the winds, but now it must face the rising waters. The waterways are overflowing, engulfing homes and swamping streets.
Overnight, the last remaining residents were sent out of Lake Charles on buses.
Theresa Smith had fled to Lake Charles from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and now she's on the move again.
"I don't know what's going to happen at this point," she said.
Local officials want the town empty so they can focus on cleaning up after a harrowing 24 hours.
Sitting to the east of the eye, Lake Charles endured some of the most intense wind and rainfall, snapping trees and bending metal.
Jacqueline and Paul Suarez took Hurricane Rita seriously. They spent three nights last week with friends 100 miles north of Houston.
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