Forecasters fear hurricane Rita's strength
(AP)
Updated: 2005-09-21 08:54

At least one segment of the Keys highway, U.S. 1, was barricaded because of water and debris, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Wind-driven water was flowing across other sections of the two- and three-lane highway that connects the Keys.

At 8 p.m. EDT, Rita's eye was about 65 miles west-southwest of Key West. The storm was moving west at 12 mph on a track that kept the most destructive winds at sea, the hurricane center said.

Nearly 900 miles from Key West, officials of Galveston were already calling for voluntary evacuations, with mandatory evacuations to begin Wednesday. Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco urged everyone in the southwest part of the state to prepare to evacuate.

Even those who had survived major hurricanes were getting ready to leave. Catherine Womack, 71, was busy boarding up the windows on her one-story brick house in Galveston.

"Destination unknown," she said. "I've never left before. I think because of Katrina, there is a lot of anxiety and concern. It's better to be safe than sorry."

Palm trees bend in the wind as Hurricane Rita passes near Cuba in Varadero, September 20, 2005. As strengthening Hurricane Rita lashed the low-lying islands of the Florida Keys, hurricane warnings were also in effect for northwestern Cuba where thousands of people were evacuated from flood-prone coastal areas. [Reuters]

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin suspended his plan Monday to start bringing residents back to the city after warnings that Rita could follow Hurricane Katrina's course and rupture his city's weakened levees.

The Pentagon stationed coordinating officers and staff at Tallahassee, Fla., and Austin, Texas, to assist storm preparations and recovery. The USS Bataan, an amphibious assault ship, was off Florida's Atlantic coast near Jacksonville, preparing to follow behind Rita to support relief efforts.

Crude-oil futures rose above $67 a barrel Monday, in part because of worries about Rita's effect on Gulf of Mexico production, but dropped briefly below $65 on Tuesday.

Oil companies and drilling contractors increased offshore rig and platform evacuations. Katrina destroyed 46 platforms and rigs and significantly damaged 18 platforms and rigs, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

Rita is the 17th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, making this the fourth-busiest season since record-keeping started in 1851. The record is 21 tropical storms in 1933. Six hurricanes have hit Florida in the last 13 months.

The hurricane season isn't over until Nov. 30.

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